DVD Production
Daniel Lennox
For this report I'm going to investigate the aspects of DVD production from a technical standpoint as well as a design and artistic view. I will explore both professional standards as well as what is available to the home user. I'm looking to get a further understanding of what types of DVD disks are out there and indeed what they are used for and why.
Technical analysis
There are many DVD disks to choose from when selecting to burn your footage onto something physical, which can be confusing at times. I will start with the most common DVD disk; DVD-R. DVD-R was the first recordable DVD disk that had the ability to be played on standalone DVD players. This was a major step in the home user creating things for themselves. DVD-R is a one write disk meaning that once it has been written onto, the space used on the disk is no longer available for use and cannot be deleted to make space for something else. This form of DVD is compatible with around 90% of all DVD players released to date according to my research and the majority of DVD-ROMs.
DVD-RW is the re-writeable disks of the same origin. These disks can be written onto multiples times and the data stored on them can be overwritten and replaced with something new. Unfortunately these disks are only compatible with around 80% of DVD players meaning they aren't quite as versatile as as their single write brothers. Both disks, single sided, have 4.37 GB computer space, but are both referred to as 4.7 GB disks. There is an option to get double sided disks in this format, meaning both sides of the disk can be written onto, this gives double the storage space, but no where to put disk art or any labelling.
DVD+R and DVD+RW are the main competitors in the DVD disk war. Both + and – have the same storage space and both can be bought in double sided formats, but DVD+R and DVD+RW are a little less compatible with DVD players, weighing in at just under 90% for +R and just under 80% for +RW, making –R and -RW slightly in the lead when it comes to which to select.
DVD-R and DVD+R can also come in a dual layered format, named DVD-R DL and DVD+R DL. This means that the one sided of the disks have more than one layer to them, increasing the amount of data they can hold from 4.37 to 7.95. This means it is slightly less that dual sided but you do get a spare side to put labelling and of course disk art.
There are a number of different writing speeds that are attributed to DVD disks, and with anything to do with computers, the higher the number, the better they perform. I've made a table below showing the writing speeds of disks available and the length of time it would take to fill these disks with data :-
x1 | Around 58 minutes |
x2 | Around 29 minutes |
x2.4 | Around 24 minutes |
x4 | Around 14.5 minutes |
x6 | Around 10-12 minutes |
x8 | Around 8-10 minutes |
x12 | Around 6.5-7.5 minutes |
x16 | Around 6-7 minutes |
These speeds refer to single layer DVD disks, Dual layer looks more like this :-
x1 | Around 105 minutes |
x2.4 | Around 44 minutes |
x4 | Around 27 minutes |
As you can see there is a slightly smaller range of speeds available for use, and even at the fastest, you still have to wait a considerably longer time to fill a disk compared to even mid range single layered disks.
So that's the sizes and speeds out the way, but what do we put onto these disks? Well there are differences with the Video and audio that can be put onto the disks, namely PAL and NTSC. These technical specifications have been taken from http://www.videohelp.com/dvd :-
PAL Video: Up to 9.8 Mbps* (9800 kbps*) MPEG2 video Up to 1.856 Mbps (1856 kbps) MPEG1 video 720 x 576 pixels MPEG2 (Called Full-D1) 704 x 576 pixels MPEG2 352 x 576 pixels MPEG2 (Called Half-D1, same as the CVD Standard) 352 x 288 pixels MPEG2 352 x 288 pixels MPEG1 (Same as the VCD Standard) 25 fps* 16:9 Anamorphic (only supported by 720x576) Audio: 48000 Hz 32 - 1536 kbps Up to 8 audio tracks containing Dolby Digital, DTS, PCM(uncompressed audio), MPEG-1 Layer2. One audio track must have MPEG-1, DD or PCM Audio. Extras: Motion menus, still pictures, up to 32 selectable subtitles, seamless branching for multiple storylines, 9 camera angles. And also additional DVD-ROM / data files that only can be read by computer DVD drives. Total: Total bitrate including video, audio and subs can be max 10.08 Mbps (10080 kbps) * Mbps = million bits per second * kbps = thousand bits per second * fps = frames per second For more technical DVD-Video details read the DVDDemystified DVD FAQ section 3.4 |
Video: Up to 9.8 Mbps* (9800 kbps*) MPEG2 video Up to 1.856 Mbps (1856 kbps) MPEG1 video 720 x 480 pixels MPEG2 (Called Full-D1) 704 x 480 pixels MPEG2 352 x 480 pixels MPEG2 (Called Half-D1, same as the CVD Standard) 352 x 240 pixels MPEG2 352 x 240 pixels MPEG1 (Same as the VCD Standard) 29,97 fps* 23,976 fps with 3:2 pulldown = 29,97 playback fps (NTSC Film, this is only supported by MPEG2 video) 16:9 Anamorphic (only supported by 720x480) Audio: 48000 Hz 32 - 1536 kbps Up to 8 audio tracks containing DD (Dolby Digital/AC3), DTS, PCM(uncompressed audio), MPEG-1 Layer2. One audio track must have DD or PCM Audio. Extras: Motion menus, still pictures, up to 32 selectable subtitles, seamless branching for multiple storylines, 9 camera angles. And also additional DVD-ROM / data files that only can be read by computer DVD drives. Total: Total bitrate including video, audio and subs can be max 10.08 Mbps (10080 kbps) |
As we can see there are differences with the video output of these DVD video formats, mainly in the Resolution of the final video output and the frame rate that they play at. We can also see that the only video that can be used on a DVD is that of MPEG1 and MPEG2, with MPEG2 being the better of the 2. Both NTSC and PAL use 48000 Hz with up to 8 audio tracks at 32 – 1536 kbps, meaning the audio from one format of DVD would be exactly the same if the video was changed. For more information on the Technical specifications of DVD disks, visit :-
Authoring
The range of authoring software is mind boggling to comprehend, from the simplest home user software to the most technical of the industry professionals. I'll go through a couple that I have had contact with to give you a picture of what they are all about.
Ill start with the basic home user solution known as Nero. (http://www.nero.com/eng/nero-burning-rom-overview.html) Nero is a bundle software system that sometimes comes free with computer components when bought. Its a basic tool that can be used to create very simple menus, labelling and other aspects of DVD creation. The limitations on this program means it cant really be viable for professional use. Its a basic drag and drop system that doesn't really give you the option to set your own menus and design exactly what you want on your disk. It has multiple options for Copying Ripping and burning DVD, CD and Blu-Ray disks. It does support the import of Light scribe disks and labelling, although doesn't really give that much more in the way of labelling. The simplicity of this program means that I personally wouldn't use it when it came to creating a custom DVD of something that I wanted to show someone, but is useful for quick and easy burning or copying of anything that isn't really that important or official.
Adobe software has a little more professionalism to it when it comes to authoring DVDs. With their product Encore, you can have custom made menus created in their other piece of software, photoshop. Not only this you can have animated menus and even multiple layered menus stemming from the first. There is no limit to the creativity you can achieve when creating DVD menus with this program. But it doesn't just blow Nero out of the water with menu design. It also incorporates things that we as consumers take as standard these days in the way of subtitles and bonus content such as director commentaries and other things that don't come as standard. Encore is a big step ion the way of professionalism for DVD authoring but it by no means the industry standard that is used.
These two pieces of software are a very small look into what can be used to author encode and burn DVD disks. But with the software, you need the hardware to go with it. There are a number of burners available to use. The whole range can be found by simple searching for DVD burning drives in a search engine or a computer component website. Ebuyer, a website I have used in the past, has a wide range of drives that can be used to burn DVD and Blu-Ray content.
Codes and conventions of existing DVD menus
I'm going to deconstruct a couple of existing menus on some big DVD releases to see if I can identify the codes and conventions within DVD menu releases. Ill start with :-
Gladiator Disk 1
Front Menu options
Play Movie Scene Selections
Subtitles Languages/Audio setup
Visuals
As the menu starts there is a short showreel type preview of the film before the buttons show. As the preview ends there is a view from the top of the Colosseum, created using visual effects and 3d imaging. There is also a montage of close-up shots of the main characters in the film to get s sense of what the film is about and the feel of the film. I think it works well and is very effective in making the user ready to take what is about to be shown. The whole thing has a very dark and gloomy colour scheme.
Sound
Throughout the entirety of the menu there is music playing that is taken directly from the soundtrack. This works well with the menu in again making a certain feel about it. With the option of audio setup you can choose between English, 5.1 Dolby English and audio commentary from the director, the DOP and editor.
Conclusion
The producers of the disk have decided to bring all of these aspects together to make a menu that fits perfectly with the subject matter of the feature in mind, they have made sure that the menu is that of the same theme and is very friendly to the novice user.
Saving Private Ryan
Saving Private Ryan starts a little bit different from the other DVD mentioned when first inserted in a way that it does not actually bring you to the menu screen on first insertion. Instead the producers of the DVD have decided to make it go straight into the feature. This may be to put more focus on the actual film and take it away from any flashy effects that would take attention away from the feature. Once we get to the actual menu the layout is very similar with the options along the bottom.
Front Menu Options
Play Movie Scene Index Special features Subtitles
As we can see there is no audio settings option on the main screen, instead being replaced with a Special feature option. The lack of the special features option can be explained in the first example, in that it was a dual disk production, meaning all of the special features were put onto that second disk. This however doesn't excuse the fact that this second example has no options for the audio.
Visuals
As with the first example the options are on the bottom and there is footage from the film being played above. This again goes with the feel behind the film and what it is trying to achieve.
Sound
As with the first example this again as music taken directly from the soundtrack, making the consumer feel a certain way about the whole experience. What is different though is that there are sound effects added into the menu along with the music, the sounds of WWII bombs exploding in the distance really give a feeling of being there in the war zone before we actually watch the film itself.
Conclusion
The producers of this disk have put a lot of effort into the sound and feel of this disk while trying to keep it as simplistic as possible to make sure the majority of the attention goes onto the actual film and there are no distractions from it. I feel they have done well in making a very usable interface along with keeping everything relevant.
Conclusion
Looking back at the development of disks over the time of their existence, it would seem only right to give them a bright prediction for the future. But with the internet and digital distribution being in fashion these days without any foreseeable ending, it may be a dying form of media. In the next few years I can see the internet taking over from physical productions on disks. As with any source of media, from the days of Betamax moving to VHS and indeed VHS moving to DVD, the change has always come along and it has always taken total control over what has been around previously. The only thing I can see for the future of disk based media is that of nostalgia, and wanting to own something physical without just knowing you have it online on an account, swimming in an endless sea of zeros and ones. It will be an interesting few years ahead of us in terms of development and distribution, and I myself am looking forward to what the future brings.
