What is the best professional DVD Authoring software?

[katieburchett]

All the discussions I have found about this are quite old. I am simply looking for the best professional DVD authoring software available to buy. I am using a PC.

[smrpix]

The pro stuff has all migrated to Blu Ray, so Sony Blu Print or Rovi Sonic Scenarist.
Otherwise, the pro stuff listed here is all excellent:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_DVD_authoring_applications

[redwudz]

Adobe Encore, but it's a bit expensive. ~$600 US. Bundled with Adobe Premier Pro. TMPGEnc Authoring Works is also popular.

[budwzr]

Sony has http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/dvdarchitectpro

[aedipuss]

scenarist is and was always the best. still available for SD. http://www.scenarist.com/products/Scenarist_SD_DVD_Authoring_Software.pdf

[aedipuss]

second place i'd give to dvd lab pro 2 on a price/performance level. don't know if you can still buy it, the company stopped supporting it years ago.

[usually_quiet]

second place i'd give to dvd lab pro 2 on a price/performance level. don't know if you can still buy it, the company stopped supporting it years ago.

VideoHelp's software page for DVD Lab Pro says the latest version of DVD Lab Pro 2 was released in 2014. I went to http://mediachance.com/dvdlab/dvdlabpro.html to see if it is still sold, and it is.

[sum_guy]

Good software gives an edge, however, I've seen some fantastic authored dvd's done on free AVS2DVD and even ConvertX2DVD, sometimes it's not the machine, it's the man

[manono]

As good as and perhaps better than Scenarist is the absolutely free Muxman. Pure DVD authoring, not menu creation, encoding or any other non-authoring functions.

I am simply looking for the best professional DVD authoring software available to buy.

You don't have to spend a dime to get top notch DVD authoring.

[julitomg]

I am simply looking for the best professional DVD authoring software available to buy.

I think the OP should tell us what does he/she considers to be a professional DVD authoring software or al least specify what kind of task he/she´s expecting to perform with it.
Lets remember how many times has someone been here asking things like "whats the best camera to make videos" , getting a lot of answers from people who say the best ones are the ARRIs, REDs, etc...others will say he should go for a Hi end DSLR and others voting for a full featured pro camcorder...only to find out that all the OP was asking for was for the best camera...to record his 5 year old kid´s birthday or something to take on a holiday, and that´s only if the OP ever returns...

[katieburchett]

I think the OP should tell us what does he/she considers to be a professional DVD authoring software or al least specify what kind of task he/she´s expecting to perform with it.

Thanks to all the responses! I am specifically looking for menu creation, and I also require copyright protection. Just looking for the most professional and reliable software.

[usually_quiet]

I think the OP should tell us what does he/she considers to be a professional DVD authoring software or al least specify what kind of task he/she´s expecting to perform with it.

Thanks to all the responses! I am specifically looking for menu creation, and I also require copyright protection. Just looking for the most professional and reliable software.

Most DVD authoring software supports menu creation. Copyright is a legal matter. If your work is original, it can be copyrighted.

If by "copyright protection" you mean you want authoring software that applies copy protection, you won't find any. The types of copy protection used for video DVDs (CSS, APS/CopyGuard, ARccOS (and other types of bad sector copy protection)) can only be applied during replication.

[manono]

I am specifically looking for menu creation...

If by 'menu creation' you mean some program's templates, then I'd forget about creating anything at all competent and professional looking. Good menu backgrounds you create yourself. Template-guided menu backgrounds always wind up looking like ... templates, and amateurish. Several of the free menu authoring programs allow for the import of user-created menu backgrounds. I use DVDAuthorGUI for this sort of thing.

I also require copyright protection.

usually_quiet answered that one, but it's nothing an authoring program would provide.

[katieburchett]

Most DVD authoring software supports menu creation. Copyright is a legal matter. If your work is original, it can be copyrighted.

If by "copyright protection" you mean you want authoring software that applies copy protection, you won't find any. The types of copy protection used for video DVDs (CSS, APS/CopyGuard, ARccOS (and other types of bad sector copy protection)) can only be applied during replication.

In terms of the CSS protection, I just want to be able to flag it for replication?

[usually_quiet]

Most DVD authoring software supports menu creation. Copyright is a legal matter. If your work is original, it can be copyrighted.

If by "copyright protection" you mean you want authoring software that applies copy protection, you won't find any. The types of copy protection used for video DVDs (CSS, APS/CopyGuard, ARccOS (and other types of bad sector copy protection)) can only be applied during replication.

In terms of the CSS protection, I just want to be able to flag it for replication?

DVD Lab Pro 2 and other real professional software can turn on the CSS flag. However it can only be written to a DLT tape. Do you plan to use DLT tape for mastering and have access to a DLT tape drive? Plus the license to use CSS DVD copy protection is not cheap. The license costs $15K per year.

[Edit]I found out that the information above is incomplete and out of date. If the DVD is authored as an ISO file, the CSS flag can be written to the ISO file. Also most replication services have paid for their own CSS license and charge a small fee per disc to add CSS so that customers don't need their own licanse.

[johns0]

I wouldn't put any dvd copy protection on any dvd i mastered cause anyone except their dog can bypass that protection with no difficulty at all.

[BJ_M]

I wouldn't put any dvd copy protection on any dvd i mastered cause anyone except their dog can bypass that protection with no difficulty at all.

I was required by most studios to include it as part of the contract -- it is not so much that they know it can easily be defeated but that circumventing DRM is a whole separate charge and more enforceable in many countries than just "making a copy for personal use"

[Cornucopia]

I think it's also about "deniability" and compensation: if a production company tried to sue a "violator" and the defense asked them about what protections they placed on the title(s), and the company said, "Nothing", an argument could be laid that the company was "asking to be copied" because they didn't attempt to do "due diligence" to the fullest extent possible.

Then there's the ability of CSS to charge only when clients come calling at the replication plant: it allows them to verify each instance of CP with a license request.

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Yes, "copyright protection" (CSS, etc) is only actually placed on the title at replication manufacturing (during the glass master prep) - it is not physically possible to apply it to an ISO, because an ISO only refers to 2048 Byte User-Data sectors and burned discs can only access & burn User-Data (not counting the old DVD-R-A "authoring" disc format). The CSS is applied to sectors outside of the User-Data area (probably in the "Data Unit 1" header area).
However, there are "flags" that state that CP is intended to be used/applied, and a number of apps can engage those flags (Scenarist, DVDMaestro, DVDA, DVDSP...), but most times those flags are NOT included in an ISO, but rather in a CMF or DDP image (on disc file or on DLT).

Scott