DVD Authoring:



Basically, to create a DVD from various video clips, you need some software that allows you to group, edit, create the menu system, and ultimately create the output files in the right format. Then you can burn those files to a DVD. That DVD can be read in any DVD player. That DVD is your "Master". Here at DVD-Fulfillment.com, we take the copy of your master and get it ready so we can take on demand orders and ship them directly to your customer. This articles talks about what DVD authoring is. We help you pick some great software that can be used to do it. We will give you a step by step example of a sample project.

What is DVD authoring?



DVD authoring describes the process of creating a DVD video that can be played on a DVD player. DVD authoring software must conform to the specifications set by the DVD Forum group in 1995. The specifications are complicated due to the number of companies that were involved in creating them.

Strictly speaking, DVD authoring is a separate process from MPEG encoding, but most modern DVD authoring software have a built-in encoder (though separate encoders are still used when better quality or finer control over compression settings is required).

Most authoring applications are for video DVDs only; they do not support the creation of DVD-Audio discs.

Stand-alone DVD recorder units generally have basic authoring functions, though the creator of the DVD has little to no control over the layout of the DVD menus, which generally differ between models and brands.
Source - Wikipedia.org - 7/31/2007

History of DVD Authoring Software



Early on, there were/are many DVD authoring applications available to help create digital video discs. Many high-end authoring applications are written in-house by companies such as Matsushita, Philips, Sony, and Toshiba. These are strictly not for sale outside each company and are used internally by the company DVD laboratories or their movie studio partners to produce DVDs for customers. These were private and expensive

Then a trend began where some companies started to make the software available to the public. We could go into detail here, but it will suffice to know an evolution occurred where things got easer and less expensive.

Now, the question is what's easy and inexpensive and where do i get it?

Although it depends on how sophisticated you want to get, if you're new to DVD authoring, it's probably safe to say you want something basic that will produce a DVD that looks professional, but's easy to use and not too expensive.

What Software should I use and how do I get started?



The easiest way to author a DVD is to: If you need something more professional, please read on. Here is another good resource for this information. At Videohelp.com, they have an excellent guide to basic dvd authoring. Please check it out along with all their other useful cd and dvd related content.

Some other DVD Authoring Software



Top-end Studio Professional Corporate Professional Home Use Free software - Free software implementations often lack features such as encryption and region coding, and depending on the philosophy of the DVD producer, may not be considered suitable for mass-market use. Source - Wikipedia.org - 7/31/2007