Help burning AVI to cd or DVD to play on DVD player

OK I need to know how to take an AVI file and burn it onto either cd'rs or dvd so that I can play them on my DVD player. My dvd player says that it is Windows Media compatible. Do I just convert the AVI to WMV in Win Media Encoder and then burn to the cd/dvd? AND what if I want to play back on a DVD player thats not compatible with WMV? Is there a way to take an AVI file and burn it to a cd or dvd so any DVD player can read it?? I guess what i need to know is what kind of file does it need to be converted to so any DVD player can play it and what software can do this?
thanks
Frank

The specs for DVD video can be found here. However, making a compliant file and burning it to a DVD won't quite do the job. It must be in the right file structure, etc. Look here for programs to make the conversion to the right format and build the DVD structure.

There's a good chance you already have a program that will do what you want. The full version most DVD/CD burning programs (Nero, Roxio, etc.) usually include a program to create DVD videos. Many OEM verisons also include (sometimes stripped down) versions of DVD creation software.