converting movies to DVD

[ericlingen]

i have a canon vixia HF R700.  i have recorded my videos in AVCHD. i want to move these videos to DVD that will play on my DVD player, blu ray player or PC laptop running windows 10.  i was able to copy videos straight to DVD by using my PC running windows 10 and it would play on my brand new Sony 4k UHD blu ray player however the quality was poor in the fact that the video and audio were not smooth.  The video was recorded on standard DVD-R discs.

1-  Do i need special software to properly convert the video?

2 - Do i have to use blank Blu ray disks to get the proper quality?

Can someone please suggest the best / preferred way to download, label and organize my videos from my camera since i do not want to leave them on my SD card or laptop long term and i'm a little OCD and really would like to label and organize them.  

thank you in advance for any help

[VideoGeek]

Yes to both questions.  Blu-ray will give you a higher quality image than a DVD will.  Depending on the length of the clip a DVD will not have enough space to contain a quailty Blu-ray recording.  There are a variety of inexpensive software packages available that would enable you to burn the clips to either a DVD or Blu-ray disc.  The process should be easy once you get used to burning dics.  Just be sure to read the directions or on-screen prompts and take your time.

I would recommend creating folders for the ones you want to save and label them accordingly.  I don't know how you like to organize your files so I can't give more specific instructions.  

For long term storage I would recommend storing copies on a external drive.  Two drives might be better for redundancy as drives will eventually fail.  

[Richard]

Hi Ericlingen,

Thank you for posting.

To create DVDs or Blu Ray disks, you'll need specialized software designed for this purpose. It's available from many companies. For a list of some of the available titles, I recommend performing an internet search for "DVD creation software", or something similar.

While searching, we recommend that you seek out and scrutinize user and professional reviews for the software you're considering. We also recommend exercising due diligence (limit your retrieval of such software to reputable sites, and even then, scan the downloaded file with your anti-virus software prior to installation) when you choose the software.

If you're considering commercially produced software package, I recommend "trying before you buy", if the option is available. This will help you determine if the software is a good fit for your needs and work flow.

It's a good idea to transfer your movies to DVD or at least, as VideoGeek suggested, on a hard drive or two.  The redundancy can only help.

In some cases, you'll have videos that are very important to you.  For these movies, you may want to invest in archival DVDs or Archival Blu Ray discs.  These are more expensive than standard DVDs and Blu Ray disks, but they're designed to last much longer.  Again, I do recommend checking reviews and ratings.