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Ask OnSoftware: The best free DVD authoring tools

Tom Clarke

Tom Clarke

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This Ask OnSoftware topic is a hardy perennial which we’ve received lots of emails about. Most recently, reader Alvas wrote to ask:

I just can’t settle down with Nero. Its bloat just disturbs me. Now I am settled with Burnaware Free. Can you guys please recommend some good VCD/DVD authoring tools?

Of course we can!

Alvas is completely right about Nero. While it’s very easy to use for relative newcomers,  it’s so overloaded with features that it can feel totally overwhelming. After all, what do most of us want Nero to do? Burn DVDs, surely? So if you’re sick of Nero too, here are some suggestions for quality, free DVD authoring tools.

DVD Flick

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For fairly experienced Windows users, DVD Flick could be the best solution. It allows you to compile your own DVDs, stitching videos together and adding menus. It may not be the prettiest program out there, and your menus may not look quite as good as the ridiculous ones I saw on the Blu-ray for Terminator 2 last night… but DVD Flick is a sturdy and reliable little app.

Sothink DVD Movie Maker

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Boasting a sexier user interface than DVD Flick, DVD Movie Maker is one of several great apps from Sothink. It performs mostly the same functions, but includes more templates for creating DVD menus. Our editor Nick liked its features for including subtitles on your DVD as well as its good support for multiple formats.

InfraRecorder

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This is my recommendation, mainly because I used it quite a lot over Christmas. InfraRecorder is  a quick and simple DVD writing tool that does away with such graceful touches as menu creation templates. What it does, though, is handle burning DVD images and video files: and it performs these tasks with the minimum of fuss. If you’re looking for a basic, high-speed DVD writing app for your Windows machine, go for InfraRecorder.

Don’t forget that if you have any software related questions, just email us at:

ask@onsoftware.com

…and if we like your question, we’ll answer it here on the blog.

Tom Clarke

Tom Clarke

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