MUNCHED

I have downloaded lots of movies that i want to copy for my friends...most are in AVI format..some AVI & XVID..i gave some to my mate an they dont work on his dvd player but to my other mate did..is there a single format that works on all dvd players...i do have convertxtodvd it works fine the only problem is that it takes ages to convert...when i see people selling dvds in town the dvd's have only a small burn on them an work in all dvd players....help anyone please..would be well appreciated!!!