Tuesday, July 29, 2014

How to Burn a DVD in Ubuntu

Recording data to write enabled or rewrite enabled devices such as a DVD constitutes what is popularly known as burning. While this process is quite obvious and easy, there are instances where new Ubuntu users experience difficulties in trying to burn DVD. As a matter of fact, there are lots of people in online forums who seek counsel on how to accomplish the process. In one instance, I came a across a person with this problem and I quote his words, “I've been trying all day to make a simple video DVD to play on a regular DVD player, but I just can't seem to figure to out. I don't understand what an image is and all the apps that I've tried today seem to use this same terminology. I tried Brasero, K3b, DeVeDe, and a few others. I have read here in the forum and in other threads that these were the ones that people seem to use. I just can't seem to create a DVD. I don't know that burning an image means or anything.”

The truth however is far different from the picture presented in this comment. As a matter of fact, people who experience problems with Ubuntu are simply people who over-relied on windows so much that they refuse to think out of the box. It is for this reason that I find it important to take readers through a step by step instruction on how to accomplish DVD burning in Ubuntu. There are multiple burning tools available for Ubuntu. Nonetheless, in this guide, Brasero Disc Burner, default Ubuntu burner is dealt with.

There is no scarcity of tools for burning DVD in Ubuntu. Nonetheless, as already mentioned Brasero Disc Burner is the default Ubuntu burner and is equipped with all functional necessities required for basic CD/DVD burning.

Step 1: Download and install Brasero if it is not included in your version of Ubuntu
Brasero is an open-sources DVD burning tool for Ubuntu. Although it is included in the latest Ubuntu versions, earlier versions require that you obtain the software from Ubuntu Software center. This is done by clicking and opening the software center.
Once it is open, you can type the name “Brasero” in the search. This helps in directly linking the user to Brasero software download link.

Brasero will be available amongst the listed software. You can then click and it and then click the resulting install button in order to install the software. The program is not installed and you are ready to go.

Step 2: Choosing the right disc
While this article is purely about burning to DVD, it is important to emphasize the importance of selecting the right disc before burning. It is important to use a disc big enough to accommodate the data to written but it is also awkward to use a very big disc for small data. The size of DVDs typically ranges from 4.7GB to 9.4GB. Your computer should also have an optical drive capable of writing on DVD. 
Additionally, there are two kinds of DVD discs, that is, recordable (R) and Re-writable (RW). It all depends on whether you intend to add data to the disc later or if you want only the data you are burning to be in the disc. Recordable discs can only be burned once while re-writable ones can be burned severally for as long as they are full. It is important to note that choosing the wrong disc can either hinder the burning project from proceeding or cause damage to the disc used.

Step 3: Open Brasero program
After Brasero program is installed, you can open it by accessing the Dashboard and type “Brasero.” The software will be listed. This allows the user to select and open the software in readiness for burning project to commence.
Once it is listed, you can either click or right click and then select to open. This should open Brasero software.


Step 4: Choose the DVD option
Once the software is opened, there are multiple options from which to select. Here you can choose the option “create a video DVD or an SVCD.” This is the option for burning a DVD video. This will open the paging for adding files. 

Step 5: Add files and burn DVD
By now it is presumed you know the location of the files you want to burn to DVD and can easily follow on the dialogue to select the appropriate file. 

This step involves clicking the files icon that open a dialogue bow for the user to select the files to be burned to DVD video. Using this option, the user selects the file to be burnt from the source location after which the selected file is listed under the files in the software’s user interface. At this point, the file is ready to be burnt. The procedure can however be repeated to select multiple files. Once satisfied, the user is ready and the burn icon located at the lower right corner can be clicked and the burn process is ready to commence.

There is an option to select the burn speed. Although most GUIs have a properties icon from which to select speed, Brasero only avails these sorts of alternatives after the burn icon has been pressed. Here you can select an appropriate speed for burning your DVD. For better results, it is often recommended that users select slow burning speeds within reason. Slow speeds guarantees greater efficiency. Once speed is chosen, a second burn button appears that the user will be required to click for the final burning process to begin. Once the burn icon is pressed, you can stand back and wait as the entire process is completed. The software will inform you when the process is completed. You can also track progress using the percentages indicated by the software.

Other software alternatives that can be used to burn DVD in Ubuntu include K3B - KDE Burning Tool, GnomeBaker Burning Tool, Xfburn for Linux, Nero for Windows, Linux, ImgBurn for Windows, Linux (under Wine), SimpleBurn for Linux, and InfraRecorder for Windows, CDRDAO Command Line Tool.  If you need some best free dvd burners for windows and mac, please check the top ten list of free dvd authoring software here.