If you, like me, think that there’s something.. um, magical … about right clicking on a file and being able to quickly perform the operations on it then you might want check this program out. Explore and Burn is a simple CD/DVD burning program that is launched from Windows’ right-click context menu. More notes below.

• How to use: select a file or group of files and right click the Explore and Burn context menu. This will launch the program’s wizard-style file burning process.
• Burning images: Explore&Burn can burn .ISO and .IMG files to CD/DVD; it can also optionally associate itself with these file extensions.
• Supported media: CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW and DVD-RAM discs including Dual Layer discs.
• Bugs on XP: I encountered a problem in XP whereby the program did not burn ISO images to disk and I got a "Cannot Complete the Disc Writing Wizard" message (regular files burned just fine though). Someone posted this issue in the forum; and although the prescribed fix did not work for me, there’s the promise that this will be addressed in future versions.

Wish list: (or how this program can be even better)

• For non disk image files, this program installs two context menu entries which offer exactly the same functionality, making one of them absolutely redundant (see image to the right). It would be nice to be able to keep only one of them.
• Fixing the disk-burning problem with XP mentioned above.

The verdict: for what it tries to achieve (which is quick, on-the-fly file burning from the desktop), Explore&Burn works beautifully (assuming of course that bugs are eventually dealt with). For most users, however, Explore&Burn is no replacement for a full-fledged, full-featured CD/DVD burning program (such as CDBurnerXP), and it does not claim to be.

Many users will like the quick spontaneity of this. Moreover, this program is perfect for non tech-savvy users who just want to burn files quickly (a perfect thing to install for your grandmother for example).

Version Tested: 1.2

Compatibility: Windows XP, Server 2003, Vista and Windows 7, 32bit and 64bit. XP and Server 2000 may require installing the KB932716 update package from Microsoft.

Go to the program page to download the latest version (approx 2.7 megs)

A nice surprise, this one. Totally Free Burner offers a set of features that will cover most people’s CD/DVD burning needs. It also offers a sleek design and nice look-and-feel as an added bonus. Here are more notes on this program:

• Automatic data verification: for all burning operations.
• Bootable: can create bootable CDs and DVDs (see image to the right).
• Technical specs: an impressive array of configurations supported; “all current hardware interfaces (IDE/SCSI/USB/1394/SATA)”. Multi-Session or Disc-at-Once mode for all formats; any combination of UDF/ISO9660/Joliet bridged file systems, and UNICODE support.
• Burns Audio CDs: supports mp3, wav, ogg and wma files. Does not rip audio cds (use the free BonkEnc or Exact Audio Copy for this).
• Burns disk images: supports ISO and BIN/CUE. Burns images on the fly without first staging locally on your hard drive.
• Burns video CDs: from Mpeg1 VCD files.
• Burns DVDs: for both data and video DVDs. For the latter it can burn from local DVD files or ISO. Supports using UDF format, for compatibility with hardware DVD players.
• Drag and drop: [updated Aug 14, 2008] as of the just released ver. 4.0, supports drag and drop files and folders (a good thing, since adding files and folders individually through the two seperate dialog buttons is not very practical.

Wish list (or how this program can be even better):

• On the fly disc copying: would be great; also ISO image creation from files/folders.
• Support for “new” media: namely double density DVDs and Blue-Ray. Not sure if these are supported; could not find any documentation.
• Support for overburning: as above, not sure whether or not this might already be supported

The verdict: a very nice, clean and simple burning program that offers a good range of functions (and looks great).

Although this program has a lot to offer as is, I couldn’t help but feel that with a couple more options it could have been significantly better (keeping my fingers crossed for files and folders drag and drop). This is a good idea and will give this program a boost given the many excellent freeware CD/DVD burners out there.

Having said that, this program will cover the CD/DVD burning needs of the vast majority of users and I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Version Tested: 4.0

Compatibility: WinAll.

Go to the program home page to download the latest version (approx 1.11 megs).

Imagine the following scenario: you’ve just successfully decrypted a DVD and copied it to your hard disk, but when you try to burn it to a DVD you realize that the decrypted data exceeds the 4.7 capacity of your burnable media and will not fit.

If this has happened to you then Amok DVD Shrinker is what you need. Not only will this program quickly and easily compress the DVD on your hard drive into any size that you want with no apparent loss in quality, but it will also preserve all the elements of the original including menus and extra features (or, otherwise, if you specify that you are only interested in the main title it can do that as well).

More info on this program:

• The User interface: is simple and straightforward, with only a limited number of decisions that the user is asked to make (see below).
• Performance: in my test, Amok DVD Shrinker successfully compressed a 6+ gig DVD into 4.7 gigs in 20 minutes (with the quality/speed slider pushed past the mid-point to favor quality over speed, and the preview window enabled). The Amok site states that Amok DVD Shrinker is faster than the well known DVD Shrink, and although I did not scientifically compare these two under the same conditions I remember that DVD Shrink, hitherto the freeware standard bearer for this kind of task, typically took hours to process anything, not minutes.
• User input: the user is only required to make 4 decisions, as follows; (1) the desired output size (e.g. 4.7 gigs for a normal DVD), (2) whether you want the only main movie or the whole DVD with menus and features, (3) whether you want all the different language tracks included or select a singe audio track from the dropdown, and (4) the user’s preference for speed of processing vs. performance on a 5 point scale.
• Encryption: please note that this program is not designed to remove encryption from commercial DVDs, but rather processes the DVD data once it has been decrypted. If you need a freeware DVD decryption program try RipIt4Me/DVD Decrypter, DVD FAB HD Decrypter, or DVD43 (which decrypts in real time without needing to save to the hard disk first).
• Creates ISO: at the end of the shrinking process. If you need a free program that can burn your ISO file to DVD use IMGburn.
• Portable: two versions available, a setup version that installs normally and a zipped version that you can unpack and use without installing.
• The preview window: gives you a glimpse of what the program is processing at that particular moment (the aspect ratio in the preview is incorrect but don’t worry the DVD is processing correctly). Switch this off for faster processing.

The verdict: this is simply a great program that finally brings another free alternative for doing this sort of task aside from DVD Shrink. What I like about it is that it is simple, straightforward, and narrows down the decisions that a user has to contend with to the bare minimum. It’s also probably the fastest freeware program that does what it does.

Version Tested: 1.30

Compatibility: WinAll.

Go to the program page to download the latest version (approx 585K).

If you need a simple free program that can perform most of your CD/DVD burning needs check out this program. It combines a nice range of features with a simple interface and is generally light on system resources. Here are the reasons why you would want to use this software:

• Very nice interface: simple and straightforward and generally has a very nice look and feel. Runs in the system tray for quick access.
• Lightweight: very small footptint, less than 8 megs memory usage when running. Does not require .NET Framework as some other freeware CD burners do.
• Formats supported: all CD/DVD media types, including Blue-Ray; write Audio CDs and DVD-Video files. I am assuming this includes double density DVDs as well.
• Writes data CDs/DVDs: verifies written data, supports writing simulation, supports multisession (i.e. adding files to a burned disc later on), can erase re-writable media.
• Disk-image support: burns ISOs and can save your project as ISO; however it does not create ISOs from existing CDs/DVDs.
• Creates audio CDs: from your audio files. Supports MP3, WAV, and WMV audio files.

Here are reasons why this software might NOT be the one for you. Note that while BurnAware lacks the features listed below, adding them would likely have made a lightweight app more complex and/or top heavy. If you are looking the features below check out the free CDBurnerXP or InfraRecorder.

• Lacks on-the-fly disk copying for data/audio/DVD disks.
• No support for ISO creation from an exising CD/DVD. Burns only ISO burning and not other disk image formats. Does not convert disk image formats (as CDBurnerXP mentioned above does).
• No context-menu integration, no floating “drop zone” or other desktop based interface.
• No UDF support in the free version. This means that your burned DVDs might not work with many standalone DVD playing machines.
• Not sure if it supports overburning. Could not find any documentation on this.
• No support for bootable media in the free version.

Differences between the free and paid versions: a number of the above features are provided in the paid version.

The verdict: if your CD/DVD burning needs are straightforward then you will like the simplicity of this program. It goes a step or so further that the overwhelming majority of free DVD burning software by supporting ISO burning, but in my opinion should have allowed for on-the-fly disk copying to make it stand out from the crowd. Still this program has some appeal given that it is lightweight and simple to use. Try it for yourself.

Version Tested: 1.2 Beta

Compatibility: Windows 98/NT/2000/XP and Vista (32 and 64 bit).

Go to this page to get the free version (approx 4.4 megs). Also visit the program home page.

Rating

Version tested: 4.0

DVD43 is a program that runs in the background and decrypts copy-protected DVD’s on the fly. It has the effect of making a DVD unrestricted and region free, allowing for simple copying of files to your hard drive within the Windows file system and/or unrestricted access to the DVD by third party software. It will also remove audio CD protection.

The first thing that I’d like to note is that this software is different from DVD ripping software in the vein of as RipIt4Me/DVD Decrypter or DVD FAB HD Decrypter. What DVD43 does can be though of (in a way) as transforming an otherwise encrypted DVD into what for all intents and purposes acts as a ’normal’, unencrypted DVD (similar to the shareware software AnyDVD).

In many cases using a program like DVD43 is will save you the need to spend 20-30 minutes ripping a DVD to your hard drive first (not to mention the 4.7gig-to-8gig hard drive space you might not have on hand). For example, if your objective is to ’shrink’ an 8gig DVD and copy it onto a standard size blank DVD (for which you would use DVD Shrink), DVD43 would spare you the need to rip the entire 8gigs into your hard drive first, allowing DVD Shrink to get access and get to work on the files on the DVD itself.

Or let’s say that your interest lies not in copying the DVD itself but rather in converting it into a video file that you could load up on your Ipod or mobile device using a program such as Handbrake. In this case as well DVD43 will allow Handbrake to process/convert your desired titles straight from the DVD itself, saving you the time, effort, and hard drive space of ripping the DVD first.

Here are some notes on this program:

• How to use: after installation, DVD43 will run in the background and show itself as a yellow smiley in your system tray. Once you insert a DVD into your drive it will take a few seconds to recognize it and then will change to a green smiley, indicating that it has successfully removed the protection.
• Random testing: tested DVD43 on the 3 very random DVDs that we happened to have Netflixed at the moment and it was able to decrypt all of them without hitch.
• Types of protection(s) removed: unfortunately this info is not clearly stated on the program’s home page. After some Googling I found a statement in relation to this new version (4.0) cryptically declaring that "DVD43 removes most types of copy protection found on movie DVDs".
• Resources cost: extremely small; less than 2 megs in memory.
• Audio CD protection: also supported. Did not test this one personally.

The verdict: this is just what I’ve been waiting for. I’m personally more interested in converting DVDs and viewing on my Iphone than copying them to other DVD media, and DVD43 will save me a lot of time and energy that would otherwise be spent waiting for DVDs to rip to my hard drive. A great, simple program overall that works just as intended.

Compatibility: Windows 2000, XP, Vista (32 bit).

Go to the program page to get the latest version (approx 527K).

Rating

Version tested: 0.9.1 (Windows GUI build 2.4.1)

Handbrake is a free program that can convert DVD’s or VOB files into video files. Supported containers are: MP4/M4V (for Ipod), AVI, OGM, and MKV, while supported video encoders are Xvid, H264, and Mpeg4.

Handbrake has established a reputation as being a 1-click solution for converting DVDs to Ipod video format (MP4/M4V), but it can also be used simply for encoding to AVI/Xvid, as well as to a variety of handheld devices such as PSP, PS3, Iphone and a number of other formats (e.g. Quicktime, "Apple TV").

I’ve been looking at Handbrake for some time now and waiting for a version that works well on Windows; which I think is accomplished with this release (if you have problems running it, see "Tools and codecs" below). Here are some notes on this program:

• DVD sources: Handbrake will NOT convert encrypted DVDs. This means that you will need to decrypt your favorite films and TV shows and copy them to your hard drive before Handbrake can process them. This can be done using a number of freeware programs such as RipIt4Me/DVD Decrypter, DVD Shrink, or DVD FAB HD Decrypter. Once this happens you will need to point Handbrake to the VIDEO_TS folder that is copied to your hard drive as the source.
• Profiles: Handbrake comes with a number of pre-defined profiles that are very useful for getting your desired output format. If you are interested in creating a video file for the Ipod, for example, you would simply select one of the three existing Ipod profiles (Ipod High-Rez, Ipod Low-Rez, or Iphone/Ipod Touch). Or you can use these as starting points and change them to your desired settings, which you can then save as a profile (e.g. I start with Ipod High-Rez, change the encoder to Xvid, then lower the bitrate to 1000 in to get a smaller output file).
• Performance: is simply fantastic. Using single-pass settings, I have found Handbrake to be extremely fast compared to other DVD encoding software I have used, and to generate videos that are of very high quality. I used this program to convert more than a dozen DVDs and have not experienced any audio syncing issues whatsoever.
• The user interface: is simple and very nicely laid out with different tabs that cover the various settings/decisions that you can make.
• Tools and codecs: unlike some other programs which do DVD encoding (e.g. AutoGK), Handbrake is self contained and does not need or install a handful of third party apps. And even though this is a great thing, it also does not install any of the codecs that it needs to encode your video, which means that if they’re not already installed on your machine you will have to take care of that yourself. Here’s an example on how to do this: for my configuration I use Xvid and AAC as the video and audio codecs, respectively, and its possible to simply search Google for "Xvid codec download" and "AAC codec download". Otherwise download and install CodecInstaller and it can find the installers for you.
• Width/Height settings: what I like immensely is that Handbrake only requires a value for the Width setting and, if height is left blank it will encode your video automatically based on the aspect ratio in the original DVD source. This relieves you from having to calculate height values and guarantees that the output video will have the correct aspect ratio. Leaving the width/height settings blank will result in a video that is encoded as per the original width/height of the source.
• Output size: you can input the max size in megabytes of the output file if you want, and Handbrake will use this info to calculate your video’s bitrate that will result in the correct size. Very cool.
• Selecting Featured content: Handbrake will allow you to select any of the featured content on a DVD for conversion. This can be done through a pull down menu (under "Title"), but the only way to identify these features seems to be through their length in minutes (e.g. the feature programme will be more than an hour in length, while the bonus materials will be 10-15 mins or so, and the trailer 2-3 mins, etc). For each feature it allows you to set the range of chapters to be encoded if available.
• Batch encoding: you can set up multiple conversions in a queue for batch encoding. Very useful when you are interested in the main feature on a DVD as well as the bonus materials.
• Audio demuxing: is not available as far as I can tell (Handbrake will not allow you to skip selecting a video codec). If you are interested in demuxing audio from a DVD source use Any Audio Converter.
• Other features: subtitling support, multiple audio tracks supported (I have not tested these features myself).

Wish list: or how this program can be even better.

• Automatic codec download: it would be great if, knowing that the codec it needed to encode was not installed on the system, Handbrake would inform the user and open the webpage where the codec could be downloaded.
• Support for audio demuxing: i.e. processing the sound only without the video, would be great.
• Integrating custom presets into the presets window once they are created, instead of having to load them each time.

The verdict: this is just an excellent, well designed and user friendly program that gets the job done. It is simply a must if you have an Ipod/Iphone/PSP or other device and would like to view your DVD collection on these devices. Highly recommended.

Compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux.

Go to the download page to get the latest version (approx 3.88 megs for the Windows GUI verison). Also visit the program home page.

Rating

Version tested: 4.0.013

CDBurnerXP 4 is a complete CD/DVD burning solution for the creation of data CDs and DVDs, audio CDs and Video DVDs. It offers full set of features including on-the-fly disc copying, copying to and burning from ISO images, and ISO image conversion. Supports new DVD formats such as Double layer DVDs, Blu-Ray and HD-DVDs.

This program is the mother of all freeware CD burning solutions. The strength of this program is that it is comprehensive in scope, meaning that it allows you to do pretty much everything you need to do when it comes to burning CDs/DVDs. One of the things I didn’t like about the older version I used (3.0.116) of this program was that it looked and felt junky like the various features were added on as afterthoughts; CDBurnerXP 4 on the other hand is very well designed both in terms of how it looks visually as well as the user experience it provides. Here are some notes on this program

• Copy audio and data CD’s on the fly: (swap source and destination media within the same or alternate drives). Copy to ISO file supported
• Burn Audio CDs: with or without gaps. Supports MP3, WAV, OGG, WMA, and FLAC files. Allows for adding tracks from audio CDs without ripping them first (cda-files). Does not rip audio cds (use the free BonkEnc or Exact Audio Copy for this).
• Burns Video DVDs: in UDF file format; i.e. they will play on your DVD player.
• Saves and burns ISO files: Converts .BIN and .NRG images to ISO format.
• Support for new media formats: double layer DVDs, Blu-Ray and HD-DVDs.
• Verifies data after burning; can simulate burning for error detection.
• Supports overburning from the FAQ “just add as much data to CD layout as possible and .. ignore warning messages if any”).
• Dropbox: is a cool feature whereby you can drap and drop files to a floating “drop box” (see screenshot on the right). I am a sucker for cool features like this one.
• Bootable CDs/DVDs/ISOs: supported.
• Automated backups : not implemented in 4.0.013 but promised in a future release.
• Other features: simple cover printing, integrated audio player, visual representation of disk space, file filtering by extension, etc.

Wish list: context menu entries for adding files to projects, image file conversion/burning, etc.

I was waiting for the release of CDBurnerXP 4 for a long while; finally the wait is over and is well worth it. Highly recommended.

Compatibility: Windows 2000, XP, 2003 Server,Vista.

Go to the download page to get the latest version (approx 1.97 megs). Also visit the program home page.

Rating

Version tested: 3.2.0.15

DVD Shrink is a free program that can rip DVD’s into the hard drive and compress them, if needed, to fit on a standard 4.7-gig DVD. It will create a DVD image that can be burned into a DVD using a number of third party programs. It can also re-author DVDs to allow the creation of custom DVD program compilations.

An increasing number of the DVDs that you watch are stored on a so-called double density DVDs that can store up to twice the amount of data that a standard DVD. What makes this program unique is its ability to compress DVD data to the standard 4.7 gigs, which means you can use a standard DVD instead of having to buy expensive double-density blank DVDs. You will rarely, if ever, notice any decrease in video quality.

This review will include 3 sections: (a) ripping, (b) compression, (c) burning, and (d) re-authoring.

DVD ripping: DVD shrink can read an encrypted DVD and save it to the hard drive. This is a very simple process; just press the ’backup’ button and the program will analyze your DVD and be on its way. I will be honest in saying that I do not use DVD Shrink to rip DVDs myself as I prefer the more powerful RipIt4Me/DVD Decrypter combination. I ripped a DVD using DVD Shrink for the purposes of this review and it worked very well; however, you will find that some more recent copy protection methods will require something like RipIt4Me to rip/decrypt (you can still use DVD Shrink to compress the ripped DVD afterwards).

Compression: when you compress your DVD into the desired size (typically 4.7 gigs for use with a standard DVD), DVD shrink will allow you to choose exactly which parts of the programs you want to include. This means you can leave out bonus features, audio data for languages that you do not want, previews and other programs, etc. (Or alternately you can choose to include everything).

The process is surprisingly fast (compressing the data for a ripped 6.5 gig DVD took all of 19 minutes (on my Pentium core duo 1.66mhz/ 1.5 gigs of RAM) using default settings. The quality of the resulting DVD was virtually indistinguishable from the original. Note that I’ve used this program to back up more than a dozen DVDs that I compressed to fit on a standard DVD; I’ve not once noticed any deterioration in quality that I could see.

Burning: DVD Shrink can burn the resulting DVD images by integrating with Nero if you have it installed. But since Nero is not freeware we will not dwell on that … instead rest assured you can burn the resulting DVD image (in ISO format) using freeware programs like Imgburn or DVD Decrypter.

Re-Authoring: this option used to create your own compilation of programs on a DVD. I did not really use this functionality so I cannot say much about it. Note, however, that this is NOT the program you want if you have media files that you would like to a standard DVD (for that, check out AVI2DVD or DVDFlick).

The Verdict: I love this program, and here’s why:

• It works really well.
• It has a simple, straightforward user interface.
• Its the only freeware program of its kind/

Note on downloading: use the download link below (the last line of this review) for version 3.2. Read this scam alert to learn about fake DVD Shrink sites.

Compatibility: Windows 9x/2000/XP (no info on Vista).

Download DVD Shrink v.3.2.0.15 here (approx 1 meg). Also visit the official DVD Shrink home page.

Rating: 5

Version tested: 1.0.305

Free Easy Burner is a CD/DVD burning and authoring program that supports burning data and audio CD’s and DVD’s, copying CD’s and DVD’s (by ripping and burning ISO’s), and Ripping audio CD’s into MP3’s.

If you want a small CD/DVD burning program that performs all standard functions without many frills, then Free Easy Burner will cater for all of your burning needs (pun intended heheh).

Important Note [8/13/2007]: since first reviewing this program on 2/3/2007 it has become adware, despite still being billed as freeware on the author’s site. This means that as of version 1.2.43 the program, while fully functional, nonetheless displays ads (albeit harmless ones) within its interface. However you can still download version 1.2.21 of this program, which is fully functional and ad-free, from the link at the bottom of this page.

The following is a list of what this program can do:

• Supports dual-layer DVD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, and DVD+RW.
• Burns Data CD’s and DVD’s: allows dragging and dropping of files and folders, will verify and/or finalize your CD/DVD.
• Will copy CD’s and (unencrypted) DVD’s by ripping an ISO image on hard drive and burning it back.
• Will write to ISO (i.e. can create ISOs from any collection of files and/or folder). Will also burn ISO files.
• Burns Audio CD’s; will convert your audio files into a playable audio CD. Supported audio file formats are: WAV, WMA, MP3, OGG, FLAC, AAC, and M4A.
• Rips audio CD’s to MP3 or WAV file formats. Supports automatic FreeCDDB tag information retrieval.

This is great, straightforward freeware that does the job very well and looks good to boot. Nice simply functional user interface;  I recommend higly.

Compatibility: Windows 2000, XP, 2003, Vista.

Download FREEWARE version 1.2.21 here. Go here to download the latest version on the author’s site; two things to know (1) the version on the author’s site is adware, and (2) you do not need to enter your info to download if you don’t want to. Also visit the author’s page.

Version tested: 2.5.047

MagicDisc is a program that can create disc image files from CDs and DVDs as well as mount disc image files of various types through a virtual CD/DVD drive.

Here’s what you need to know about this program:

• Will work with both CDs and DVDs
• Allows you to open and use disk image files without the need to burn them into CDs; will create a virtual drive that will behave exactly as a normal CD/DVD would.
• Offers 200x speed (much faster than a normal cd drive) and noiseless emulation.
• It can create image files from CDs/DVDs; can also create bootable image files.
• Supports reading and writing ALL disk image formats (16 in all), including .ISO, .UIF, .IMG, .BIN,.CUE, .NRG, and .CIF.
• It resides in the system tray and has a simple, clean interface.
• Will allow you to compress (and decompress) a disk image for the most efficient use of hard drive space.

If you regularly run CD or DVD based programs then this program will prove very useful; all you have to do is use MagicDisc to create an image of your CD/DVD on your hard drive (assuming you have the space), and mount that image; you will no longer need your actual physical media.

Note that if you are trying to create/mount disc images for copy protected CDs/DVDs this program will most likely not be able to help you; for that you can use the (adware) Daemon Tools.

I like this program because like simple software and I like it even better when it is efficient and free. You will like it too.

Compatibility: WinAll; including 64bit Windows and Vista. Make sure to download the right version for your system.

Go to the program page to download the latest version.

Version tested:  0.4.4 Beta

AVI2DVD is a tool that will convert your AVI files into playable DVDs, VCDs, or SVCDs, or alternately convert DVDs into VCDs or SVCDs. It will generate an ISO file that you can burn into DVD or CD media.

AVI2DVD is a a front-end GUI that utilizes a number of freeware tools to do the conversion. For the purposes of testing I converted a 700 meg Xvid-encoded AVI file into DVD format. It took AVI2DVD 2 hours and 45 minutes to do the job, and the final product was excellent! Note that the time it takes will depend on your source file(s), your chosen settings, and the processing power of your hardware.

Note that AVI2DVD is still BETA software, and may be buggy. Having used it I can report that I have not found any problems with it so far.

Here’s what you need to know about this program:

• The program has a 5-step ‘tabbed’ interface that simplifies all the different decisions you have to make to create your DVD; very streamlined and easy for the average user to navigate.
• You can add multiple video files to for batch encoding into a single DVD.
• AVI2DVD will also create a DVD menu for you and allow you to upload an image file as a background. It will capture images from the video for you if you want to use that, and will also allow you to use your own MP3 audio track as menu background music.
• Available encoding options include de-interlacing (if your source is interlaced), setting aspect ratio, splitting across multiple CD’s/DVD’s, setting length of each DVD ‘chapter’, setting audio bitrate, converting from PAL to NTSC or vice versa. If you do not know what these settings are then leave them alone and go with the default choice.
• If your video source files has multiple audio tracks for different languages (these are rare but some actually do), you can define the language for up to three different audio tracks.
• If you are interested in including subtitles, the program supports up to three different subtitles options; you will have to provide the subtitle files in .SRT or .TXT formats. You can find subtitle files all over the internet if you need them; search Google for these.
• AVI2DVD comes with 4 free encoders that it uses to encode the DVD files. You can choose the one you want; I used the default QuEnc and it worked great, though I’ve heard good things about HCenc in terms of reliability.
• The installation process also installs all the tools, encoders, and filters that you need; you need not worry about installing any codecs or filters seperately.

Once the conversion process is finished AVI2DVD will have created an ISO file (typically called DVD_Image.iso), which is all you need. All the other files can be deleted. You can burn the resulting ISO file to DVD using most CD/DVD burning programs, with IMGburn, or DVD Decrypter. You can find instructions on how to download DVD Decrypter in the RipIt4Me posting.

I recommend this product wholeheartedly!

Go to the program download page for the latest version. The program page.

AVS Disk Creator is a simple yet powerful CD/DVD burning program that offers many useful features including data verification, multisession support, and ISO support. AVS can read/burn a wide variety of media formats, including dual-layer and the new Blu-Ray.

Rating: 5 

Version tested:  2.1.6.101

This is one of the most powerful and best looking CD/DVD burning solutions; my definite choice for freeware programs in its category.

What this program offers:

• A straightforward design that is simple and easy to use. Working with files and folder (adding, deleting, renaming, etc.) is very intuitive.
• A clean, compact sleek look (comes replete with a handful of skins).
• Support for a wide variety of drives and media formats, including dual layer the next generation Blu-Ray formats. Supported media formats include: CD-R/RW, DVD+/-R, DVD+/-RW, DVD-RAM, Double/Dual Layer DVD and the latest Blu-ray technology BD-R and BD-RE.HD-DVD format support promised in future versions.
• Data verification option upon burn completion
• True multisession support; according to the developer’s website, you can add new files to a existing sessions that were previously created on other software, even on DVDs.
• Works with ISO disc images (create, read, and/or edit existing images).
• You can save projects that work on for later access.
• Bootable CD/DVD’s support promised in a future version.

What it will not do:

• Will not convert between ISO (disc image) formats.
• Will not convert your video files into a compliant VCD, SVCD, or DVD video discs.
• Will not burn your MP3’s into Audio compilation cd’s (unless you convert them to WAV’s yourself).
• Will not rip your Audio CDs into mp3s or other compressed formats.
• Will not copy CD’s, DVD’s
• Will not support any other naming convention besides JOLIET.

That it does not do these things, as far as I am concerned, is a definite PLUS, as (a) it keeps the program small and simple and (b) there is free software that does all of the above functions extremely well if you need them.

Definitely recommended!

Download ver 2.1 here. Program seems to be discontinued by the publisher, but you can visit the developer’s home page here.

Imgburn is a program that will burn any image file into CD’s or DVD’s. It will burn ripped DVD images generated by DVD Decrypter or DVD Shrink. It will also burn to DVD or build an image from ripped VOB files on the hard drive.

Rating: 5 

Version tested:  2.1.0.0

Moreover Imgburn can burn 8 gigabyte double-layer DVDs. For these, it can either use the layer break in the IFO file (which can be user-specified) or it can calculate the best break location on its own.

This image burning functionality is provided by a number of commercial CD/DVD burning software, such as Nero. I like to use Imgburn because (a) it is a small program that works really well, (b) it works with most CD/DVD writers, and (c) unlike those other burning programs, it is 100% free.

Go to the program download page for the latest version. The program home page.

Ripit4me is a program that works with either DVD Decrypter or DVD Shrink to rip copy protected DVD’s onto the hard drive. It acts as a front-end for those other ripping programs and will not do the ripping itself; RipIt4Me’s added value is that it enables these programs to handle stronger copy protections that some newer DVD’s come with, such as ARccOS and RipGuard DVD.

Rating: 5

Version tested:  1.5.1.0

RipIt4Me can also adjust the ripped DVD files into better DVD compliance – I’m not sure exactly what that means but I know that in some cases this will enable you to fix an issue where burned DVDs would have problems working on a standard DVD player even when they play just fine on the computer.

It’s a good idea to use this program even if you’ve been happily using DVD Decrypter to rip your DVDs, as the creator of that software has stopped all development on it. RipIt4Me will help  DVD Decrypter keep up to date with newer protection mechanisms.

RipIt4Me is very easy to use; ripping a DVD will not take more than 3-clicks or so, and the interface is very intuitive.

Note: this program does not have an installer; simply unpack and place in the right place. Go to preferences to make sure it knows the correct paths to the programs it needs.

Go to the program home page. If unavailable use this link to download RipIt4Me v.1710 and DVD Decrypter 3540 both.