AVI to DVD conversion has become a fairly common type of file conversion these days. It has become fairly easy to burn a movie stored on your hard disk in AVI format to a disk so that you can watch it on a standard dvd player. But what is the difference between the two formats anyway?

DVD
DVD is an acronym for Digital Versatile Disc or more commonly Digital Video Disc. The DVD technology stores its data in a type of optical disc storage media and can be used to store movies, graphics, sounds and multimedia. It is bigger and faster than a CD. The native DVD video application format mainly stores its files as VOB files with a .vob extension. These are easily viewable on a DVD player but may not be readable on your computer depending on the kind of software you use. Also, VOB files tend to be rather heavy and hence not exactly portable especially if you want to email the files to your friends.

AVI
AVI is an acronym for Audio Video Interleave. It is a Microsoft technology named after Avi Cohen. AVI is a container format that can store both sound and motion as a .avi extension and supports multiple streaming. AVI conforms to the Microsoft Windows Resource Interchange File Format (RIFF) specification.

Converting AVI to DVD
There are several sources of software on the internet for AVI to DVD conversion. Some freeware tools are also available for this work. So the first step in converting to DVD format is identifying the right software. Consider the ease of use of the software, its features and its price before buying the software. Do an online search and explore your options but make sure you get software that works for you. Make use of free trials in order to evaluate a certain piece of software before you buy it.
Next comes the actual conversion. Most of the conversion software available have user friendly interfaces and follow the same basic conversion instructions:

1. Launch software - Install the conversion software into your computer. When the installation is complete, launch the conversion software and go to the main menu.
2. Choose the type of conversion. If the conversion software offers a number of different types of file conversions, you may need to choose the type of conversion that you need to take place.
3. Quality settings - Some types of software may ask you to set the quality of sound that is expected. The higher the quality you choose, the longer the conversion will take. You may also need to choose your audio stream and disk size here.
4. Timeline – Most programs will have a timeline where you will drag your movie files to. You may need to adjust sound levels, make use of other special transitions and add chapter marks to your DVD.

5. Choose special features - Take note of the current settings to see whether they are to your liking. If not, then you will need to adjust the settings appropriately. Most converters offer a selection of features to choose from. Some programs are poor at synchronizing sound with picture and you may want to keep your eye on this.
6. Begin the conversion - Once you are sure that all your settings are exactly how you would like them to be, you can start the conversion process. Most converters will tell you how long the process may take, usually between 5 minutes and 1hour depending on the encoder you use and how fast your computer is.
7. Completion - Once the software has been converted, the software will notify you that conversion is complete. If an error occurred during conversion, then an error message will be displayed. You can now watch your DVD.

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