DeVeDe is an application that converts various video file formats into a disc that can be played in a DVD player. Other applications and tool chains can be coaxed into doing this but DeVeDe has the advantage of being a dedicated utility that has been designed for a single function.

What DeVeDe can't do is convert video files into other arbitrary formats or distill the contents of a video DVD into a single video file. As you might have guessed, there are no facilities for actual video editing within the program. However, you could team DeVeDe up with a dedicated video editor if you need to make changes to the source material.

When you first launch DeVeDe you are presented with a menu that allows you to choose between output formats. Apart from the ability to create standard DVDs, you can also make video CDs and DVDs with DivX files for players that support it.

Next up, you are taken to the main interface that allows you to add video files and titles to the disk. Each project is made up of a series of titles that are selectable from the main menu of the finished DVD. These titles, listed on the left of the screen, are associated with one or more video files, listed on the right. The source video files can be any video format that the system can understand and you can mix different formats within the same project. There is a submenu that allows you to adjust settings such as quality and aspect ratio for each video file. The DVD menu itself can be customized to some extent by selecting a background image, a font and a music file.

A bar in the middle of the main window shows you how much space you have left on the DVD. If the bar exceeds 100%, click on adjust and the program will automatically lower the quality settings to fit all of the video files onto the medium.

When you have the project arranged you can begin rendering the DVD image. This can take a long time, and thankfully, there is an option to render a short preview to test your settings. The finished file is output as a .iso file, ready for burning to disk.

Verdict

Although the options aren't as comprehensive as some other programs, I don't think that there any absent features that 90% of people will actually need. In contrast, a lot of applications of this sort force the user to become of a bit of an expert in video standards and container file formats. It's also worth mentioning that the help file is complete and details every part of the program. All in all, it's a great little utility that does everything that it should. Recommended.

The DeVeDe website.