Software to create professional dvds

dazn12dazn12 Posts: 6,910
Forum Member
Hi guys,

I'm looking for a software that will allow me to create DVDs with professional dvd menus. I haven't written a DVD in years so I'm really not sure what the current best software for this would be. Does anyone have any recommendations? I don't mind paying for it if it does the job well :)

Comments

  • IvanIVIvanIV Posts: 30,301
    Forum Member
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    It's been years, but I quite liked DVDLab Pro. Maybe it's still around. I think they used it for professional authoring, too.
  • RobinOfLoxleyRobinOfLoxley Posts: 27,040
    Forum Member
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    Try Womble. Not sure how 'Professional' it may be considered, but I like it.

    30 day trial

    http://www.womble.com/
  • tony-wtony-w Posts: 487
    Forum Member
    It all depends what you perceive to be 'professional'
    Truly professional would require something like Adobe Production Premium £600 - but this comes with loads of other software (after effects,premiere,photoshop etc) and can be difficult to learn how to use.

    If you want a cheap option, Nero at £30 and it is relatively easy to use
    http://www.nero.com/eng/products/nero-video/author.php
  • mac2708mac2708 Posts: 3,349
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    IvanIV wrote: »
    It's been years, but I quite liked DVDLab Pro. Maybe it's still around. I think they used it for professional authoring, too.

    Trial version available here
    http://mediachance.com/dvdlab/dvdlabpro.html
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 36,630
    Forum Member
    OP, what do you mean by professional?.

    If you want to create DVDs with your own menus, chapters, chapter menus etc. then there are a myriad of decent, well priced options. There's even a few free products too, that while they wont have all of the features of a commercial package, might suit your needs.

    But if you are talking more advanced, with much more control, the king used to be Spruce Up's DVD Maestro. Unfortunately in a very short sighted move Apple killed it off when they bought Spruce, because it was a major rival to their products and was cheaper. It sometimes appears on Ebay, along with it's copy protection dongle and still gives today's expensive products a real run for their money.

    The closest product today, at a midrange price, is the afore mentioned DVD Lab Pro. It comes in a couple of version too. But it's now getting long in the tooth too, and it requires all files to be fully DVD complaint before being imported. So chances are you will also need a decent video conversion programme to convert files to full DVD compliance.
    DVD Lab does not support high definition formats and BluRay though, it's strictly DVD only. If you are prepared to learn it then it is very powerful and can produce excellent professional style DVDs. You also need a good photo editing package for menus etc., and it supports motion menus too, multiple sound tracks, multiple subtitle tracks, multiple video tracks (for the little used Angle feature say), branching and lots of other professional features.

    But if you want the full Hollywood style, with advanced motion menus etc. then you are looking at Adobe After Effects and Adobe Premiere, and that's NOT cheap.

    You could also consider Sony Vegas with DVD Architect, Pinnacle Studio 17, Cyberlink PowerDirector and other similar products at varying prices. The more advanced versions are also pretty expensive though, but they are all pretty much all in one solutions in that you can go from video editing, to DVD/Bluay authoring to burning pretty seamlessly and all can produce pretty professional looking DVDs:(
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