Free software that will allow me to burn a .mov video directly to DVD

Question

Is there an easy way for me to burn a .mov file to a video DVD without having to convert it? Either a free burning app that's capable or some kind of patch that will allow me to use Windows DVD Maker to burn it.

Currently I am converting them with Handbrake but I need to show my coworkers how to start doing this and having them convert the videos is not an option.

If there is no free way to do this, what is the cheapest option?

(anything that works on Vista or XP)

Solution

Regardless of the software you choose, the video will have to first be decoded from Quicktime and then encoded to .VOB format (which is just a fancy name for MPEG-2 encoded files that live on a DVD) - granted you may pick a software that does the process for you automagically. It is important to note, though, that the decoding/encoding process must still happen because they are fundamentally different codecs for completely different purposes, therefore it won't be an instantaneous process.

Also to note, your source is MOV therefore you will need to have QuickTime installed (assuming you haven't already done so) to even decode the videos, regardless of the software you choose in the end.

The next issue is that MPEG-2 codec is heavily patented, therefore it's very difficult to find free versions which support encoding or even decoding, which means either you find some sketchy software that has a hacked/pirated MPEG-2 encoder, or you pay for a software who pays royalties to license it.

The only software I've had 100% success rate with is Nero Vision, which AFAIK can burn any format you feed it to DVD (or ISO) with minimum of clicking. If it's unable to read your video, you probably need to install a codec to decode. Added bonus: If you're burning multiple videos to a disk for less technically savvy users, you can quickly design a menu system with background images, chapters, et al. with minimum of fuss.

Comments

[matt]

This looks promising. I'll have to test it out. Thanks.

[matt]

Interesting, I thought the biggest problem was that Apple kept tight reigns on .mov and it was hard to find a free decoder that would decode .mov files. I have used Nero and it works well. I was hoping to find something similar to Nero that was legitimately free but it looks like there may be too many companies with their hands in the pot to make DVD authoring and open and free process.

[matt]

I've tried AVS Converter before but I hadn't seen AVS DVD Authoring which is another piece of software they have which looks like it might do the trick. I'll check those others out as well. Thanks.

[glenneroo]

The QuickTime decoder has and AFAIK always was free. The encoder on the other hand, like most other non-OpenSouce codecs, is not free and you have to upgrade to QuickTime Pro to do that. For decoding, some programs can also use QuickTime Alternative but I'm not sure how they fare in comparison.

[tyblu]

Cucusoft hires spammers to promote their crap in forums.

[mic84]

@tyblu Hi 'tyblu',are you suggesting i work for some company promoting software on this site? Or are you just making a general statement?