Burn VCD Discs using
Nero Burning ROM


   Do you have problems creating VCDs? If you've created a bunch of home movies and their lying on your computer's hard disk, you can easily convert them into VCD format by using Nero Burning ROM by Ahead Software.

The chief advantage of doing this is that the VCD format can it be played on just about any standalone VCD, SVCD and DVD player. This guide will show you how to burn how to use Nero Burning ROM to create VCD discs from MPEG-1 video files.

Nero Burning ROM
 

Besides VCDs, Nero Burning ROM is also good for burning MP3 files to Audio CDs, creating disc images, CD labels and bootable CDs. I highly recommend it.

Let's look at the inputs and outputs to burn VCD discs with Nero. The input is a VCD compliant MPEG-1 video file lying in your PC's hard disk. The intended output is a physical VCD disc that will play on your PC or standalone player. If you're trying to convert a large MPEG-1 file to VCD, as explained in this article, you will have cut up the MPEG file into two parts. Each part will need to be burnt onto a VCD using the procedure below.

Let's look at what we need:
1) VCD compliant MPEG-1 video file to be burnt to VCD
2) A blank CD-R or CD-RW disc
3) Nero Burning ROM version 5.5 (or greater)
 

Step 1: Start Nero Burning ROM

First launch Nero Burning ROM - you are presented with the New Compilation dialog. Scroll down the list until you see the Video-CD option. Choose it. If your video files are in PAL format, choose the PAL radio button in the Encoding resolution tab. If they are in NTSC format, choose NTSC. The selection of encoding format also affects the format of the menu screen.
 

Step 2: Add MPEG-1 Video

Next, drag & drop the MPEG-1 video file to the Nero track list.
 

Step 3: Burn Your VCD

The last step is to write the VCD onto a CD-R or CD-RW medium. Just open up the Write CD-dialog, and check the Write and Finalize CD checkboxes. Leave the other two boxes unchecked.

Please note a couple of things at this point before you press the Write button. If you ever intend to view the VCD on a standalone player, it's highly advisable to:

  • Limit the write speed to 4x or less
  • Use a good quality CD-R medium
  • Avoid using CD-RW discs for long-term storage

    Many DVD-players have difficulties with CD-Rs written at high speeds. If you're looking for good CD-R media, I recommend Verbatim or Sony - I never have a problem with those.

    OK, ready? Click on the Write button, wait a couple of minutes, and enjoy your VCD! That's all you need to burn VCD discs with Nero Burning ROM.

    Note that Nero Burning ROM also enables you to burn VCD menus, which is very cool. However, we did not do this here as we are burning one huge MPEG-1 file onto a CD-R. A menu screen is more useful if you have a series of small MPEG-1 video clips to be burnt on the VCD.
     

    Conclusion

    Well, now that you know how to burn VCD discs using Nero Burning ROM, you can start converting your movies to VCD. I've converted many of my old movies in a similar manner to prevent them from cluttering my computer's hard disk. Try the above steps the next time you're creating VCDs - you'll find that the procedure is a breeze.


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    Related Articles

    You may also wish to read the following related articles:

    Top 5 DVD Burners
    Top 7 video editing software programs for beginners
    Share your videos with others
    A guide to selecting and buying VCD and DVD authoring software
    Edit your videos and add special effects

     


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