Where can i find more info about DVD authoring?

[Heaven]

Hi all,
I have a small DVD video problem that i thought someone might be able to help me with......

I have been asked by an audio client if i can take his home movie DVD and record a voiceover along with the video then create another DVD video for him. The problem is that i am very green with DVD technology and would like to know if there is any information relating to the ins and outs of DVD creation and authoring that i could read, or if anyone here could assist. One thing i have found out is that the most important factor seems to be in the encoding used to create the DVD disc so as to be compatable with consumer DVD players. Is this correct? Can the existing video on my clients DVD be layed straight back on to the DAW in DV format then Pro Tools synced to the video machine, audio recorded, then audio flown back over to the video machine?

This sort of job seems to be how the whole audio world is evolving, so it would be great to hear from anyone kind enough to share info on the sort of video capture cards, video editing software and encoding software that a budget conscious owner would need to get started in this side of the audio/video world. I plan on using the mac with a PT mix cube sys for the audio and a 1.6 mhz pc for the video with the pc slaved to the mac.

Thanks for reading
Steve

[froyo]

Hello. Well if you just want information on DVD authoring try

http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html

or this book by Ralph LaBarge

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...35261?v=glance

However to answer your questions more directly. The issue you raise is quite simple. You will probably be able to do it all inside your Mac. If you have iMovie and iDVD then you are probably set.

DVD's can have up to 9 simultaneous audio streams. This doesn't mean they all play at once. Rather they are all authored on the same 'timeline' or 'stream' so to speak. The best example of this is the languages for a movie. The user can toggle English, Spanish, French while the video plays. However your question is quite simple. Think of it as adding voice over to a VHS.

First off find out exactly from your customer what audio formats he/she needs. Do they need Dolby Digital, DTS, Mpeg2 or just plain old uncompressed PCM? Keep in mind that if they want a compressed matrixed format you will need to buy the respective encoders (and decoders to check your work).

Since they are home movies you are probably better of leaving it uncompressed PCM and skip all the encoding and decoding hassles.

Next, if you have iMovie you can import the DVD material or play it and capture it into iMovie (thru Firewire). Otherwise you will need a video capture card. Once you have all the appropriate material, create DV Quicktime movies (with SMPTE window burn preferably). With this you are now able to bring the existing audio (by importing it from the DV Quicktime) into a Pro Tools session and post it to the Quicktime picture.

Record VO and place it to picture with the Quicktime in Pro Tools. Whenever you are ready, bounce all the audio to a new Quicktime movie. From here import it into iDVD and burn. That is all.

To sum up, import existing DVD video and audio into iMovie. Create DV Quicktime with SMPTE burn in. Spot new VO audio inside Pro Tools to the Quicktime. Bounce new Quicktime. Import into iDVD. Burn.

You may be better off by having a friend or someone with an appropriate video facility do the importing and Quicktime creation. This is simple and straight forward for them and it will save you a lot of hassle.

However, if your client wants encoded audio and/or 5.1, all variables change. Good luck.