How to Burn a DVD to Play on a DVD Player

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When burning DVDs to play on a DVD players, you simply cannot burn a data disc with the movie file on it. DVD movie discs are encoded with a special MPEG video codec that is compatible with DVD players. The easiest way to burn this type of disc is by using Nero burning software. Not only can the software convert nearly any movie format to make it DVD compatible, but it also features in-depth menu creation to make the DVD interactive and personalized.

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Step 1

Open the Nero Start Smart program to load "Nero Vision." Click on the "Video" icon that shows a picture of a film strip. Click on the small icon that shows two people to toggle between "Standard" and "Advanced Features."

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Step 2

Click on the link that says "Make Your Own DVD-Video." Nero Start Smart will disappear from the screen and Nero Vision will automatically load. A new DVD project starts on the screen and the first menu that appears is the "Project Window."

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Step 3

Click on the "Import" link to load an explorer window. Choose the video file or files that you want to add to the project. Nero accepts MOV, AVI, MPEG, WMV, and other video formats, but it usually does not accept MP4 formats, which are videos specifically made for iPods.

Step 4

Check the "Size Status Bar" at the bottom of the screen once the videos have loaded. If the blue bar turns red, the file is too large for the DVD. A message will automatically appear if you can lessen the quality of the DVD to make it fit on the disc. Click "Yes" to change the quality.

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Step 5

Click on the "Configuration" icon that shows a picture of a hammer. Click the button that says "Create Chapters Automatically." A chapter list for the DVD will automatically generate and make DVD navigation a lot easier.

Step 6

Press the "Next" button on the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. Enter a title for the DVD menu in the text box on the left side of the screen.

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Step 7

Double-click on the menu background to change the background. Backgrounds are organized by category and feature "Nature," "Default," and "Event." Import your own picture background by clicking on the folder icon.

Step 8

Press the "Next" button when the menu is complete to load a preview of the DVD. Test the video and menu operation by clicking on the small preview screen. Skip the preview by pressing the "Next" button and proceeding to the final screen.

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Step 9

Insert a blank DVD into the drive, wait a few seconds, and press the "Burn" button. Wait for the program to render the video and burn the DVD. Leave the computer alone during this process to speed it up and prevent any errors.

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