Best DVD software?

[dhffhd]

Can anyone recommend DVD software. I'm working on feature (just like half the world), and want to submit to film festival, and I have read that some DVD programs end up producing DVD's that don't play on every machine. Is there a consensus on the best software for burning DVD's?

Thanks in advance.

[kai]

Mac or PC?

[MIDIMan]

If you're looking for Mac, DVD Studio Pro is pretty much the only professional game in town. On PC, you have a lot more choices.

The software you choose will not impact the ability of your DVDs to play on various DVD players unless you are using a very limited DVD authoring program. There are several things that you can do to ensure the most compatibility.

1. Don't exceed 8mbs for your video bit rate.
2. Encode your audio to AC3 format.
3. Don't use cheap DVD media (I'm partial to Maxell).
4. Don't burn at speeds faster than 2x.
5. Don't put a paper label on the disk.

I burn hundreds of DVDs a month, and I've had 2 disks returned to me in almost 2 years.

HTH,

MIDIMan

[Guest]

It is for a Mac, and thanks for the info.

[Guest]

MIDIMan,

why do you recommend "dont put a paper label on the disc" ?

[Boy]

MIDIMan,

why do you recommend "dont put a paper label on the disc" ?
correct me if i'm wrong, but it will change the weight of the disc - enough to mess up playback.

[MIDIMan]

MIDIMan,

why do you recommend "dont put a paper label on the disc" ?

As Boy mentioned, if the label is not precisely applied to the center of the DVD, it throws off the balance of the disk as it spins in the player. The laser can't track the disk evenly, resulting in playback glitches.

The other risk is that paper labels have been know to separate from the disk during playback. That is catastrophic for the player.

Your best best is to pickup a $100 Epson printer and print directly to the surface of the disk.

MIDIMan

[Guest]

thanks for the info !