SetupSwarm

I have been downloading movies for ages now, and I have build up a big collection of movies. Downloading is like my hobby anyway, and i wont pay a penny for a dvd, simply because i can get them for free. Last year it came to me that it would be awesome to burn lots of dvd's to fill my room and i started to look into a nice and easy way to burn my movies onto DVD's. The first problem i ran into is the fact that when you download a movie its usually in one of the following file formats:

• avi
• divx
• xvid

The problem with all these file formats is that they usually aint supported by your dvd player and because of that you are going to have to convert the file so your DVD player will be able to play the file. To convert the file you can get lots of different software, but most of them are paid or hard to work with. Others have verry limited options, and are only able to convert file formats like .mov or .flv. I have been searching the web for a few hours and found the following piece of software:

ConvertXtoDVD (official download link)

Now ConvertXtoDVD is not a free application, but you can get a serial real easy here: link to serials This is a great piece of software that allows you to create a menu for your dvd, it sets up chapters for you, automatically inserts the subtitles (you do need them to be in the same folder as your movie file) and has lots of other features.

Key features are:

• Video formats supported: avi, divx, xvid, mov, mkv, flv , mpeg1, mpeg2, mpeg-, nsv, dvr-ms, ts, ifo, vob, asf, wmv, realmedia, rm, rmvb, ogm, existing files from digital camcorders, TV/Sat, capture cards, etc. No external codecs needed like avi codec download More formats…
• Create DVD menus with different templates available, possibility to add background video, image or audio, have chapter and audio/subtitle menus
• Conversion advisor wizard, control of the conversion speed vs. quality
• Fast and quality encoder, typically less than 1 hour for converting 1 movie, and supports Multi-Core processors!
• Included burning engine with burn speed control choice of SAO or packet writing methods, supports all DVD formats
• Custom and or automatic chapter creation with markers and preview window
• Advanced file merging possibilities
• Audio formats supported internal and external: AC3, DTS, PCM, OGG, MP3, WMA and more… Select audio output format.
• Subtitles files supported internal and external: SRT, .SUB/IDX, .SSA, opensubtitles, dvbsub with color and font selection, and supports tags like italic, bold, turn on/off with DVD player remote control
• Video output for video standard (NTSC, PAL), TV Screen (Widescreen 16:9, Fullscreen 4:3) and DVD Resolution (Full D1, Broadcast D1, Half D1, SIF), or choose automatic for all choices listed above. Also convert video from NTSC to PAL or PAL to NTSC
• Video post processing settings like video resize-pad/cropping and de-interlacing options
• Works with 32 and 64bits edition of Windows XP, Vista, 7

Another big advantage is the converting time, convertation software takes MUCH longer than ConvertXtoDVD, certainly on my old and crappy laptop, it takes about 1.5-2 hours to convert (other software took me 6-8 hours for a single dvd sometimes). But alright, download ConvertXtoDVD and here's a simple guide for your first movie burning project.

Burning your dvd

So when you downloaded ConvertXtoDVD you'r ready to go i would advice you to take the time to look into a nice menu, select the one you prefer and customize it, you can add sounds, titles, text, and backgrounds… so its worth looking into, but thats for another article i guess!

The actual burning proces is simple:

1. Download the movie if you didnt do that jet
2. Download a subtitle for the movie in the language of your choice (optional), a good subtitle source is: link
3. Insert the files in your project
4. Set up the dvd menu (titlescreen)
5. Start converting
6. Burn the project to a dvd (if you inserted a dvd during or before the proces it burns on that automatically)

If you have any specific questions about the titlescreen or the burning proces or whatever, lemme know by posting a comment of posting in the forum thread and I will get back to you as soon as possible and place a update here.

Printing a dvd cover / layar

Now that you burned your dvd you dont want it to just lay around, you need a nice casing with a dvd cover and layer! Again, after searching the web i found a nice piece of equipment fit for the job and best of all its free.

UndercoverXP (official download link)

"UndercoverXP is a small program to easily print CD and DVD covers. It supports JPEG, GIF, PNG and BMP formats and can automatically scale front covers, back covers, front + inside, inlays, DVD Boxes, Digital Pictures and CD/DVD labels to the correct sizes. Other formats can be easily added via a graphical format editor. UnderCoverXP is written in C++ using Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 and doesn't need a .NET framework or any other external libraries."

Download that and i will explain to you how to burn a nice dvd layer, and a dvd cover. Getting these files can be done at several websites, the following list will provide you with just about any cover / layar you need:

1. Podnapisi
2. CDcovers
3. Freecovers
4. Mega-Search

Printing a dvd layer

When you're going to burn a dvd layer you will need to get yourself some dvd layer sheets, these are usually a4 format printable sticker papers, with 2 precut dvd size stickers on them. You can get these at the bigger paper stores / webshops and you should just google for it. When you got the right paper follow these steps:

1. Open UndercoverXP.
2. Click the left or right white area and open the layar you downloaded before.
3. Select "DVD Layers" in the dropdownlist above the image.
4. Print your image, but before doing this you should select high quality and the correct paper type. (if you have those options on your printer)

Printing 2 layers at a time:

1. Follow the step 1-3 above to select the left or right image.
2. Follow the step 1-3 above again, but now select the other image.
3. Select the checkbox between the 2 dropdownlists to check "Print on a single page".
4. Print your image, but before doing this you should select high quality and the correct paper type. (if you have those options on your printer)

Well thats that and you should have a perfect dvd layer now!

Update: Its possible that you need to change the format a bit so the print will cover the dvd size sticker, i recommend testing by printing a grey page so you dont waste your ink. You can change the format in "options –> format editor…"

Printing a dvd cover

Before starting to burn your dvd cover's i

can recommend you to buy Glossy paper. Simply because you will get the best results than. Epsilon is a good brand for paper, it aint expencif and you can get it at allot of webshops. Burning the cover is easy:

1. Open UndercoverXP.
2. Click the left or right white area and open the cover you downloaded before.
3. Select "DVD Box" in the dropdownlist above the image.
4. If you'r image appears turned (read: horizontal) you should flip it 90 degrees you can do this by clicking "Options" in the menubar and than "Rotate" and than to do the job select "rotate left image clockwise" or "rotate right image clockwise" depending on your images location, It should show vertical now.
5. Print your image, but before doing this you should select high quality and the correct paper type. (if you have those options on your printer)

Final words

I hope this article helped you (i know for sure it would have saved me allot of time) and leave a comment if you have additional information or suggestions!

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