The small size of MP4 files make them ideal for storing digital video on computers, loading video to devices like MP3 players and uploading videos to the Internet. However, software that burns video compact discs (VCDs) generally cannot read the MP4 file type. If you would like to burn an MP4 video file to a VCD, you first must convert the MP4 file to a standard MPEG, which is the file type a VCD uses.
Change the MP4 to MPEG
Step 1
Download Any Video Converter--a free program that can handle conversions between several different video file types, including MP4 to MPEG.
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Step 2
Add the MP4 video file. Clicking the "Add Video" button will open a window where you can browse through all of the available folders on your hard drive. Go to the folder that contains the MP4 file that you want to convert, click on the name of the file, and press "Open" to upload it to the converter.
Step 3
Select "MPEG-I Movie" as your output file type. The output file choices in Any Video Converter are listed next to "Profile." The "MPEG-I Movie" option is available under "Common Used Video Formats."
Step 4
Click "Convert" to create an MPEG copy of the MP4 video you uploaded. You can monitor its progress in the "Status" section of the screen. Your MPEG file will save with the same name and into the same folder as your original MP4 file.
Burn the MPEG to VCD
Step 1
Insert a blank CD into the drive on your computer and open your favorite DVD-burning software. Most major programs have the option of burning a VCD instead of a DVD.
Step 2
Load the MPEG copy into the DVD-burning program. In most programs, the button to load video will say something like "Import" or "Add Files." Click this button, browse for the MPEG on your computer, and double-click to pull it into the DVD-burning program.
Step 3
Follow the screens in your DVD-burning software to create menus for your project. Each DVD-burning software is slightly different, but nearly all of them will give you a screen on which you can create a menu for the video files you will burn.
Step 4
Navigate to the final screen in the software. This is always the screen on which you will begin the process of burning your VCD. Click the "Burn" button. This button may say "Burn" or "Write," or it may depict the process with an image, such as a disc with a flame on it. When you click the "Burn" button, the program will burn the video file to the disc, and you will have a VCD copy of the original MP4 file.