[alih786]

I just like to know a few things about these optical disks. Here's my question:

First of all, dvd, cd, vcd - are they the file extensions? e.g. Movie1.dvd

If there not the file extensions, are these the following extensions or formats of dvd's and vcd's:

Avi mpeg vob that

I've got a few videos saved on the hard disk and there all avi and mpeg and that files - will I be able to save them on a dvd disk and play them on ANY dvd player? So for example a file wich is .avi - will I be able to play that on a dvd player?

[JBeaucaire]

You said you'd like to save them on DVD. Does your computer HAVE a DVD writer on it? If so, the computer or DVD writer should have come with some basic software to accomplish what you want. If the computer only has a CD-writer, you will need to install a DVD writer, too, or replace the CD-writer with a DVD-writer (which can also burn CDs if you need), or you will need to to do all your work on CDs only.

Once you identify/install your DVD-writing capability, you'll need to use a program designed to "burn" DVDs, like Nero, or the software that came on your computer. Look through the installed programs, you'll find it.

That program has the ability to take a variety of video formats (avi, mpeg, mpg4, wmv, etc) and compile them ALL onto a blank DVD and the resulting DVD should be playable in most DVD players.

Many programs can also attempt to make what is called a Video CD, a CD that acts like a DVD, but only holds as much as a CD can hold, about 25% of what a DVD can.

You will need to identify the DVD burning software on your computer (or install one), and get some blank DVDs.

Use the program to import and sort the video files. The program will only import the files it can read, so that should help. Then put them in the order you want, add some Title Screen options and "credits", then burn the disc.

Burning DVDs is sometimes a two-step process. First, your program will take all the video you chose and create the DVD-version of those files, basically getting them ready to burn. This first step of "encoding" can take a VERY long time.

Second, the resulting video files are then burned onto the disc at the fastest speed the DVD burner can manage. You will have the option to bun multiple discs and probably will need to decide if you want to save the files created from step 1. If you DO save them (4gig+ possibly), then burning more discs later won't need to go through that step 1 again, but you do give up a LOT of hard drive space.