It is extremely important that the playback destination of the DVD title is determined before creating the DVD title. All subsequent steps in the DVD title creation process are developed for the type of DVD title selected. For a complete description of the DVD title types, please see our Types of DVD Titles section.

This stage includes planning scenes, storyboarding, designing interactivity, determining the content and features of the DVD. It also includes bit budgeting to ensure that all assets fit on the DVD disc.

This is the process of preparing the video for authoring. This step consists of encoding the source material in MPEG2 format in either constant or variable bit rate. Video preparation can include filtering the source material.

This is the process of preparing the audio for authoring. It consists of encoding the audio in the proper format for DVD-Video. For NTSC players, the audio must be Dolby Digital or Linear PCM. For two channel or multi-channel audio, DTS and SDDS are additional audio options.

DVD-Video titles can use menus and buttons as navigation tools. Menus are created with regular graphic packages. PhotoShop multilayer graphics are suggested. Menus consist of 24 bit bitmaps with a maximum pixel resolution of 720x480 for NTSC content. They are converted to MPEG2 I frames during the authoring process.

Simple pictures are superimposed over the video or still images. Subpictures can be created with regular graphic packages. They can have variable display sizes, but cannot exceed 720x480 for NTSC content. Subpictures have very limited color resolutions. They are used to design hot spots for menus, subtitles or to enhance the DVD title’s interface.

This involves integration of the different components and media of a DVD disc according to the DVD specification. Authoring consists of combining the video, audio, still images and subpictures and designing the navigation path through this content. The authoring tool should allow you to start building your title while the assets are being prepared.

The process of multiplexing video, audio and subpicture data together with navigational data to create DVD-Video compliant information. When layout is complete, a DVD disc image is created. The disc image is the data that will be burnt on the DVD disc. When producing Hybrid DVD discs, data is inserted during the Layout stage and is stored in the DVD Other Zone.

This is the process of validating the encoding, formatting, multiplexing and authoring of DVD material from the disc image. Emulation is important to validate the content of the title before it is replicated.

Transferring the disc image to Digital Linear Tape (DLT) and DVD-R.