GOOD Mac DVD Author software?

[jnaylor]

Anyone got any good DVD Authoring applications for the Mac? Tempted to copy my .DV files back to my PC for DVD Authoring. iMovie was bloody brilliant for taking my HD camera files and allowing me to mould these - adding transitions, text, images, etc. Beauty. But I now want to author the DVD and don't like iDVD.

In fact - I currently despise iDVD - I feel as though I have very little control over everything. I can't even insert my own chapter markers, FFS.

Ideas???

[jnaylor]

P.S. been a few years since I've been here, don't know my old username and have since changed email addresses so can't access it either.

[pixel zombie]

you might consider DVD Studio Pro...

[Herve]

I can't even insert my own chapter markers, FFS.

Normal behavior of the newest iDVD:
import your video from iMovie to GarageBand, set chapters in GB, give it to iDVD

bye

[Frobozz]

An authoring application that lets you place specific chapter markers is CaptyDVD 2 available at pixela-1.com

[jnaylor]

An authoring application that lets you place specific chapter markers is CaptyDVD 2 available at pixela-1.com

Potential, but without an obvious demo they've got no chance.

[jnaylor]

you might consider DVD Studio Pro...

Would love to. Suspect that would solve all my problems. Again, however, if I can't try a demo then I'm unlikely to fork out USD $1,299 just to determine if it's suitable.

[jnaylor]

import your video from iMovie to GarageBand, set chapters in GB, give it to iDVD

Trying this. Looks like it might very well work. Completely unintuitive, however.

Also, seem to have lost some quality - not sure what sort of encoding GarageBand does - and my widescreen footage is now being rendered in iDVD as 4:3, but I'm sure I'll get there.

[terryj]

Would love to. Suspect that would solve all my problems. Again, however, if I can't try a demo then I'm unlikely to fork out USD $1,299 just to determine if it's suitable.

Well it's not a Demo,but hopefully this gives you an idea of what DVDSP can do:

[lordsmurf]

Doesn't DVDSP have a streamlined "limited edition" these days?

[terryj]

wishful thinking, but no smurfy.

[Kryton]

If you are good at reading betwen the lines you may have heard stuff at MWSF that could indicate that Apple wants to leave DVD's behind and concentrate on HD based content.

I very much hope that I'm wrong but the way Steve Jobs spoke about all things 'Optical' on the consumer front didn't make for music to my ears when he presented iLife 08.

I'd love to see an Express version of DVD SP but I can't see it happening.

A real shame IMO.

[jnaylor]

If you are good at reading betwen the lines you may have heard stuff at MWSF that could indicate that Apple wants to leave DVD's behind and concentrate on HD based content.

I want to be enthusiastic about this, and I appreciate where he's going, but it's just not realistic at this stage. How the hell am I supposed to distribute my HD holiday movie to family/friends... DVDs are far too convenient.

[lordsmurf]

Jobs' blathering doesn't affect what already exists.

[lordsmurf]

wishful thinking, but no smurfy.

I was apparently thinking of this: http://www.apple.com/finalcutexpress/

A disappointment really. Adobe Premiere Elements is a stripped-down version of Premiere, and it adds in basic DVD authoring, all for $100. As usual, Mac versions of a Windows option is twice as expensive and has less resources. FCP Express has no authoring abilities, and is $200. iMovie is similar to Prem Elem, but it's not the same as being a stripped-down version of a major NLE.