Question 1: What is DVD Studio Pro?
Answer: DVD Studio Pro is an application that makes it easy for non-specialists to author and encode professional-quality DVD-Video discs on their Macintosh desktop. Tight integration with the Apple DVD-R drive on select Power Mac G4 systems makes it easy to record DVDs as well.
DVDs authored with DVD Studio Pro are fully compatible with the DVD-Video standard, and will run on most TV- and computer-based players that are compliant with the DVD-Video standard.
Source material can be either QuickTime movies or MPEG streams. DVD projects authored with DVD Studio Pro can include every feature that the DVD-Video standard allows, including up to 99 video tracks, Dolby Digital AC-3 audio, web links, and slide shows. If you're shooting and editing digital video, you can now retain digital quality and precision from start to finish. What was once a very expensive and technical undertaking is now more affordable and much easier than ever before.
Question 2: How does DVD Studio Pro differ from iDVD?
Answer: DVD Studio Pro gives you access to the entire range of features outlined in the DVD-Video specification. iDVD, on the other hand, gives you just the basic capabilities needed to put video and still images on a DVD. For example, iDVD offers simple, preset menu navigation templates, whereas DVD Studio Pro gives you complete control over the navigation structure. If you want your project to include advanced features such as scripting, multiple languages, subtitles, and Dolby Digital audio, you'll want to choose DVD Studio Pro.
Question 3: Can I make both still and motion menus using DVD Studio Pro?
Answer: Yes. Motion menus are video clips designated to function as menus. The clips can be created in a video editor such as Final Cut Pro, then imported into DVD Studio Pro. Still menus are created using images created in applications such as Photoshop. When working with Photoshop graphics, you can choose which layers are visible at any time without having to flatten or convert the Photoshop files.
Question 4: Can I add web links to DVDs authored in DVD Studio Pro?
Answer: DVDs have a unique advantage over videotape because they can include web links. In DVD Studio Pro, this feature is made possible by Apple DVD@CCESS technology. Web connections let your viewers access late-breaking information that's relevant to the content of your project. They also let businesses create promotional DVDs that link their audience directly to their web store. With web links, salespeople can enhance their presentations by jumping to up-to-date, web-based inventory and pricing details.
Question 5: DVD audio is encoded in Dolby, but QuickTime is the standard audio format for digital video edited on a computer. Which format works in DVD Studio Pro?
Answer: You can use your multichannel QuickTime audio files as the source for encoding into Dolby AC-3 format. Or you can use uncompressed AIFF or QuickTime sound files for stereo audio.
Question 6: To what formats can I output a project authored in DVD Studio Pro?
Answer: After you complete authoring and testing your project in DVD Studio Pro, the software allows you to output your work in the format that best fits your audience and budget. You can
Question 8: Is there any difference between discs written with the Apple DVD-R drive and those written with the Pioneer DVD-R recorder?
Answer: Yes. The Pioneer DVR-S201 recorder writes DVD-R Authoring media. These discs can be used as masters for replicating multiple DVD discs. The Apple DVD-R drive writes DVD General media, which are not intended for use as replication masters. If you are creating a project for replication, output your DVD Studio Pro project to digital tape or use a DVD-R Authoring disc as a master.
Question 9: I don't have a DVD recorder. How can I burn DVD discs using the content I've authored in DVD Studio Pro?
Answer: If your Macintosh does not have a DVD-R drive, you can still use DVD Studio Pro to author and test your projects. You can hire a DVD service bureau to create the discs for you. Just output your content onto digital tape or deliver your work on a portable hard drive. You can also output your work onto a DVD-RAM disc, then play it on a computer with a DVD-RAM drive.
Question 10: What are 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios?
Answer: Standard NTSC and PAL televisions have a picture aspect ratio of 4:3 and many new DV devices support a picture aspect ratio of 16:9. DVD Studio Pro supports the acquisition, creation, and distribution of 16:9 and anamorphic media. On DV devices that have a 16:9 setting, DVD Studio Pro captures and exports the proper 16:9 image.
Question 11: What is anamorphic media?
Answer: Some widescreen video material is shot using a special anamorphic lens that squeezes the wide image horizontally so it can be captured on the standard 4:3 aspect ratio of video. When this material is played back, it needs to be expanded horizontally to match the original shape. DVD Studio Pro can work with this anamorphic material and instructs DVD players to restore the shape on playback.
Question 12: What operating systems support DVD Studio Pro?
Answer: DVD Studio Pro works with Mac OS 9.0.4 through 9.2.2. DVD Studio Pro 1.0 is not compatible with the Classic environment of Mac OS X.
Question 13: What software comes with DVD Studio Pro?
Answer: The DVD Studio Pro package offers several tools: