DVD Studio Pro
Encyclopedia
DVD Studio Pro was a high-end software tool published by Apple Inc. to allow users to create DVD
masters to be sent out for replication at production houses. Its tight integration with other Apple applications allows users to take Final Cut Pro
and Motion
projects and render them into the DVD format without encoding to intermediary formats. This streamlines the production workflow and reduces overhead. It was discontinued with the release of Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5, and Compressor 4.
Scenarist being the worldwide industry standard for professional DVD authoring
.
In April 2005, Apple updated DVD Studio Pro to support authoring HD content. DVD Studio Pro 4 allows for the burning of HD DVD
content to both standard DVDs and HD DVD media (even though no HD DVD burners were currently available for Macintosh). For playing back HD DVD content burnt to a standard DVD, Apple requires a PowerPC G5, Apple DVD Player
v4.6, and Mac OS X v10.4
or later. This was also the first version that did not include support for Mac OS 9
.
In January 2006 Apple stopped offering DVD Studio Pro as a stand-alone product, only selling it as part of the Final Cut Studio
suite. The 4.0.3 update, released in the same month, upgrades the program to the finalized HD DVD
1.0 specification. It also supports the native H.264 specification. The 4.2 update, which shipped with the Final Cut Studio
2 release, was simply a compatibility update and did not add any major new features.
See also a release history in context with the rest of Final Cut Studio.
Other features include:
, where it can be converted into the DVD MPEG-2
format with Dolby Digital
(ac3) or AIFF sound. Menus with motion graphics can be created in Motion. It is possible to set the menu's loop point in either Motion or DVD Studio Pro; likewise it is possible to define chapters within either Final Cut Pro or DVD Studio Pro. The menus and the encoded video assets are imported into the application and the menu system is constructed; afterwards it can be simulated in a mock DVD player interface. The final VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS directory for the DVD can be created using the 'Build' feature. The 'Format' function takes this directory and writes it to a disc or disk image
. Alternatively, a sample DVD can be burnt to disc in one step.
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
masters to be sent out for replication at production houses. Its tight integration with other Apple applications allows users to take Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro is a non-linear video editing software developed by Macromedia Inc. and then Apple Inc. The most recent version, Final Cut Pro X, runs on Mac personal computers powered by Mac OS X version 10.6.7 or later and using Intel processors...
and Motion
Apple Motion
Motion is a software application produced by Apple Inc. for their Mac OS X operating system. It is used to create and edit motion graphics, titling for video production and film production, and 2D and 3D compositing for visual effects.-History:...
projects and render them into the DVD format without encoding to intermediary formats. This streamlines the production workflow and reduces overhead. It was discontinued with the release of Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5, and Compressor 4.
History
Apple bought Astarte's DVDirector in 2000, re-releasing it as DVD Studio Pro in 2001. Version 1.5, still based on this original code, was released in April 2002. In the meantime Apple had acquired Spruce Technologies in 2001, and was busy retooling the DVD authoring package that came with that acquisition (DVD Maestro), and in August 2003, Apple released DVD Studio Pro 2. This new version was basically a completely new application, with a totally new interface. Since then, the program has grown to be the primary midrange software DVD creation package, SonicSonic Solutions
Sonic Solutions, acquired by Rovi Corporation in 2010, was a computer software company headquartered in Novato, California. In addition to having a number of offices in the U.S., the company also maintained offices in Europe and Asia.-History:...
Scenarist being the worldwide industry standard for professional DVD authoring
DVD authoring
DVD authoring is the process of creating a DVD video capable of playing on a DVD player. DVD authoring software must conform to the specifications set by the DVD Forum group in 1995...
.
In April 2005, Apple updated DVD Studio Pro to support authoring HD content. DVD Studio Pro 4 allows for the burning of HD DVD
HD DVD
HD DVD is a discontinued high-density optical disc format for storing data and high-definition video.Supported principally by Toshiba, HD DVD was envisioned to be the successor to the standard DVD format...
content to both standard DVDs and HD DVD media (even though no HD DVD burners were currently available for Macintosh). For playing back HD DVD content burnt to a standard DVD, Apple requires a PowerPC G5, Apple DVD Player
DVD player
A DVD player is a device that plays discs produced under both the DVD-Video and DVD-Audio technical standards, two different and incompatible standards. These devices were invented in 1997 and continue to thrive...
v4.6, and Mac OS X v10.4
Mac OS X v10.4
Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger is the fifth major release of Mac OS X, Apple's desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers. Tiger was released to the public on 29 April 2005 for US$129.95 as the successor to Mac OS X Panther , which had been released 18 months earlier...
or later. This was also the first version that did not include support for Mac OS 9
Mac OS 9
Mac OS 9 is the final major release of Apple's Mac OS before the launch of Mac OS X. Introduced on October 23, 1999, Apple positioned it as "The Best Internet Operating System Ever," highlighting Sherlock 2's Internet search capabilities, integration with Apple's free online services known as...
.
In January 2006 Apple stopped offering DVD Studio Pro as a stand-alone product, only selling it as part of the Final Cut Studio
Final Cut Studio
Final Cut Studio is a professional video and audio production suite for Mac OS X from Apple Inc., and a direct competitor to Avid Media Composer in the high-end movie production industry...
suite. The 4.0.3 update, released in the same month, upgrades the program to the finalized HD DVD
HD DVD
HD DVD is a discontinued high-density optical disc format for storing data and high-definition video.Supported principally by Toshiba, HD DVD was envisioned to be the successor to the standard DVD format...
1.0 specification. It also supports the native H.264 specification. The 4.2 update, which shipped with the Final Cut Studio
Final Cut Studio
Final Cut Studio is a professional video and audio production suite for Mac OS X from Apple Inc., and a direct competitor to Avid Media Composer in the high-end movie production industry...
2 release, was simply a compatibility update and did not add any major new features.
See also a release history in context with the rest of Final Cut Studio.
Features
DVD Studio Pro has a graphical 'map' view, which shows all the menus, tracks and scripts in the project as color-coded tiles, with the connections between them as arrows. New menus, layered menus, scripts and slideshows can be created from this view and arranged; and the item that will play first on the DVD can be set. Assets (i.e. photos, sounds and Motion projects) are imported into the asset manager and can then be dragged and dropped into one or more places within the project (creating a link to the asset rather than duplicating it). Menus can be created with templates, or pre-made buttons, and with the help of dynamic guidelines they can be kept in a grid arrangement.Other features include:
- SubtitleSubtitle (captioning)Subtitles are textual versions of the dialog in films and television programs, usually displayed at the bottom of the screen. They can either be a form of written translation of a dialog in a foreign language, or a written rendering of the dialog in the same language, with or without added...
creation - Implementation of CSS and Macrovision copy protectionCopy protectionCopy protection, also known as content protection, copy obstruction, copy prevention and copy restriction, refer to techniques used for preventing the reproduction of software, films, music, and other media, usually for copyright reasons.- Terminology :Media corporations have always used the term...
for SD DVD's - Editing of GPRM and SPRM registers
- Disabling certain functions on particular menus
- Creating multiple language versions of a menu
- Creating multiple versions ('stories') of a video project for example, a director's cut
- DVD@CCESS feature for web linkHyperlinkIn computing, a hyperlink is a reference to data that the reader can directly follow, or that is followed automatically. A hyperlink points to a whole document or to a specific element within a document. Hypertext is text with hyperlinks...
s in menus - A range of transition effects to set between menus.
Workflow
The video project is typically sent from Final Cut Pro to CompressorCompressor (software)
Compressor is a video and audio media compression and encoding application for use with Final Cut Studio and Logic Studio on Mac OS X. It can be used with Qmaster for clustering.-History:...
, where it can be converted into the DVD MPEG-2
MPEG-2
MPEG-2 is a standard for "the generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio information". It describes a combination of lossy video compression and lossy audio data compression methods which permit storage and transmission of movies using currently available storage media and transmission...
format with Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital is the name for audio compression technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories. It was originally called Dolby Stereo Digital until 1994. Except for Dolby TrueHD, the audio compression is lossy. The first use of Dolby Digital was to provide digital sound in cinemas from 35mm film prints...
(ac3) or AIFF sound. Menus with motion graphics can be created in Motion. It is possible to set the menu's loop point in either Motion or DVD Studio Pro; likewise it is possible to define chapters within either Final Cut Pro or DVD Studio Pro. The menus and the encoded video assets are imported into the application and the menu system is constructed; afterwards it can be simulated in a mock DVD player interface. The final VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS directory for the DVD can be created using the 'Build' feature. The 'Format' function takes this directory and writes it to a disc or disk image
Disk image
A disk image is a single file or storage device containing the complete contents and structure representing a data storage medium or device, such as a hard drive, tape drive, floppy disk, CD/DVD/BD, or USB flash drive, although an image of an optical disc may be referred to as an optical disc image...
. Alternatively, a sample DVD can be burnt to disc in one step.