The Linux command line makes the task of making a DVD-Video compliant disc fairly straight forward when one knows how, but finding straight forward instructions on the internet isn't always so simple. So after searching through various sites I've come up with my own guide.
- Create a folder on a hard disc with ample storage space (15GB should be plenty for one 4.7GB DVD). Make sure this is easily accessible from the command prompt (keep the name short for ease of typing). For this example, I'm going to place a folder on the desktop called "dvd".
- Copy the video files that you wish to place on the DVD into this new folder.
- If you haven't already, call up the Terminal (Applications - Accessories - Terminal in Ubuntu).
- Ensure tovid, mencoder and dvdauthor are both installed
sudo apt-get install tovid mencoder dvdauthor
- Navigate to the new folder containing your videos
cd ~/Desktop/dvd
- Use tovid to convert videos to DVD compliant MPG files
tovid -noask -dvd -in myvideo.avi -out myvideo.mpg
Repeat this for each video file - Use dvdauthor to convert the newly created MPG files to DVD format files
dvdauthor -o DVD/ -t myvideo.mpg
Repeat this for each video file. Each file will become a title on the DVD. - Run the following command to create the titles:
dvdauthor -o DVD/ -T
- Create an ISO of the DVD, ready to be burnt to disc:
mkisofs -dvd-video -v -o DVD.iso DVD
- A file called DVD.iso will now be found in the folder created earlier. Use a CD/DVD burning package such as K3B or Brasero to burn this image to a disc.
- The DVD should now be playable on a standalone player