I had a simple goal: authoring a DVD. It's something I've done hundreds of times over the past eight years; not a big deal. Typically there are at least three programs capable of making a DVD on my system at any given time. The trouble is none of them were capable of making the DVD exactly the way it needed to be done. Each of them was missing some functionality that prohibited continuing. It seemed like I was stuck.

Then it occurred to me that my most recent program hadn't seen any updates in over four years. It had come bundled with my editing software (which in itself usually means reduced functionality from the full retail version). There must be a more recent, more functional version out there. Surely others are looking for the perfect solution as well. The market landscape has changed a lot in the past few years. Companies have folded, merged with others, or canceled product lines. It's a whole new authoring world. So the quest for an answer had begun: In this stage of DVD's reign, is there one piece of authoring software that can satisfy all of our authoring needs?

Let's first define those needs. The options considered essential are noted in the accompanying grid, along with a few other items that aren't needed per se, but go a long way towards a professional product and pleasant operating experience. Most features are self-explanatory, but let's talk about why some of the more questionable inclusions are necessary.

Menu Customization

Templates are a nice starting point, and good if you're making a disc for your niece's 8th birthday, but after that they become boring. Creativity comes out in the menu, so it's essential to be able to tailor every aspect of it to your needs. A proper authoring program should let you internally and/or externally design every item that makes up your menu navigation.

Blu-ray: I don't actually know anyone who has ever been asked by a client to make a Blu-ray disc, however, the ability to make one is important for future-proofing as well as learning.

Dolby Digital (AC-3): Smaller audio files means more room for video, which in turn leads to less compression, and thus better picture quality. Dolby's compression scheme provides equivalent quality at file sizes far smaller than PCM.

Multiple Audio and Subtitle Tracks: Commentaries, alternate music, karaoke mode, other languages, aid for the impaired; 20 different ways to use multiple audio and text tracks spring to mind. The ability to process at least one alternate track of each type is essential.

Copy Protection: Any copy protection scheme on DVDs and Blu-ray can be defeated. However, there are instances when something, anything, even if imperfect, would be "good enough". Most people out there know they can break Digital Rights Management (DRM), but either don't bother, don't know how, or don't have the tools on-hand to do it. So, yes, it can be useful.

Multi-core support / Advanced encoding: Sharing encoding time among multiple cores (or even computers) can significantly speed up disc creation. The question is, what programs support it? Also helpful are features like smart rendering (encoding only those parts that have changed), batch processing, encode scheduling, and post-encode functions (auto-shutdown, email notification, etc). All these things make authoring a lot less agonizing.

The ultimate solution for DVD authoring is obviously a hardware/software system like Sonic Scenarist, but let's be realistic. Few of us would ever be able to justify giving away four digits to the left of the decimal point and more for an authoring system. So just how much does one have to spend to get a similar level of ability?

The $100 Mark

Software under $100 is dominated by consumer-level authoring programs. These programs are good if you just want to put together a DVD. Nero Multimedia Suite 10 is the first program that stands out above the rest. It does all that the others in this range do, and offers a whole suite of programs for editing, mixing, viewing, etc., to boot. The sacrifice you'll make here is in menu customization. Users with this program work from pre-made graphics.

Nero's new system allows you to swap out buttons and thumbnails for designs more to your liking, but you can only choose from what they provide.

Roxio Creator 2011 Pro offers full 3D support, if that's your cup of tea (a trick that can only be done in most other programs with AviSynth scripts). You can import and edit, and also export 3D video for display on 3D TVs and 3D computer displays, and sharing on YouTube.

CyberLink's PowerProducer 5.5 has an extremely enjoyable interface that is very easy to understand, even if you've never touched authoring software before. It might be the ideal program for someone just starting out, or who makes more slideshows than videos, but users may quickly become frustrated at its inability to recognize popular file formats.

Corel's DVD MovieFactory was just the opposite. It lacked features, but accepted virtually every codec thrown at it.

Sony's DVD Architect Studio edition has navigation features not available in any other program in this price range. Its ability to handle external graphics, customize remote control buttons, and make playlists makes for some nice menu building.

If you want a serious DVD authoring program with professional options in this price range, TMPGEnc offers a phenomenal amount of tools, many of which are only found in programs that cost twice as much. There is a moderate learning curve here, though.