I have a movie that is a .avi and according to its properties it is 701 MB. However, when I attempt to burn this movie to a DVD my DVD creating program (Sonic)tells me that the file is to large to fit on a DVD. It is reading the file at 5+GB's. I am very new to this could someone please help give me the basics and some ideas on how to get started. Why does the file get so big when it is added to the DVD? Thanks,

maybe you are trying to convert it to dvd instead of just dumping the file on to it. Make sure you are making a data disc not a dvd disc.

The great avi file delema. The thing to think about when using avi files is that it is "just packaging" like a box holding the contents you wish to have access to. AVI files are usually a super compressed file and all windows sees is the size of the compression(box) and not the true files themselves. When you go to burn them to dvd the compressed files must then be decompressed and then formatted to the dvd format.That is when the true size of the contents are revealed. IN THE MATTERS OF STYLE, swim with the current; in matters of principle, STAND LIKE A ROCK

are you trying to convert the AVI to DVD? If you are use Tmpgenc this will convert your AVI to DVD format then use DVD shrink to "Compress" the DVD format to the dvd disk. A word of caution. Reencoding from AVI to DVD take anywhere from 5-14 hours depending on the size. ------ Get FireFox You'll be happy you did.

Very helpful info; thanks! I am trying to learn this process too, as this new pc came with a combo CD/DVD dual layer burner.(it's all new to me; don't yet know anything about it!) I also have that same Sonic software as Bryan has, so this post provided very helpful info; thanks! ~Tommyo

heres a great resource for all your video back up needs http://videohelp.com ------ Get FireFox You'll be happy you did.

I too recently acquired a new Dell that came with Sonic. I like the software better than Nero. I had been using Nero for a couple of years and liked it. Bryan