Adobe Encore DVD: In the Studio

DVD Application Data Formats

The physical DVD disc formats described previously determine how (and how much) data is stored on a disc. But a disc still is not useful for a specific purpose until the format of the data stored on it is defined. This is the domain of application, or logical, DVD formats: these determine the data structures and types, as well as specific compression formats, used to organize and store files of data on the disc. Put succinctly, the physical format allows the hardware to access the raw data, and the application format allows it to be understood and played back.

DVD- Video formats

DVD-Video and DVD-Audio are the base DVD application formats, but some variants, competing formats, and related CD formats also exist:

• DVD-Video is the DVD format for movies, supporting high-quality video, surround-sound audio, interactive navigation with menus and chapters, alternate video, audio, and subtitle tracks, and several content protection features.

• DVD-VR/+VR (Video Recording) is a variant of the DVD-Video format developed for set-top DVD recorders. VR recorders essentially save meta-information on the disc so that its contents can be edited to record and delete segments. Unfortunately, dash and plus use different VR formats, and these have varying compatibility with standard DVD players.

Some DVD authoring tools provide the ability to create and edit the VR disc format, which is useful for sharing discs between the set-top and desktop, so you can record and/or edit ...