[coopns]

I wasn't sure if I should get DVD-R or +R, got DVD -R at Walmart.

I was hoping to burn the .avi and play it on the dvd player connected to tv.

1. Did I get the correct DVD?
2. How should I burn the .avi?
3. Recommend free burning software?

Please advise.

Coop

[anthology123]

DVD-R is the most compatible choice to burn DVD video.

I know you are looking for a "free solution", but I purchased Roxio Toast.
It burns avi files into DVD with relative ease, no conversion needed.
It's a bit pricey, but it has not failed me since I started using it as Toast 7. I am now using Toast 10. It is not as simple as Toast 7, but still does the job, and many other things to boot.

[slugslugslug]

How old is your DVD player? Many DVD players will play DivX and MP4 video files directly off a DVD, meaning you may be able to save transcoding time and disc capacity by just burning the file to disc in the Finder. Of course, .avi is a wrapper, so if your DVD player does play video files natively, you may still have to check what codec the .avi uses and whether it's on your player's list. But these days, your chances are good.

[slugslugslug]

Oh, and for that matter, how old is your Mac? I'm pretty sure the last 2 or 3 versions of iDVD will convert anything that QuickTime can play (except maybe iTunes-DRMed movies). So if a Finder-burned data disc doesn't work, you may be able to use the iDVD that came with your Mac without spending any extra money.

[CreepDogg]

I just burned a bunch of XVID-encoded .avi's to a DVD using iDVD and it worked fine. I wanted to just burn generic DVDs that would play in any standard DVD player. You have to go through all the conversion/encoding - but it works.