After several years of intense development and cross-industry cooperation among consumer electronics companies, computer manufacturers, and the entertainment industry, the DVD format has arrived — and with it a new era of consumer entertainment. For the first time, high quality digital video as well as surround sound audio can be delivered to the consumer on a single interactive compact disc. Playable on the set-top or the desktop, DVD bridges the worlds of consumer video and personal computing in a single, unified format.

DVD is a highly-successful consumer electronics format, however reparing content (“premastering”) for DVD can be a very complex process. And like most new formats, DVD requires new tools and techniques to create rich and satisfying content that make the most of the medium.

Working with DVD requires an in-depth understanding of the format, production process, and tools required to bring titles to market. By understanding DVD and all that it entails, professional media developers can exploit its rich potential.