mov files and Windows DVD Maker

jpc

I've been asked to shoot a dance recital and create DVDs, so I'm going to give it a shot with my D800. I'm using a pc and would like to use Windows DVD Maker, but apparently it won't allow .mov import, which is the only available output format from the D800. If I use Windows Movie Maker to convert the .mov to .wmv files, will compression destroy them? Is there a better way?

Thanks in advance.

ziggy53

A standard DVD uses MPEG 2 compression, and only that. Your best bet is to use a direct converter which supports MPEG 2 output, and then use a DVD burner software to work against the MPEG 2 files. This avoids re-compression loss.

Also, a standard DVD is a 4:3 aspect ratio. There is also a Wide-DVD format that uses non-square pixels to provide an effective 16:9 aspect ratio. You should ask the customer which format their DVD player supports. (Most support both, but not all.)

You can try some Windows freeware tests to see if the quality is up to your standards. HandBrake is free and open source, and many folks seem to like it:

https://handbrake.fr/

After converting the file to the correct aspect ratio and MPEG 2 format (4:3 "Standard" or 16:9 "Wide"), a pretty good, free DVD burner software is:

DVD Flick

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If you need to do any editing to the source files, and if you need to add titles and transitions, I have not found any good solution which is also free.

The video editing software I use the most is VideoStudio Pro. It can provide transcoding and DVD burning, in addition to editing and titling. The price is very reasonable compared to many other video editing software with the same features.

http://www.videostudiopro.com/en/products/videostudio/pro/

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Lots of other options if you have a larger budget.