In recent years, one type of file conversion has become more and more frequent as the use of digital video cameras has gotten more prevalent: AVI to DVD conversions. Recording the video is easy, but many people get stuck there, with no clear idea of how to get that footage onto a computer or a DVD. Here are a few choices.

Edit Your Movie

Once you transfer that AVI file to your computer, you will probably want to reauthor it. There are plenty of effective software packages available to assist with this job, and they cost anywhere from $50 to $500, depending on the features of the software. For most home movie needs, you can find a very capable editor in the $70 to $100 range.

This type of software will enable you to cut your original footage into clips that you can then mark up as you wish. For example, you can add transitions like fade effects, pixelation; you can add track titles or captions; you can even create an entire menu system with custom or supplied graphics.

Burn to DVD and Watch on a Television

There are a fair number of basic conversion tools available that will enable you to convert that AVI file into the structure required for DVD movies. Once you have that structure, you can use a DVD burning program like ImgBurn or Nero to produce your DVD.

Play Your Movie on a Portable Device

While standard DVD players are most commonly used for watching movies, a new generation of portable players exists that is capable of playing video, provided it's in the proper format. So you can convert that footage into something that can be played on portal media players like the iPod, Zube, and PSP. That's another thing to keep in mind as you learn how to convert AVI to DVD format.

No one piece of software is right for everyone. But as a rule of thumb, the more conversion options a piece of software has, the more cognitive overhead you can expect there to be associated with it! Simple utility converters do one thing only and usually require just a few clicks; however, multi-purpose converters, while more powerful, will also require you to get your hands dirty in choosing codecs and the like.