burning videoclips to dvds

[Camelia]

Hello everyone,

I'm happy to find this forum. I have a general question.

I have recently downloaded some video clips (ending in .avi or wvm onto my hard drive. I would like to burn these to dvd so I can watch them on my television. I have Windows XP and a CD drive but no burner. I know so little about the process. Can I download a program that will allow me to do this or is my only option to purchase an external dvd burner from the computer store? If so..can you recommend a suitable one for my needs? I get all confused when I talk to the salespeople!!

Thanks for any help you can provide!!

Camelia

[Broni]

You have to have a burner (external, or internal, it doesn't matter)
Your best bet is to buy DVD burner. It'll burn CDs, and DVDs. Any solid brand will do. Let's put it this way. If you see a burner, and you know that brand name, buy it.
Then, you'll need burning software. There are some free ones out there, but if you want something more pro, get either Nero, or Roxio.

[Camelia]

ok..I will get a burner first..btw..I would imagine that the external burner would be much simpler for me to install rather than the internal which necessitates opening up the hard drive? As for the software packages..thank you for those suggestions..have you heard of Sonic? SOmeone mentioned that she used it happily and which would the free ones be?

Thank you very very much for shedding some light on this. I appreciate it!

Camelia

[Broni]

I would imagine that the external burner would be much simpler for me to install rather than the internal

I agree. External one will cost you few more bucks (not much more).

Sonic, and Roxio is a same thing. Their official name is now Roxio. I think, some time ago Roxio took Sonic over, or whatever happened. Often, it's hard to follow all those companies changes.
As for free burning software, I can't recommend anything, because I don't use one. All I know, they are out there, and I'm pretty sure, that by the time you buy your new burner, someone will chime in here to tell you more about some freebies.

[patio]

CDBurner XPPro....Free

[ultimatum]

If you only need it for a while then get a trial version from Nero.com it works great and you have a month to burn whatever it is you want to burn.