DVD video disc elements by Matt Ottewill

DVD video discs can contain a number of different elements which can be combined together during authoring to produce a finished project.

They are ...

Tracks

Tracks can hold video, audio and subtitle data. You can have 99 tracks. Each track will hold at least one "stream" of video data.

Multiple angles

Each track can have 8 different video camera angles (streams) in addition to the primary video stream.

Subtitles

Up to 32 subtitle streams can be attached and synchronized to video and audio streams.

Menus

A menu is a still (image) or moving (video clip) backdrop on which buttons can be placed.

Buttons

Each menu can have up to 36 buttons which the viewer can click. Each button can have an action attached to it.

Slide show

A series of still images can be turned into a slide show which a viewer can progress through with buttons or which can advance automatically after a set interval.

Audio

Each video track, menu or slide show may be accompanied by up to 8 audio streams. Mono, stereo and multi channel surround sound are supported.

Region coding

Region coding allows a DVD author to determine which geographical region their discs will play in.

Click here for information on regions.

Scripting

Scripting allows you to create advanced interaction to enhance the experience for the viewer as they navigate through and interact with a disc.