Question 1: What is iDVD?
Answer: iDVD is a software application from Apple that enables you to author desktop movies and still images, then write the project to a recordable DVD disc using an Apple DVD-R drive. With iDVD, you have simple-to-use tools for making DVD-Video discs on your Macintosh and a great way to share your movies and still pictures with anyone who has a DVD player.
Question 2: How do I get iDVD?
Answer: iDVD 6 is part of iLife ’06. iLife ’06 is available for purchase separately and also comes installed in all new iBook, iMac, eMac, PowerBook, MacBook Pro, Mac mini and Power Mac computers.
Question 3: Can I play the DVDs I make with iDVD on the DVD player that's connected to my TV? What about on my computer's DVD player?
Answer: DVD discs created with iDVD on an Apple DVD-R drive are compatible with most standard set-top and computer-based DVD players.
Question 4: Which software applications from Apple allow me to author and encode DVDs on Macintosh computers?
Answer: Two software applications from Apple allow you to create DVD discs: iDVD and DVD Studio Pro. iDVD is a simple way for beginners to get started creating their own DVD discs. DVD Studio Pro is a full-featured software package that offers additional, professional-level functionality.
Question 5: In what ways do iDVD and DVD Studio Pro differ?
Answer: iDVD provides the tools to create DVDs containing video and still images with simple menu navigation. Its drag-and-drop ease of use and predesigned themes make iDVD ideal for non-experts who want to get started creating DVD discs right away. DVD Studio Pro is a professional DVD authoring tool. It allows you to create DVD discs that include every feature outlined in the DVD-Video specification, with video, still images, audio, and even web links. DVD Studio Pro is most appropriate for projects that require copy protection, scripting, multiple languages, subtitles, Dolby Digital and DTS audio and many other advanced features. When it comes to burning DVD discs, iDVD is designed to work only on computers with built-in Apple SuperDrives. DVD Studio Pro offers numerous methods for outputting a finished DVD-Video project, including and beyond the Apple SuperDrive.
Question 6: How do I prepare my movies and pictures for use in iDVD?
Answer: iDVD accepts movies in QuickTime format, which is supported by most video editing and creation tools. Still pictures can be any QuickTime-compatible format, such as PICT, TIFF, or JPEG. Starting with iLife '04, there are special buttons to send your photos from iPhoto or your project from iMovie directly to iDVD. In iDVD, movies are converted into MPEG-2 format just before they are written to the DVD disc.
Question 7: Can I only use iDVD with a built-in Apple SuperDrive?
Answer: iDVD 5 allows you to "Save As Disc Image" and then you can use Disk Utility to burn to a third-party DVD burner. iDVD 6 allows you to burn directly to a third-party drive.
Question 8: Does iDVD require special discs?
Answer: iDVD uses standard blank DVD-R discs, called DVD-R General. The General designation distinguishes these discs from those labeled Authoring. Authoring discs are used in professional DVD authoring drives. With some Superdrives, you can use DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-RW, and DVD+R DL discs also.
Question 9: How much material can a single DVD disc hold?
Answer: A DVD-R disc can hold about 4.7 GB. This allows up to 120 minutes of high-quality video to fit on a DVD.
Question 10: Is Dolby Digital AC-3 or Digital Theater Sound (DTS) supported by iDVD?
Answer: iDVD only supports audio formats playable in QuickTime. DVD Studio Pro supports Dolby Digital AC-3 and DTS audio formats.
Question 11: Can I set the region code?
Answer: DVD-Video discs created with iDVD will have set the region code such that the discs will be playable in all regions. If you are interested in setting region codes to specific regions, DVD Studio Pro offers that functionality.
Question 12: Can I protect my disc from unauthorized copying?
Answer: iDVD does not include CSS (Content Scrambling System), Macrovision or any other copy protection schemes. DVD Studio Pro offers CSS and Macrovision features.
Question 13: Do I have to burn a disk to test my final product?
Answer: No. iDVD has a preview function. You can also save your project as a Disc Image, which allows you to view it on your computer using Apple DVD Player before you burn a disc.