I'm using DVD Flick to convert avi files into DVD playable movie files. Unfortunately, it can't add "-sub."-files. Anyone has any alternative program that CAN add those files?

And BTW: Does it make sense that it takes approximately 4 hours to convert one .avi file?

Well, converting DVD-files to avi takes around four hours usually, so I guess it will be the same the other way around. Can't help out with the subs tho', sorry.

The best tool for authoring DVDs I can tell you is DVD Lab Pro:

http://www.mediachance.com/dvdlab/dvdlabpro.html

Although I have never added subtitles to an authored DVD yet, the site says:



So I think it should handle your .sub files.

I would convert the AVI using TMPEGEnc into two streams (1 video & 1 audio) and then import those in DVD Lab Pro. (This converting from AVI to MPEG-2 is what takes quite long.) If you don't provide 2 streams the tool is going to demux them. So it's just a hint. (Creating the VOBs from MPEG-2 is faster, since VOB files contain MPEG-2 video data. Only the creation of your menus and stuff takes time, because they are all converted into MPEG-2 videos too.)

You can also try TMPEGEnc DVD Author. The problem with this tool is that it is not that flexible. You can only create chapter and track menus. With DVD Lab Pro you can create your own menus with text, additional video footage or whatever and link them as you wish.

Buying a standalone mpeg4 player for as little as £20, or using tv-out will save you days/weeks/months in the long run, save you money on blank media and most of all the quality will be significantly better.

If you have an xbox (1), its very easy to convert it into a standalone player.


Case and point; it takes me 0 seconds to play something after i've downloaded. The quality is 100% maintained and the storage required is significantly lower

Worth considering

I've considered if such existed. But can this player play .avi-files as well?

I have the Philips DVP 5960 DVD player that can play AVI (DivX + XviD) files.

So you just pop in a regular burned DVD disc with 3-4 avi films on it, and it actually plays fine? From the specs I see, I can only see the DivX tag. Now, the last time I bought a DVD Player with that tag, it was only able to play mpeg files.

If you insert a DVD or CD with AVIs you'll see a list of files on the dics. You have to choose a file and then the player plays it or it displays "the codec is not supported".

As you can see my player plays DivX 3.11, 4.x, 5.x, 6.x. and DivX ultra files. I've tried XviD files too and they also play fine.

Maybe the player you have doesn't support the DivX version of the files you presented it. If there is a DivX tag on it, it should play those files.

One thing you must pay attention to is packed bitstream. Most of the files you download are packed bistreamed. Most players don't support packed bitstreamed AVIs and start stuttering when playing such files. This applies to my player too. I had to load a firmware hack onto it.

Luckily there is a site dedicated to only my DVD player: http://www.phunkyfish.com/article/4/philips-dvp-596012 Have a look. You'll also find a region free hack there. It's a nice player and quite cheap. I can only recommend it.

LOL, my DVD player only plays DivX and refuses mpeg files

I would highly, highly recommend a modified xbox for media playback. PCA wrote an easy guide as a sticky topic in the hardware / software section of this site.

It has significantly higher specs than any standalone in the same price bracket, or infact within £100 + of its price bracket

You need an xbox:
2nd hand: £34.99 (with a one year warranty)
Official Memory Card: £5-10
Rental of Mech Assault for the hack: £4
if you want a remote, £5

The tricky bit is a really, really simple bit of cutting of wires to get files from your pc onto your memory card, otherwise if your scared of anything electronic you can by a usb xbox pad to pc wire for ~£5.

So that's about £50, a bit of your time

What you get is a media player that can:
a) play any mpeg4 or container; xvid, divx, avi, mkv, .rar (or even set of rars, you dont even need to extract the files), etc. With any audio type, ogg, mp3, ac3, etc. and any matrix. The only point of contention here is x264, which although is supported requires too high a proccessor spec to work in most cases.
b) All known subtitle formats are supported from srt, to sub, to vobsubs (including rarred sub files)
c) stream, play from network shares, play large files, play youtube videos if you network it up
d) play entire folders of movies with a few remote button presses (I like to queue up 18 seasons of the simpsons on random, plays them back to back with no issues).

The only flaw, and i mean only, is that the xbox does not have the processing power to playback hdtv (1080p, etc.). But then nothing under £200 will be able to well; I'd pitch the quality of a £50 xbox setup as a very high end 'dedicated' standalone at around £100-300.

Testament to the strength of the software modification, there's a huge demand to port it to PC so it can go on high end htpcs that have the processing power to handle 1080p

There's 3 or 4 years of shitty xbox games you can play too but that's an addon as far as i'm concerned.

Great idea! Never thought of it/knew about it.

I guess that'll solve it, but until then, I'll have to either burn more 5 hours pr. disc projects, or I'll have to just burn down the .avi files and watch the movies on my computer screen. It's 19" I think, and I can just turn it and tadaa, it's rightly watchable from the sofa. I guess I might have over-rated the idea of watching the movies on a big screen; perhaps I could, until I get an XBox, collect movies this way instead, and when I get one I'll be able to watch them on the big screen anyway; and save TONS of space and time.

I just HAVE to collect in some way or another.

£29.99 picked one up in Game on saturday

Best £30 you'll ever spend IMHO

Beware of the "Red Ring of Death".

That would be an xbox360 problem, not xbox1 which is being discussed here.

And just to be sure: This applies to european XBox's as well? Where do I "rent" the hack device?

its irrespective of region, and for example the guide in hardware/software is written by a guy with a uk xbox.

Mechassault, Splinter Cell, or the other game i forget (james bond?) can be rented from any video store with a sizable collection of games. Otherwise pick one up cheap from a second hand store.


Official memory cards you can get from a second hand shop or ebay. If you don't like scissors, xbox pad to usb can also be bought from ebay.