There is a format called “video CD” (VCD) that is very popular in Asia. Some DVD players recognize and play this format directly (check your manual). A better quality version of this format is a “super video CD” (SVCD). Again some DVD players support this format as well. I have gotten several VCDs from Thailand and the quality is quite good on a regular TV. There was a site that provided a set of programs to convert DVDs to VCD/SVCD. I think these programs would also convert other video files formats to VCD as well. I have converted a few DVDs to SVCD format just to see how they compare. Frankly, I could not tell the difference on a regular TV.