Burn DVDs:

Burning DVDs involves many tools and steps.  Unlike a VCR that you hit record and stop and it is ready to play,  DVDs can be as elaborate and fancy as you want.  Or maybe you just want it to play and stop.  Either way there are several steps involved.  First you have to have the hardware (or equipment) to capture (record) the video.  Then you may want the software (programs) that edit the video.  But also you need software to ultimately author (format) the disk to play in a DVD player.

Assuming you have a computer and that is about it, we will try to put the process in order as best as we can.  The following will hopefully guide you in understanding all that is involved and what to think about or do first.

The DVD disc comes in many formats and speeds.  They have many purposes.  The first thing to determine is what format to buy.  If you do not have a burner yet, it is a good time to do some research.  The first thing to consider is what you want the DVD to do. 

DVDs are more then video disks.  But that is the primary reason you are here reading this I am sure.  But not all formats are for video.  Not all video formats are created equal. 

If you plan on sharing the disk with friends and family pick the most compatible format that works with their DVD players.  dvdrhelp.com has a cross reference tool for that purpose. 

The next consideration is if you want an external or internal drive.  Another option is the stand-a-lone.  If you have room in you computer to add an internal burner then that is the cheapest solution.  If you have multiple computers or your computer has no more drive bays available then an external drive may be what you want. 

Internal burners are easy to install.  As mentioned before, you must have a drive bay slot available to insert it.  If you have a disc drive in it already and want to replace it you may want to think about the following things first.  If it is a DVD drive you may want to keep it to play your DVDs and not use the burner but to burn the disks.  If the existing drive is a CD burner then again you may want to keep it if it is a faster drive (ie..40x, 50x) because the DVD burner will only burn CDs about 16X.  If the existing drive is a CD-Rom drive only and does not play DVDs or burn CDs then it may be best just to replace that one.

I said before that internal burners are easy to install, but I did not say it was easy to set up.  Sure all you do is unscrew, unplug and remove the old one if that is what you are doing, but do not forget to set jumpers accordingly and you may be required to change your bios setting the next time you boot the computer.  If your computer is older, it may require an update to the firmware and bios.  Check with your owners manual.

External burners are usually easier to install and setup.  Most of the time it is a USB connector and a power cord is all the connections you need.  But again you may need to verify the computer has all the latest drivers and the drive has the latest firmware installed. If the computer is older make sure it has the type of connectors that the external drive requires.  They are usually one or more of the following:  SCSI, 1394 ieee (firewire) USB or USB2.

Don't want to even mess with your computer?  The a stand-a-lone unit may be the best choice.  A stand-a-lone works much like a VCR.  It usually has a one button record function.  They only record and playback, which is 99.99% of what you plan to do most of the time.  Unless you want to edit your videos.  That is a totally different subject.  But the stand-a-lone will let you edit some however the disk may not be fully compatible with other players and you can not add special effects and titles if that is your desire.

The DVD disc comes in many formats and speeds.  I know I said that already but now is the time to determine the format of your choice that works with the internal/external/stand-a-lone burner you buy or already have.  Prices vary also on the formats but remember it is most likely compatibility rather then price that you may be most concerned about.  Compatibility with your friends and family players but also compatibility with your own home theatre system.  Oh don't have a home theatre system yet.  Check on the compatibility with the system you are looking at.

Recordable DVDs are available in the following formats:

DVD+R, DVD-R,  DVD+RW, DVD-RW,  DVD+R DL,  DVD-RAM, MiniDVD-R, MiniDVD+R, and more on the way.

HD and BlueRay, RedRay are all about the future.  I will not go into details about all the formats but I will tell you this,  I use the DVD-R most of the time.  And the DVD-RAM is usually used for data most of the time but there are some stand-a-lone that use RAM but are not very compatible with other players.

If you are troubleshooting or you got all of this already figured out but still have problems you may want to look at your drivers and firmware updates.  Also verify the speed of the disc and make sure it matches your burner and settings.  I hope this has helped you some and as always, Avalon Film and Video Training and Tech Support Services are available just a phone call away.

To burn the disc into a DVD video type disk is the ultimate goal here.  Now you have the hardware part figured out, it's time for the software decision.

If you are using a stand-a-lone you need not worry about software.  The software is built in and is like using an on screen menu on a VCR.  Editing is limited on a unit like this.  You can start and stop the recorder when you want but timing is not accurate.  If you want to delete a scene it only removes the video but the information is still on the disk.  If using a *-RW format you can erase the data but you loose all the video on the whole disk.

If you are looking for "frame accurate" editing and want to add titles and special effects then you will want to use a computer and a NLE program.  NLE stands for non-linear editing.  Programs are available at many different prices.  Ranging from free to more than $1000.  Knowing how to use a program is key.  You can do about as much with a free one as an expensive one.  Usually the learning curve is in direct correlation to the cost.  Expensive programs like Adobe Premiere and Final Cut Pro will do about anything you want but require extensive training to understand and learn all the filters, effects and settings.

The free programs like MS Moviemaker or NLEs that come "bundled" with the burner you bought are easier to use because they don't have all the filters, effects and settings to worry about.  The more you know about filters and effects you will learn they do not make the video.  They should be used very limited and you should learn how to use your camera to tell the story.  But that is a whole nother subject. 

Now that you have all the hardware and you finished the editing with your NLE program you are finally ready to burn the DVD.  But as I mentioned earlier DVDs are used for many purposes and must be formatted for each purpose.  You can not just burn the files on the disk and you are done.  To make a video DVD you have to "Author" it.  Authoring is a formatting process that creates the disk so that a DVD player knows what to do with it.  Also Authoring is the formatting process so the user knows what to do with it. 

You can author the disk with menus, chapters, make them loop or stop when you want.  Authoring is accomplished with programs that usually only layout the design and features.  They normally do not edit the video.  Some programs do both but are usually very limited in both authoring and editing features.  Again this maybe all you want to do.

The Authoring program is the final stage of creating the disk.  All that is left is Burning (writing) the video on the disk.  The video files that you have made are large.  The video must be compressed to fit on the DVD.  The authoring program will do this compression automatically.  But it takes time.  The time it will take depends on the amount of video and the speed and power of you computer(not the speed of the burner). 

Some processors are better then others.  If you have not purchased a computer or are in the market for a new one then it is time for some more research.  With all of the brand choices and prices you have today, you would think it would be easy to pick a computer for editing video.  The off the shelf systems from the big box houses or large mail order companies (not to name any names) may not be your best buy.  Talk to a video production person or check out some of the latest video publications or websites. 

Or even better (here comes another plug) contact Avalon-Services training and consulting department and have us help you.  We do not sell the equipment and will not pressure you to buy "our brand".  In fact we have even better technical support services available.  Not only can we fix your problem we will teach you why you had the problem and how to avoid more.  

For more information about Avalon Film & Video Services and the training and consulting service contact call or write and a friendly and knowledgeable staff member will be happy to talk to you.