How to Burn Video_TS to DVD on Windows and Mac: 4 Methods That Work

A VIDEO_TS folder shows up on your drive after ripping a DVD or downloading one from a torrent site, and the natural next step is to convert video_ts to dvd by dragging the folder onto a blank disc. That rarely produces a disc that plays back correctly. Writing files to a disc (burning) and converting MP4 to DVD compliant structure (authoring) are two separate operations, and most failed burns trace back to skipping the second one.

This guide covers four ways to burn video_ts to dvd on Windows and Mac: two dedicated authoring tools, a free two-step combination, and the burning feature built into Windows Explorer. It also covers what changes once the conversion happens, including a resolution drop to the DVD-Video standard and playback differences across devices.

What is a VIDEO_TS Folder?

A VIDEO_TS folder stores DVD-Video data in the structure a DVD player expects, rather than as a single playable video file. It contains three types of files: VIDEO_TS.IFO, VIDEO_TS.BUP, and VIDEO_TS.VOB.

VIDEO_TS files copied straight from a commercial DVD are often still wrapped in CSS copy protection, which blocks both playback and burning until it's removed. When that's the case, DVD ripping software comes before authoring: it extracts and decrypts the VIDEO_TS content into a format the tools below can actually work with.

One thing worth planning for before burning: DVD-Video tops out at 720x480 for NTSC or 720x576 for PAL. If the source file is a 1080p MKV or MP4, authoring software scales it down to fit that limit, and the finished disc will look noticeably softer than the original. This is normal behavior for the DVD format, not a sign that the conversion went wrong.

Professional Tools to Burn Video_TS to DVD

The two tools below share one thing: both can take a video file most of the way to a finished DVD inside a single application, though they differ sharply in price and feature depth.

DVDFab DVD Creator

DVDFab DVD Creator is built for anyone who wants one application to handle the whole path from a raw video file to a finished disc, menu included, instead of stitching together separate authoring and burning tools. It sits at the higher end of the DVD software options covered in this guide: more capable and more polished than the free alternatives further down this page, but it charges for that convenience rather than offering a full free tier.

💻Available on: Windows and Mac

👍What it does well:

• Converts 200+ video formats into DVD-5/9 discs, ISO files, or VIDEO_TS folders
• GPU-accelerated burning, which DVDFab lists as up to 50 times faster than standard encoding
• Built-in editor for cropping, trimming, and adding watermarks before burning
• Customizable DVD menu templates with adjustable backgrounds, thumbnails, and text
• Optional AI-powered restoration for upscaled or lower-quality source video

Where it falls short:

• Requires a paid license, with no full-featured free version for testing the complete workflow
• Needs an active internet connection during use, which rules out fully offline setups

How to burn video_ts to DVD with DVDFab DVD Creator

Step 1: Add the VIDEO_TS folder to DVDFab DVD Creator

Download and open DVDFab DVD Creator, then go to the Creator module and select "DVD Creator." Click "+ Add" to import the VIDEO_TS folder, or drag it directly into the main window.

Step 2: Adjust audio, subtitles, and the menu

Once the source loads, pick the audio track and subtitles you want, or add an external subtitle file.

Open "Advanced Settings" to set the volume label, choose the output format, and configure menu behavior.

The built-in editor lets you adjust brightness and contrast, crop the frame, and add text or image watermarks if needed.

Click "Menu Settings" to build a DVD menu from the available templates. Each template allows changes to the background image, thumbnail placement, and text size.

Step 3: Burn DVD on Windows 10

Choose the output type, a blank DVD, an ISO file, or a DVD folder, then click "Start" to begin.

AVS Disc Creator

AVS Disc Creator works well for anyone who already has a VIDEO_TS folder ready to go and just needs it written to a disc, without touching DVD menu design or format conversion settings. It has stayed available for free over the years, but active development stopped a while back, so it's worth treating as a legacy utility rather than a product that will keep pace with new Windows releases.

💻Available on: Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, XP, 2003, Vista (no Mac OS/Linux support)

👍What it does well:

• Burns video files onto DVD+/-R, DVD+/-RW, DVD-RAM, and dual-layer discs
• Creates ISO images directly from video files or an existing disc
• Makes an exact copy of a source disc for straightforward duplication

Where it falls short:

• No DVD menu creation, and no option to pick audio tracks or subtitles during burning
• Development has stalled for years, so compatibility with newer Windows builds isn't guaranteed

💡Minimum System Requirements:

• Processor: Intel/AMD compatible at 1.86 GHz or higher
• RAM: 1GB or higher
• DirectX: Microsoft DirectX 9.0c or later
• Administrative permissions for program installation and activation
• Internet connection required for activation
• Disc Drive: CD-RW, DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, DVD-R/RW/DL, DVD+R/RW/DL, DVD-RAM, BD-R/RE drive

Guide to burning video_ts to DVD with AVS Disc Creator

Step 1: Open AVS Disc Creator and select "DVD Video" from the top row.

Step 2: In the right column, click "Add DVD Video" to upload the VIDEO_TS folder, or drag the folder into the middle of the window.

Step 3: Choose the target disc drive from the dropdown list, erase the disc first if it isn't blank, then insert a blank DVD.

Step 4: Click "Start Burning" in the lower right corner to begin.

Free Workflow to Convert Video_TS to DVD (DVDFlick + ImgBurn)

DVDFab DVD Creator covers the full workflow but costs money, and AVS Disc Creator is free but assumes the VIDEO_TS folder already exists. For a path that's both free and able to start from a plain video file, pairing two single-purpose tools works just as well: DVDFlick converts the video into a DVD-ready VIDEO_TS folder, and ImgBurn writes that folder to disc.

DVDFlick: Convert Video to a DVD-Ready Folder

DVDFlick is a free authoring tool that turns common video files into the VIDEO_TS structure a DVD player can read. Development stopped in 2009, and the project is generally considered abandoned, but the last release still installs and runs on current versions of Windows for most users, which is why it keeps showing up in free-workflow recommendations alongside a separate burning tool like ImgBurn.

👍What it does well:

• Supports 45+ input formats, including AVI, MP4, WMV, and MOV, through FFmpeg
• Includes a basic menu builder and subtitle support at no cost

Where it falls short:

• No updates since 2009, so large or unusual files can cause crashes
• Windows only, and the interface looks and feels dated compared to newer tools

Step 1: Install DVDFlick and add the video file you want to convert.

Step 2: Set the target format to NTSC or PAL depending on your region, and choose the output folder.

Step 3: Click "Create DVD" to generate the VIDEO_TS folder. This step re-encodes the video, so it can take a while for longer files.

ImgBurn: Burn the Folder to Disc

ImgBurn takes the VIDEO_TS folder that DVDFlick produces, or any other existing VIDEO_TS folder, and writes it to a blank disc. It runs in several modes (Read, Build, Write, Verify, and Discovery), though burning an existing DVD-Video folder only needs Write mode. The interface looks dated by modern standards, but it has remained a common recommendation in enthusiast forums for exactly this kind of straightforward burning job, long after more polished alternatives arrived.

💻Available on: Vista/Win2K/Win7/Win95/Win98/WinME/WinXP, and it also runs on newer Windows versions in practice

👍What it does well:

• Burns VIDEO_TS folders to DVD, HVDVD_TS folders to HD DVD, and BDMV/BDAV folders to Blu-ray
• Creates ISO image files from existing folders for backup or reuse
• Small download with no dependency on other authoring software to burn

Where it falls short:

• The installer offers extra bundled software by default, so watch the install screens closely
• No updates since 2013, so many users have started seeking ImgBurn alternative

Step-by-step guide to burning video_ts to DVD with ImgBurn:

Step 1: Insert a blank DVD into the burner drive.

Step 2: Open ImgBurn and select "Write files/folder to disc."

Step 3: In the Source panel, click the folder icon, select the VIDEO_TS folder to burn, and confirm.

Step 4: Confirm the burner drive is selected as the Destination, then click the folder-disc button at the bottom to start burning.

The table below lines up all four options from this guide by platform, output, price, and how actively each one is maintained, which matters more than any single feature once you're picking a tool to rely on long term.

Price is the clearest dividing line here: DVDFab DVD Creator is the only paid tool, and it is also the only one still receiving active updates. The three free tools trade ongoing development for zero cost, which is a fine trade for occasional use but a bigger risk if a tool stops working after a Windows update. Mac users have exactly one usable option in this table, since AVS Disc Creator, DVDFlick, and ImgBurn are all Windows-only.

Windows Built-in Tool to Burn Video_TS to DVD

Windows Explorer can burn a VIDEO_TS folder directly to disc without installing anything extra, as long as the computer has an optical drive. This works the same way on Windows 7, 8, and 10; on Windows 11 the option is still there but sits one level deeper in the right-click menu, so look under "Show more options" if it doesn't appear right away.

Step 1: Insert a blank DVD into the burner drive, then open Windows Explorer and locate the VIDEO_TS folder.

Step 2: Right-click the VIDEO_TS folder, choose "Send to," and select the DVD burner drive.

Step 3: In the "Burn a Disc" window, enter a disc title, check "With a CD/DVD player," and click "Next."

Step 4: From the "Drive Tools" menu, select "Finish Burning" to open the Burn a Disc window again.

Step 5: Click "Next" to start burning the VIDEO_TS folder to the disc.

Conclusion

Burning video_ts to DVD comes down to one tradeoff: pay for a single tool that handles authoring, editing, and burning together, or piece together free software and accept a rougher, less consistent workflow. DVDFab DVD Creator covers the paid side of that tradeoff, while DVDFlick and ImgBurn together cover the free side, and AVS Disc Creator sits in between as a free burner for videos that are already DVD-ready. Whichever path you choose, the disc will play back at standard DVD resolution rather than the resolution of the original file, so it's worth checking a burned copy on the actual player you plan to use before relying on it for anything important.

If discs are a regular part of your workflow rather than a one-off task, start with the comparison table above and pick the tool that matches how often you expect to use it.