Question 1: What is DVD Studio Pro?
Answer: DVD Studio Pro is a new software application from Apple that makes it easy for nonspecialists 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.
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 are shooting and editing digital video, you can now retain digital quality and precision from start to finish. With DVD Studio Pro, what was once a very expensive and technical undertaking is now more affordable and much easier than ever before.
Question 2: Who will want to use DVD Studio Pro?
Answer: DVD Studio Pro is designed for creative professionals who work with video and who recognize the quality and durability of DVDs. They include:
Question 3: Can I run the DVDs that I make with DVD Studio Pro on the DVD player connected to my TV? What about on my computer's DVD player?
Answer: DVDs authored with DVD Studio Pro are fully compatible with the DVD-Video standard. Your DVDs will run on most TV- and computer-based players that are compliant with the DVD-Video standard.
Question 4: Why is DVD Studio Pro the best tool for creative professionals to use for authoring DVDs?
Answer: DVD Studio Pro is in a class by itself because it is the only full-featured, professional DVD authoring tool that is both affordable and easy to use.
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 motion menus, chapter markers, scripting, multiple languages, subtitles, and Dolby Digital audio, you'll want to choose DVD Studio Pro.
Question 6: How does DVD Studio Pro make DVD authoring easy for creative professionals?
Answer: DVD Studio Pro takes what was once a highly technical process and puts it in a context that makes sense for creative professionals. DVD Studio Pro fits nicely into nearly any digital video production environment, such as Final Cut Pro, so you don't need to learn a new editing system in order to author your projects on DVD.
The easy-to-use Apple interface displays all aspects of the project at a glance, and DVD Studio Pro is packed with helpful tools. For example, the Property Inspector helps you make the right choices as you work. Pop-up menus simplify the settings selection process, keeping track of all the details of the DVD-Video standard. Even if you're a beginner, these features can help you be confident that you're making the appropriate choices.
Real-time previews let you see your progress as you work. Competitive DVD authoring tools make you wait for multiplexing or require you to create a disc image. By contrast, the simple preview command in DVD Studio Pro offers instant playback. The complete tutorial and sample files help you work productively right away.
Question 7: What is the MPEG Encoder and why does it help make DVD Studio Pro easy to use?
Answer: DVD Studio Pro comes with an MPEG encoding software plug-in that works within QuickTime-compliant video editing software products such as Final Cut Pro. With a few simple settings you can create high-quality MPEG video files to use in DVD Studio Pro. Purchasing a separate encoder isn't required (although you may want to consider a third-party hardware encoder if you frequently encode large amounts of video material).
Question 8: 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 produced 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 9: 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 10: 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 11: Can DVD Studio Pro translate my Final Cut Pro markers into DVD chapter markers?
Answer: Yes. Markers placed in Final Cut Pro 3.0.2 can be recognized as either chapter or compression markers when imported into DVD Studio Pro. This streamlined process makes it easier and faster to place chapter markers at precisely the frame you want.
Question 12: 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:
Answer: DVD Studio Pro supports the Apple SuperDrive available on select Power Mac G4 and iMac systems, as well as a number of external third-party DVD-R drives. Check the DVD Studio Pro website at for the latest information.
Question 14: 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 15: 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 16: Isn't MPEG encoding slow? What does DVD Studio Pro do to increase encoding speeds?
Answer: Software-based MPEG encoding has traditionally been a very slow process, taking between 30 and 50 times the length of the source video material. DVD Studio Pro speeds up the process substantially. Included with DVD Studio Pro is Apple's MPEG Encoder plug-in, which is optimized for PowerPC G4 processors with Velocity Engine. This plug-in produces high-quality MPEG files but takes only about 3 times the length of the source video material. If you need higher throughput, hardware-accelerated MPEG encoders that work in real time are available separately.
Question 17: When it comes to working with digital video (DV), what are some of the advantages that Macintosh systems have over Windows-based PC systems?
Answer: Because Apple makes the components of a complete DV system, including the FireWire input technology, the video editing applications, the MPEG Encoder, the DVD authoring tools, and the DVD-R drive, you can be assured that everything works together smoothly. Windows-based PC systems do not offer the plug-and-play ease of Apple's solution. The formats of choice for PC users, Microsoft's AVI and DirectShow, are not able to meet the demands of professional editing.
In addition, all current DV editing applications for the PC require additional hardware. Competitive DV applications also require awkward export rendering and often don't address proper machine control and other issues. During the coming years, these issues may be resolved as other vendors follow Apple's lead. For now, however, Apple is the only company to offer a complete, integrated solution for digital video production.
Question 18: 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 19: 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 20: When will DVD Studio Pro 1.5 be available?
Answer: An international English version of DVD Studio Pro will be available worldwide in 2002-04. Please visit the online Apple Store for more information about availability.
Question 21: What are the system requirements for DVD Studio Pro 1.5?
Answer: See technical document 61590: "DVD Studio Pro 1.5: System Requirements".
Question 22: What software comes with DVD Studio Pro?
Answer: The DVD Studio Pro package includes a complete package of tools: