How to Burn a WMV to DVD

One of the most popular video formats used with computers and found on the web is WMV. WMV stands for Windows Media Video and it was originally designed for streaming video by Microsoft. WMV obviously plays with all current Windows Media Players, as well with other media players such as VLC, Winamp and DivX.

Pre Requirement

DVD/RW Optical Drive

A DVD optical drive with write technology is an essential component for burning a WMV to DVD. There are several types of DVD media that are available and some optical drives only work with one type. For instance, different types of DVD recordable media available include DVD+R and DVD-R. There is also DVD-RAM. Most optical drives sold today can work with all three types; however some only work with one type of DVD media. Hence, scan the drive’s specification thoroughly before a purchase.

DVD Authoring Software

The good news is that most DVD authoring software can easily burn WMV files to a DVD for later viewing. Some products that can easily burn WMV onto a DVD include Nero 6 Vision Express software, Xilsoft Video Converter, Easy WMV burner and WinX DVD Author. While many of these DVD authoring products are freeware, some are shareware and others require an outright purchase.

Burning WMV to DVD

Most DVD authoring products are quite similar in functioning; hence burning WMV file to DVD is a quite simple process, no matter which product you use to copy a WMV file to DVD. Given below are the most universal steps required for burning.

Launch the DVD Authoring Software

Usually, DVD authoring software also has the capability to burn files to a CD ROM as well, so you will need to first launch the software and choose to burn data or make a copy of a DVD. You can launch the DVD authoring software from the Start Menu Program’s group (if it is installed).

Load the WMV File

The WMV file that needs to be burned onto a DVD may reside on the local hard drive or on an external CD disk. If it resides on a CD disk, copy the WMV file onto the local hard drive. Select/drag the WMV file into the To-Be-Burned list on the DVD authoring software. Make sure the space doesn’t exceed the total DVD capacity.

Select Destination and Format

Your next step is to select the destination of the WMV file. In this case it will be your DVD drive (make sure a blank DVD-R disk is inserted into the DVD-ROM drive with appropriate capacity). Some products come with the ability to transform video files into other types such as WMV, VOB, etc. However, since we are keeping the file the same, there is no need to change the format.

Choose Burn Speed and Quality

You can select the speed and the quality of the WMV file that you would like to burn. Many optical drives can burn at up to 52X which is quite fast, others are much slower. However, if you have enough time, choose a slower speed, such as 10X or 12X, this will usually ensure quality burning. Less speed will give more data quality whereas a faster speed will result into poor data quality.

Burn the DVD

Once all your options have been selected and preferences set, click the burn button. This should start the burn process. For most large files, expect a complete DVD to burn in a time span of 10-20 minutes. Once the burning is complete, you will be notified by the software.

Verify the Burned WMV File on DVD

The best way to confirm that the WMV files to DVD was a success is to play the file in your Windows Media Player using the WMV files from the new DVD source. If everything plays good, then the burn was successful.