DVD Authoring Software

D. Eric Franks
April 2003

A year ago, we were conservatively optimistic about home DVD authoring. High prices and compatibility loomed large in our thinking. With second and third-generation recorders dropping below $300 and blank media dipping well under $1 a disc, price is no longer prohibitive. Software is also entering a new generation, with fewer bugs and greater stability. Fierce competition has also meant better quality, more features and lower prices. This is good news for the would-be home DVD maker, as it means that you can concentrate on the art of making DVDs, and not the technology.

DVD authoring software typically performs three functions: encoding video, menu authoring and burning the disc. Perhaps surprisingly, almost all basic applications support all three functions, but some of the more advanced, professional and specialized authoring applications only author and do not encode or burn.

• Encoding - Most people do not want to deal with the complexities of encoding, so you'll want to make sure that your authoring app has an encoder (which, in most products, is from Main Concept). For those of you who are interested in the art of the compressionist, there are advanced applications such as Canopus ProCoder or Discreet Cleaner, as well as MPEG specialists like the Tsunami encoder (TMPGenc).
• Burning - Burning is even less interesting than encoding and should probably not be any more complex than clicking the Burn button. You should make sure your authoring application can burn if you need it, however. Most do have burning capabilities.
• Menu Authoring - DVD authoring applications are primarily about creating attractive and functional menus. A typical menu will have a background image, a title and smaller thumbnail images that represent the various chapters or movies on the disc. The focus of authoring is layout and design, which is really pretty fun. For those of us who do not have degrees in layout, many programs offer professionally designed templates. Not only are attractive templates a boon to the artistically challenged, but they can also be huge timesavers. The only potential downside to templates is that they might limit your freedom. For DVD novices, we really like applications like Apple iDVD and Sonic MyDVD that start you out with templates, but also give you the freedom to change anything you want later. Another approach we like, used in applications like Dazzle DVD Complete, is a software Wizard which can walk you through the DVD menu creation process step-by-step.

We're not going to tell you how to create your DVD (in this article), but we will suggest that once you have a single attractive menu with thumbnails to navigate to the various chapters, that is probably all you need. When you design your disc, always keep your viewers in mind, especially when you consider the extra bells and whistles offered by some programs, such as Ulead DVD Workshop or Sonic DVDit!

• Submenus - Complex DVDs might need submenus, but you should always count the number of clicks it takes users before they can actually play the movie. Also consider that your viewer isn't you and a complex disc structure might result in people getting lost or confused when all they really want to do is watch your video.
• Animations - Many authoring applications allow you to animate the background and the individual menu thumbnails (referred to as motion menus and backgrounds). These features typically add rendering time to the disc creation process and often add nothing to the actual information, content or ease of navigation of the disc. But we must admit that it sure is cool and it is an optional feature we like.
• Background Music - Background music can also be annoying, but not if it is done well. It can be tricky to get the music to loop properly (making the end transition seamlessly back to the start of the music), but most Hollywood DVDs have a music bed.
• Startup Splashes - When you first pop that disc in the player, wouldn't it be neat to have a logo swoosh in? This is called a "first play" movie and, again, is completely optional. You should make sure that you don't have a horrible intro before or between every menu. You may personally think it is cool, but trust us: like Web sites with annoying Flash Intros ("Skip Intro"), your viewers will be vexed if they repeatedly have to see your extreme cleverness. Seeing it once as a "first play" is enough.

We consider the previously mentioned Bells and Whistles to be fun but optional extras (unless your client or boss demands them). The following list highlights a number of important advanced features that that might not be a part of more basic authoring applications. Some reasonably priced applications that support some or all of these more advanced features are Apple DVD Studio Pro, Pinnacle Impression and Sonic Reel DVD.

• Subtitles - If you need subtitles (and widely distributed productions should have them to accommodate the broadest audience), make sure your chosen authoring application allows you to insert them. Subtitling is an extremely labor-intensive task, so you should carefully consider your subtitling needs beyond simply finding an application that supports this feature.
• Audio Compression - DVD audio compression is more complex than it should be. Uncompressed PCM audio is officially a part of the DVD specification and is widely supported, but this type of audio takes up inordinate amounts of precious disc space. A more efficient solution is MPEG-1 Layer 3 audio and you should look for this feature if you decide you want it. Although it is not officially in the DVD specification, it is widely supported in Asia, which is where almost all DVD players are manufactured, which means that most DVD players here in the US also support this type of audio. But it isn't universal.
• Dolby Surround - Many applications support AC-3 Dolby audio, but (as of this writing) only a few actually encode Dolby. Even stereo Dolby encoding is rare and still slightly expensive, but this is changing very quickly (see sidebar). 5.1 Dolby surround encoding is even more rare and also needs an application that can mix six channels (5 + 1) to take advantage of this very cool DVD feature. Dolby AC-3 is a very important technology, since basic AC-3 stereo audio takes up much less room on your disc than uncompressed PCM audio and is more widely (and officially) supported than MPEG-1 layer 3 audio.
• Alternate Video Tracks - Part of the original hype of DVD was that you could include multiple video streams in a single track, which would allow the viewer to press the Angle button on the remote to see the same scene from a different angle. While this is only rarely used in Hollywood DVDs, it is an advanced feature you might be interested in for multi-camera shoots at concerts, weddings or plays.
• Multiple Languages - Like multiple video streams, you can also place multiple audio streams on your DVD. This is most often used for multiple languages, but is also frequently utilized for director's comments.
• DLT Output - If you need to mass-produce your DVD, duplication houses often require you to submit your project on digital linear tape (DLT). This may change as time goes on, but the reason for this is at least partially pragmatic: home-burned DVDs are limited to 4.7GB while dual-layer professionally stamped DVDs can hold 9GB.

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