Although more and more of us nowadays are using Netflix, Amazon and other streaming services to watch what we want to online, some people still prefer to use DVDs. This could be down to personal preference, or the way that you’ve got your living room set up to watch films. Either way, DVDs are still a good way to watch films.
But purchasing DVDs isn’t anywhere near as popular as it was just a decade ago. If you’re old like me, then you’ll remember when you had to pay almost £20 for the privilege of watching a new movies that’s just been released. Nowadays, it’s pretty common for people to download the film online instead.
And if you’re downloading a film, then you might want to know the best way to watch that film on your television. You could watch it directly via a HDMI between your laptop and TV, but this doesn’t work for everything. In some cases, the best choice is to use a DVD burner. Then, you can burn your film onto the DVD and then put that into your DVD player.
Firstly, for this most people are going to need an external DVD drive, as most laptops don’t have these. You’ll also need some blank DVDs. And most importantly, you’ll need a good DVD burning software. The good news is that although there are paid versions, you can find some excellent free DVD burning softwares online. Here’s just a few of them to choose from.
Best Free DVD Burning Software
BurnAware
One of the most well known DVD burning softwares out there, BurnAware is completely free to those that want to use it. As well as being free to use, it’s also worth mentioning that there’s no banners and ads within the platform either. This is a massive plus, as with free softwares, ads can be pretty annoying.
Another thing that I do like about BurnAware is that it’s very good for those that haven’t used a burning software before. It’s basic and simple to navigate, which comes in handy when you’re trying to use the software for the first time. Some softwares can be a little complex, especially for those new to it.
And because of its simplicity, this means that your laptop or computer isn’t going to have to work overtime to run it. It’s simple and easy to use, and it uses little processing power too. The only thing to mention is that it doesn’t have the capability to copy one DVD to another, which some people might be looking for. But aside from that, this is one of the best free DVD burning softwares out there.
Ashampoo Burning Studio
Another very well known burning software that most people will have heard of is Ashampoo. Whilst there is a version that costs money for you to buy, there’s also a completely free download of Ashampoo studio you can opt for too. If you’re new to burning then make sure to opt for the free version.
Ashampoo doesn’t just have a DVD burning software to offer – they actually make a whole host of different softwares that might come in handy. There’s a wide variety here, from CAD software to music software, so they’ve definitely spread across the entire market with their brand.
This is another simple to navigate software, and it works really well for burning DVDs and softwares. The backup tool also comes in handy as well, as it allows you the ability to quickly make a back up of your data, which is definitely useful.
You can also use Ashampoo burning studio to burn Blu Ray discs as well as normal DVDs. The ability to burn CD, DVD and Blu Ray with the same software is definitely going to be something that you’ll want if you like watching films in a high quality recording.
As you’d probably expect, the only downside is that the free version isn’t on the same level as the paid version – the paid version enables you to protect your software with a password, and much more. But if you’re looking for a free software, then this one would be a pretty good choice.
WINX DVD Author
A different DVD burning software that’s definitely pretty good is WinX DVD Author. It does exactly what it says it does, and it’ll allow you to use a video file, or put together a selection of different video files, and burn them all onto one DVD. It’s a basic software, but it works very well.
Something that’s really good about WINX DVD is that it gives you the ability to easily download from YouTube and use videos however you want to for your DVDs. This is definitely a pretty good feature to have, in the modern day where YouTube is where a lot of us spend our time watching videos. You can do this by simple pasting the URL into the software itself.
So whilst many it’s not the best free DVD burning software, it’s definitely another pretty good option that you may want to think about. It will enable you to burn DVDs pretty easily, which is likely what all of us are looking for.
CDBurnerXP
Another extremely well known DVD burning software is CDBurnerXP. And despite the name, it gives you the ability to burn both CDs and DVDs when you need to as well, although it’s probably most popular for those looking to burn audio files.
This burner is very similar to Internet Explorer in its layout, and its old school design might suit some folk. You can easily use it to drag and drop the files tat you need to create, which makes it fairly simple for you to use. It’s compatible with most of the common types of file format out there.
This is a very basic burner, which will be suitable for those that are looking to do the bare minimum. However, it doesn’t have a whole lot of features that more advanced burners have, even free ones, so although it’s pretty good, there are better options out there.
The interface is not the best out there, and it’s frustrating that you can’t create DVDs as easily as you can with other softwares. But, it is a completely free DVD burner, so you can’t really argue too much about what you’re getting.
Common Questions about DVD Burning Software
Do I have a DVD burner?
Whilst you’ll need a burning software on your computer itself, you’ll still need the right DVD burner drive to actually burn DVDs. You can find out whether you’ve got the ability to do this by checking the drive of your computer. If it says DVD-RW, then you will be able to burn to DVDs from this drive.
Which software is best for burning DVDs?
There are many different options out there to choose from, so it’ll really depend on what type of software you’re looking for. If you want to use a free one, then check the list above for some of the best options, which includes BurnAware and Ashampoo Burning Studio.
Will DVDs make a comeback?
The likelihood is that DVDs will continue to phase out over the next decade as we enter further into the era of streaming. It’s so easy to watch whatever you want via streaming services nowadays, that many people have little need for a DVD. However, there will always be some who prefer to have the physical film over streaming it.
How long will a burned DVD last?
Some people tend to worry about the lifespan of their burned DVD, and worry that in comparison to other DVDs, it might not have the same resilience. The good news is that burned DVDs actually will last a long time, in excess of 100 years, so there’s really nothing to worry about with burned DVDs.
Can a DVD software infect my laptop with a virus?
The main thing that you’re going to want to look out for before deciding on a free DVD burning software is malware within the software itself. This can be pretty common with free softwares, so it’s important that you do a quick check around the internet before opting for one to use. Unfortunately, some older softwares will be full of malware, so do your research beforehand.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are various different DVD softwares out there that that you can use to burn a film. Whilst many of them cost money to download, I’d advise that you try things out with a free software before you go ahead and spend money on one. The likelihood is that you can find all that you need in one of the free softwares out there, so don’t go spending money for the sake of it.
