This post will show you how to create a DVD-R-disc with video in HD resolution playable in a standard Blu-Ray-player!
Perhaps you have some mkv-files or similar in HD quality as a digital backup of your Blu-Ray collection? Or a collection of HD video from some completely different (but of course legal) source? And would like to make HD discs playable on a Blu-Ray player, but a Blu-Ray burner and Blu-Ray discs is too expensive? Fear not! You can burn HD videos on a DVD-R that are compatible with standard Blu-Ray players.
Or perhaps you are simply tired of digitally “bought” movies being suddenly removed, or streaming services business model of ever more limited catalogues and “exclusive” content making your favourite movies not available for you much of the time?
Perhaps it is time to revisit physical media, but on your own premices?
This recipe is not AI slop, but written by a human being who has done this via try, fail, try again, fail again, fail better, try again, succeed.
In a world of streaming this may not be interesting for very many people, but as I found myself in a situation where I had several Blu-Ray-players in several different locations, and also still having a 15 year old spindle of DVD+R-discs laying around, a hard drive with a lot of video in mkv-files along with a certain nostalgia for physical media, it struck me – Should I not try and see if there is some format I could burn these films to DVDs on that are compatible with Blu-Ray-players and in HD?
So I did a search and, lo and behold, there is! An old, rather obscure format developed for home video cameras called AVCHD! It was introduced so that home video makers could burn their videos to DVDs and watch them in HD on Blu-Ray players!
Over all, different Blu-Ray players can often play different video files burned on a disc, but the compatibility varies a lot. A lot. The benefits from this format, is that most (or perhaps even all?) Blu- Ray-players are made to be compatible with it.
The disadvantages, however, is that the format is very strict, and only small errors in constructing the video file and the folder structure can create an unreadable disc! However, this guide is made to help you through the process!
I would also suggest using DVD-R and not DVD+R discs, for maximum compatibility.
I suggest you separate the process into three, using three different open source programs.
1. Format the video via HandBrake
2. Create a AVCHD folder structure via multiAVCHD
3. Burn the DVD (or rather AVCHD disc) via ImgBurn
For reference: I am using HandBrake 1.10.2 (2025090600), multiAVCHS v4.1 (build 771) and ImgBurn 2.5.8.0
MultiAVCHD promises to both edit the video and create the structure in one go, but my experience is it will more often than not create a video file not completely compliant with the AVCHD format, and may play in some players, but not all. I therefore strongly suggest separating the process in 3.
1. HandBrake formatting
The most important part of the project may be to create the right settings in HandBrake.
On the Dimensions tab, set:
Anamorphic: None
Resolution Limit: None
Dimensions: In my experience the video needs to have exactly the 1920×1080 format. No deviation. Add black bars, crop and/or and rescale the video until you see this exact format in the small print describing the output resolution down to the left in the window. (It is also possible to make 1080×720 format videos, if you prefer this to full HD for some reason. The rest of the settings should be the same.)
Filters: Turn all filters off
Video tab settings must be:
Encoder: H.264 (x264)
Framerate: 23.976, Constant Framerate, or 25, Constant Framerate (In general use the one your source video is using)
Encoder preset: Slow
Profile: High
Level: 4.0
You should also add the following in the advanced options box:
bluray-compat=1:ref=2:bframes=2:b-pyramid=none:weightp=0:keyint=25:min-keyint=1:nal-hrd=vbr:vbv-maxrate=24000:vbv-bufsize=24000
Audio: The audio should to be exactly AC3 format, 448 kbps, 5.1, 48 kHz
You must add only one audio track.
I also suggest you do not add subtitles.
This will create maximum compatibility with the original AVCHD format settings, which can be found here: https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/News/Press/200607/06-0713E/
To fit a movie on one disc, I suggest setting the “Constant quality” settings to 22 for movies around 1.30 hours, but to 23 for movies around 2 hours. For longer movies you may go even higher, but if you need to go above 24, you might want to consider splitting the movie on two discs.
I have not tested all different options on a range of players, and other options might work, but they might also not, so deviate from any of these settings in any way at your own risk! My experience is that you will then create a disc not compatible with many Blu-Ray players.
The reformatting of the video is the most time-consuming task. On my slightly old PC it takes about 3 hours. The other 2 processes are then quick.
2. USING multiAVCHD
In using tsMuxeR instead of multiAVCHD to create the AVCHD structure, I have gotten playable AVCHD files with good quality, but I have had problems with ffw. and skipping chapter functionality. I have not been able to identify the cause. I would therefore currently suggest using multiAVCHD (but only for creating the folder structure), even though it too has a muxing functionality built on tsMuxeR.
Make sure multiAVCHD does not start reformatting your file. If you have done a good job with this in HandBrake, it should not start.
I chose not to add chapters, as I wanted to keep things as simple as possible for compatibility and playability.The same with the menu. I unchecked “Create top menu” in the Author tab, and checked the “Skip welcome screen”, all in line with “keep it as simple as possible for maximum compatibility”
After you press “Start” on multiAVHCD, you get a pop up where you choose what kind of destination media to create.
Make sure to use AVCHD (strict) here, if you want maximum compatibility.
This will create three folders on a place in your harddrive:
BDMV
AVCHDTN
IISVPL
Occasionally a fourth folder may be present – HDAVCTN – if so add this as well. All folders should be added, but not individual files in the root directory, which are logs etc.
This strategy for me, created a movie that played fine, and where ffw worked. As I did not add chapters there was no skipping.
3. Using ImgBurn
Go to the top menu, and choose Mode and Build
Then add exactly the mentioned folders (BDMV, AVCHDTN and IISVPL) to the root. If more folders or files are created by multiAVCHD, do not add them. Adding something else again may create a disc not recognizable by the player.
On other settings, make sure:
Filesystem = UDF
UDF Revision = 2.50
Set write speed to 4x or 8x to be safe.
Leave include hidden files/system files tickboxes empty. There should not be hidden files in the structure, but if there were, adding them would create nothing but trouble.
To be safe, I also suggest you tick the verify box to check the DVD is burned correctly. As mentioned initially, I suggest using DVD-R-discs, not +.
When this is done, you can try to play your movie on your Blu-Ray-player. If it worked for you as it did for me, you can now burn full HD movies on standard DVD-R discs that will play in most or all Blu-Ray players.
I have personally tested these discs on one early generation Blu-Ray player, one later generation Blu-Ray player and one relatively new 4K UHD-player all from 3 different producers to check wide compatibility.
They work on all. And that’s not bad, is it?