CNET Editors' review
Think Free Movie DVD Maker lets you compose and burn high-quality DVDs from your movie clips. It handles a wide range of video formats as well as DVD output types, including HD DVDs up 1080p in resolution. With drag-and-drop, clip editing, zoom mode, and menu options, it can produce high-quality DVDs compatible with any DVD player. Free Movie DVD Maker places a splash screen before segments; a premium version removes the ads and includes lifetime support and updates.
The thing we like best about Free Movie DVD Maker's user interface is the easy way you can toggle between Detail and Thumbnails views, not to mention the slider that lets you scale the view to see both details and thumbnails. We could also turn off thumbnails altogether. We added files by dragging and dropping them into the program and by clicking Add. We could move clips up and down to change the playback order. A sidebar to the right of the main view is tabbed for three features: Settings, including burner, disc size, TV format (NTSC or PAL) and zoom mode (letterbox, pan-and-scan, and stretch); Advanced, which let us further customize our settings; and DVD Menu, which includes options such as fonts and buttons. A helpful preview displays each page's content as thumbnails. The only glitch, if we can even call it that, came when we tried to load a video titled in non-Western characters. A pop-up message flagged the nonstandard video and advised us to close the clip and rename it, which we did. Subsequently, it loaded normally in the program's queue. You don't have to burn a disc right away: Free Movie DVD Maker will save your project as a DVD file you can burn later (we did both). The program's Help file includes sections specifically for Beginners and Advanced users.
We made our choices and clicked Burn. The program created our DVD in very respectable time, though of course your system's resources will bear on the overall speed. Each clip's progress was tracked in the main list. End result? Our finished DVD played normally in our DVD player.
Publisher's Description
From SourceTec Software:
Movie DVD Maker is a completely free DVD movie maker and DVD burner software. It converts video to DVD and burn DVD fastest from all favorite video formats, including AVI to DVD, DivX, XviD, MPEG, MP4, WMV, RMVB, FLV, MKV. It also makes DVD up to 1080p from high definition home movies, like camera video (M2TS, MTS, M2T). As a professional DVD creator, it can burn DVD movies on DVD+R/-R, DVD+RW/-RW and DVD-5/9 discs, supporting NTSC or PAL, 16:9 or 4:3 perfectly, and playable on any DVD players and televisions. This free DVD creator also provides you clear interface to understand Video to DVD conversion, DVD authoring and DVD burning functions at a glance. What's more, it absolutely creates DVD menus from dozens of stylish menu templates, customizes DVD, and offers other powerful DVD authoring functions like making DVD chapters, trimming video clips, editing video dimension, bit rate, adding subtitles. Definitely trusted DVD burning and writing software could satisfy you with all your needs on video DVD maker and DVD creation.
Key features of Sothink Movie DVD Maker: Fast convert any video to DVD, like AVI to DVD, MP4 to DVD and WMV to DVD. Burn DVD from all favorite video formats, like AVI, DivX, XviD, MP4, WMV, MPEG, RM, RMVB, FLV, 3GP, H.264/AVC MOV, MKV. Create DVD from high definition camera videos such as M2TS, M2T and MTS. Support Sony, Canon, Panasonic camcorders and more. Burn DVD movies on DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-5, DVD-9. Customize video dimension, bit rate, zoom mode, audio, frame and other DVD prperties. Make a DVD by trimming video clips. Add external subtitle to DVD movie. Create DVD menu with pre-made dozens of stylish DVD menu templates. Personalize DVD navigation and DVD menu creation by adding title text, background music, background image, and other customizations. Batch video to DVD conversion with multi-core CPUs supported.
What's new in this version: New DVD menu templates added.
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All versions:
3.2 starsout of 207 votes
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Current version:
3.3 starsout of 54 votes
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My rating:
Write review
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"Jesus Christ!"
Version: Free Movie DVD Maker 3.7
Pros
Being disabled and unable to work, I am glad for free even with the ad.
Cons
Thank you!
Summary
to God of Adam and Eve, thank you that even a disabled person like me can enjoy life for free. If it were not for you LORD, I would be suffering right now. my God, you are the greatest. There is only you that is good! I am embarrassed that I get everything for free just for serving you daily.
Jesus Christ! I still think 1 ad in the front of every clip is a small price to pay for a program that looks very professional. Thank you.
Updated on May 13, 2013 -
"Creates quality DVDs, with sound and picture in sync."
Version: Free Movie DVD Maker 3.7
Pros
This software is simple, intuitive and fast (very fast on a quad core machine, as the video conversions are done in parallel). There are plenty of options for DVD menus and it produces high quality DVDs up to a running length of about 4 hours.
Cons
In the free version of the software, it puts an advertising banner page at the start of each video clip. This is a small compromise to get free software. I have been using this for a while now and havn't found any other problems.
Summary
I have tried a number of DVD makers and this is easily the best. When converting FLV video files, most of the other programs cause the picture and sound to go out of sync, this one does not. I strongly recommend that you try this software.
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"Ad for pro between each file. Dont download."
Version: Free Movie DVD Maker 3.7
Pros
Free download allows you to burn a workign DVD.
Cons
It doesnt tell you but it puts an advertisement between each separate file that you burn on the DVD. Not just at the begining. Between. Each. Separate. File. To get rid of it on the next DVD you burn, you need to buy the Pro version for $35 and you dont find out until you have already wasted one DVD. If I had known, I NEVER would have downloaded.
Summary
Dont download!
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"No Complications."
Version: Free Movie DVD Maker 3.7
Pros
I recommend this product to those, whom want to experience something diffrent, as well as those whom are familiar with DVD Making.
Cons
Within the near future I will return with a more accurate comment. I'm still, tweaking this product. Thank You.
Summary
Don't knock this product before you try it. I'm certain, you'll come to know, that this product does work well. Thank You.
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"This is NOT free! It's a DEMO!"
Version: Free Movie DVD Maker 3.7
Pros
Easy to use. Simple. Not many settings.
Cons
No preview of menus.
The texts that i put on the menu looked just fine in the app. But in the final BURNED video they overlapped on each other and was unreadable. This isn't very good when there is no preview and it isn't WYSIWYG and you can't even burn to an ISO.Summary
This version will insert advertising banners into every chapter in your final DVD - this makes it a DEMO version or a TRIAL rather than FREE.
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"Very easy to use, but subtitle insertion was shady"
Version: Free Movie DVD Maker 3.7
Pros
Works. This might seem redundant, but it's amazing to find a DVD burner that has the ability to burn a DVD =)
Simple interface
Allows you to create a menu and insert subtitlesCons
The option to insert subtitles isn't through a tick box or selecting a path to a .srt file. The creators of the software don't even tell you how to do it on their website. You find out through internet forums that you have to include the subtitles in the same folder as the movie and with the same name. And the subtitles are freaking huge on this. Very backdoor-ish, but still works and by no means a dealbreaker.
Summary
It's hard to find some programs that just work, especially if they're free. In things as simple as burning a DVD you either have to install 3 or 4 different programs, or pay for some professional editing software. I went through a few and they all seemed to miss the most obvious need which is to get a simple movie into a freaking DVD. In this case, you have a program that quite simply works, which is really all that I, and most people, wanted.
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""This application was let-down""
Version: Free Movie DVD Maker 3.7
Pros
Simple & Easy to use interface
Cons
Movie player didn't work and kept crashing.
It turned out to be one of those CTRL+AlT+DELETE dealsSummary
There doesn't seem to be enough decent movie makers out there. This one was a real let down. I heard the pay version is a lot better, but I am not willing to spend money if the free version was that crappy.
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"Great program"
Version: Free Movie DVD Maker 3.7
Pros
Easy. This program is the ultimate drag and drop converter.
Fast. I have used other programs that are much slower especially converting the formats
I haven't tried it yet but I am looking forward to burning a video in PAL to send to friends in England.Cons
None as yet. The ad on the front end of the burned of the DVD is annoying but if it was a real issue I could pay for the premium version.
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"Pretty straight forward"
Version: Free Movie DVD Maker 3.7
Pros
This is my first dvd maker software. I believe a monkey can use this. My computer was built in 2005 and only has a pentium 4 processor. It takes a while to burn the dvd on my comp, but it gets the job done with no problem
Cons
The free version has a quick ad before the movie starts playing on your dvd. No big deal though. If you are going to be doing this stuff a ton, just get the pro version for a one time fee of 34 bucks.
Summary
Very simple to use and has a decent amount of cool features to do some basic customization. There might be better ones out there if you want to make a dvd which looks like it was done in some factory, but this gets the job done with no problem. I don't know why it only has three stars by the users. I'm glad cnet knows what they are doing and at least gave it 4 stars.
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"Easy to use, yet Professional"
Version: Free Movie DVD Maker 3.7
Pros
Make DVD from AVI video with high quality and eery fast burning process time.
The software is safe and stable, and I also set my heart at rest from CNET, a widely trusted website.Cons
non i can find
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