Planning

We must decide if the project is best suited to a DVD-V, DVD-ROM or Hybrid DVD. DVD-V discs adhere to the DVD spec and are designed to play in set-top DVD players with remote control interaction. DVD-ROM discs are designed to playback on a computer and leverage the increased storage capacity of DVD allowing full screen MPEG-2 video. Hybrid DVDs are designed to work in set-top DVD players, but then provide enhanced options when used in a computer for things like web connectivity.

An asset inventory is taken to catalog the number of MPEG clips and their running time. The number of menus, chapter or index points is determined. Are still images or text graphic screens to be included? Will the DVD use advanced features such as motion menus, multiple audio tracks, subtitles, or multiple camera angles? The answer to these questions is needed to calculate a bit budget which determines the amount of material that fits on a DVD disc. A flowchart must be created to guide the DVD creation process. This document includes all content structure, menu branching and interactive navigation of the DVD.

Next step -> Encoding