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The New Hollywood Workshop #18: Conclusions

By Eliot Hochberg (eliot@high-mountain.com), July 23, 2003

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So, having done a replicated disc with DVD Studio Pro 1.5, what conclusions can be drawn?

First, it would be orders of magnitude more difficult to complete a DVD project without DVD Studio Pro. Using iDVD or any of the other tools out there for creating simple or complex DVDs appears, from what I’ve seen and read, to be a more difficult experience than with using DVD Studio Pro.

That being said, DVD Studio Pro promises a lot, and delivers on most, but misses on some. As a professional DVD author, you need to decide if having to have many other tools besides those that Apple provides, some of which are PC-only, is an acceptable situation.

Certainly for most projects, especially the simpler ones, DVD Studio Pro works admirably; but as the projects get more complex and the features approach those of the theatrical DVDs I am sure you are striving to emulate, DVD Studio Pro often falls short. Does this mean it is not a professional program? That is for you to judge. I have found that in most cases it is sufficient, if not always proficient; and I look forward to using version 2 with the hope that it addresses some of the issues we’ve seen, adds new features we need, and creates few if any new problems.

With regards to DVD authoring as a whole, it appears as of this writing that the demand for DVD authoring is beginning to accelerate. I predict that in this next year, authoring DVDs will be a viable business for the sole proprietor. In fact, I’m betting my business on it. I also predict that it will continue to be a money maker for the next 2–3 years. After that, I look forward to researching whatever new thing technology brings us. Will it be solid state media (5 GB Compact Flash, for example)? On demand broadband video? Blue laser HD DVDs? A universal Internet display standard that actually works? I don’t know, but I’ll be looking for it.

Good luck, and I hope you enjoyed this series. Look for another one in the months ahead.

The New Hollywood Workshop is dedicated to using Macintosh computers and software to do what the big boys do. Want an example? Check out Duality, a short made completely with Macintosh products.

Eliot Hochberg is a Web developer with over seven years’ experience. Apple’s new professional tools are just the ticket for a sole proprietor like Eliot to go to the next level. Right now, he’s seeking DVD duplication services that support DVD Studio Pro. If your company does, let us know. We’ll list you in future articles.

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