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DVD
Authoring
1.
What's the DVD format all about?
Read
the section on DVD <"Digital
Video:DVD">
2.
Are there any DVD Recorders that can also write
standard CD-R discs?
I
only know of one DVD recorder, which is made by
Pioneer. It costs $16,995. Also, it only
writes single layer discs (3.95 GB max) and can't
write a dual layer disc. Check <www.pioneerusa.com>
3.
Is it possible to create standard DVDs on a
computer and DVD-Recorder that will play back on
DVD players?
Yes.
If you are a Mac user check out Sonic
Solutions <www.sonic.com>,
which offers software for creating DVD-Video discs
($$$$). You can write these using the drive above
and "play" them on any player.
The
important thing to note is that there is the DVD
disc format (which is the way information is stored
on the disc) and there is the DVD-Video file, which
can be stored on a DVD disc. The DVD-Video file
contains a video movie compressed using MPEG2, as
well as simple interactive capabilities that can be
added to a title.
The
video capability and the DVD format aren't
mandatory co-components, so it's possible to have a
DVD ROM drive in a computer that lacks the
capabilities to play the DVD-Video files because
there's no MPEG-2 decompressor included. Similarly,
it's possible to have authoring software that
writes DVD discs, yet won't let you create a
DVD-Video disc because it doesn't include the video
compression capabilities.
Sonic's
offering is very expensive. Adaptec
<www.adaptec.com>
is offering a DVD authoring version of Toast, which
wirtes DVD discs, but won't create DVD-Video files
for you. Astarte (which actually wrote
Toast) is offering a "cheaper" DVD video tool that
costs $6,000 <www.astarte.de>
Sonic
Solutions has announced Online DVD -- a
new option for its DVD Creator and DesktopDVD
production systems. Online DVD provides a
combination of a D1 video disk recorder and MPEG
encoder. It enables DVD production facilities to
integrate non-linear video editing systems with DVD
authoring, eliminating the need for intermediate
videotape transfers. Non-compressed D1 video from a
non-linear video editing system, such as those from
Avid or Media 100, can be transferred as D1 video
files into a Sonic DVD production system. The video
can be encoded directly from hard disk and authored
and formatted straight to DVD or other interactive
media. In addition, pre-edited material already on
digital tape can be loaded to hard disk for direct
MPEG compression from hard disk.
Online
DVD is scheduled to ship in December of this year
as an option to both DVD Creator and DesktopDVD
systems, at a suggested U.S. retail price (MSRP) of
$14,999.
<www.sonic.com>
For
the PC user, Spruce Technologies has a DVD
authoring system called DVDMaestro.
<www.spruce-tech.com>
Minerva
Impression is an interactive video authoring
software solution for DVD. A "Format-Independent
Import Engine" feature allows the author to import
any AVI video file, as a proxy, into the DVD
project, without the need for an MPEG
encoder. Minerva
Impression features a project timeline paradigm;
the author can see all of the video assets in
order, link any DVD asset to any menu and add new
menus anywhere in the project timeline. All of the
authoring steps are executed through an icon-based
drag-and-drop interface. A built-in simulator
allows the author to preview the results of his or
her actions. The author has the option of
performing MPEG encoding and disc burning in-house
(assuming the availability of encoding and DVD-R
hardware), or can simply export the DVD project to
a DVD service bureau. [From this I assume that,
the tool doesn't compress video, you need to get
something like the Minerva DVD Professional
solution.]
Minerva
Impression requires Windows NT (V 4.0) on a Pentium
II (300Mhz) personal computer with 64MB RAM. Disk
storage is typically configured at three times the
size of the asset files. Minerva Impression will be
available in October, 1998 starting at
$9,995.
Minerva
Systems also offers the more expensive Minerva
DVD Professional solutio.
<www.minervasys.com>
Sony
Electronics has been demonstrating a DVD
Authoring system at the INTERNATIONAL
TELEPRODUCTION SOCIETY (ITS) CONFERENCE. The
prototype system utilizes Sony's MPEG-2 encoding
and control algorithms to provide high-quality
images and simple, automated operation. The system
includes individual modules which are optimized to
work as separate, yet integrated,
applications.
Utilizing
the Authoring System Supervisor, Sony's system
automatically recalculates and manages compression
bit rates rather than requiring manual
recalculation of bit rates versus the target disc
capacity.
Sony's
prototype system includes sub-picture encoder and
decoder cards with its subtitle encoding/menu
authoring component to enable real-time output to a
video monitor to accurately check menu colors,
locations and sizes as they are being
created.
Once
the encoded bit streams for the video, audio and
subpicture components of the title are ready, they
are multiplexed to create the DVD encoded stream.
This DVD encoded stream can be immediately viewed
from the local drive.
<www.sony.com/professional>
Pioneer
is preparing an offline title-design tool for DVD
called DVDesigner. Priced at $495,
DVDesigner is expected to ship by the end of
September for Mac, Windows 95, and UNIX. It's
described as an organizational and planning tool
and it does not handle compression.
<www.newmedia.com
news brief "Studio-Free
DVD">
4.
Can video and data be combined on a multi-session
DVD to create a product that works on a standard
DVD player in a computer?
Yes.
It is possible to create a disc that contains both
video and regular data. You can certainly put an
interactive program created in any authoring tool
(such as Director) on the disc that will play on a
PC or Mac, but those files won't play on a home
video DVD-Video player (the interactive
capabilities available in a DVD-Video files are a
very specific set of limited functions.)
5.
So how do you author the interactive sequences at
the beginning of DVD Video discs?
The
best way is using a DVD authoring tool that
provides some kind of mechanism for importing
graphics files and adding hotspots and links to
create the simple interactive interface supported
by DVD-Video players.
This
is starting to sound like a sales pitch for Sonic
Solutions, but since it's the only authoring tool
I've actually seen I'll mention that it lets you do
the above using a very easy to use authoring
tool.
6.
How difficult is it to compress
video?
That
depends upon the MPEG-2 compression tool, and the
features it provides. But you need some kind of
tool that supports MPEG-2 compression, and so far
those don't come cheap. (NOTE: don't confuse MPEG
with MPEG-2.)
The
compressor, ideally, will let you compress the
video to a desired size, but also to a desired bit
rate. The DVD disc format supports a maximum
transfer rate of 9.8 Megabites per second, but at
that rate only approximately an hour of video will
fit on a 4.7 Gigabyte disc. Much of a movie can be
compressed at a much lower rate, though you will
want to increase this rate for some scenes. Ideally
you should be able to easily go in and adjust the
transfer rate for a sequence and the compressor
will recompress this for you.
7.
Is it possible to burn laser discs or video CDs on
a DVD-Recorder?
I
don't think that the DVD recorder writes CD format
discs, but I'm not certain. CDs are pretty
different (I think at least one DVD video player
actually uses a different lens to play audio
CDs...)
Laser
discs are completely different beasts. You won't
find anything that will write those as well as CDs
and DVDs. Best left well enough alone!!!
8.
Where can I find more info about authoring
DVDs?
Check
out the links above, particularly Sonic Solutions,
who has a very complete tool. Also
<www.dvdresource.com>
has an FAQ which answers a lot of the basic
stuff.
9.
What are these DVD-RAM drives?
These
units, which cost less than $1,000, write to a disc
that closely resembles a DVD disc, but the disc is
not readable by "regular" DVD drives. They do play
regular DVDs, though may not come with the MPEG
decoder to play the video discs. If you have a Mac
check out <www.apstech.com>.
(and there's several vendors for Wintel
too.)
You
could put a DVD-Video file on one of these discs,
and play it, but you still need an MPEG2
decompressor to do it. And to create a video file
you will need authoring software to create such a
file.
10.
What about DVD-RW drives?
There
are two DVD-RW formats that several companies are
working on which are different to DVD-RAM (and I
think to standard DVD discs as well), but so far no
units are available.
11.
Where can I find out more?
Emedia
Professional has published an article on DVD
authoring.
<www.emediapro.net
article "After
the Smoke Clears: What It Takes to Produce a
Quality DVD-ROM
Disc">
last
updated: 10/21/98
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