The Advatages of DVD Studio Pro over iDVD

Both iDVD and DVD Studio Pro are DVD authoring applications made by Apple. These run on Apple Macintosh computers, and are both fairly similar. However, there are some major differences. iDVD is aimed at the average consumer and is a more simple application. DVD Studio is much more powerful, and capable of many more things, because it is more complex. Below are some of the advantages of choosing DVD Studio Pro.

Professionalism

iDVD is a piece of software which is aimed at the average computer user; this is not really designed for professional use. It's the competitor of tools like Windows DVD Maker from Microsoft.

DVD Studio Pro is slightly harder to use, but will create much better and more professional looking results. It's possible to use DVD studio pro to author DVDs that look similar to Hollywood films.

Importing Videos

One of the biggest advantages of using DVD Studio Pro over iDVD is that it's possible to import MPEG-2 format videos from other applications. If you use Compressor or other encoding applications such as Cinema Craft, then it will be impossible to import them into iDVD.

The advantage of this is that it's possible to import higher quality videos that are a smaller size due to lower bit rates. While this won't be that much of an interest to amateurs, anyone who intends to create a lot of DVDs that are very large in size will see the advantage to this. The ability to compress the files will make the DVDs much more efficient.

Features

iDVD is a very simple application that makes creating DVDs very easy because it's simply a matter of following steps and making decisions. This means, however, that there's not much freedom in the process.

The benefit of DVD Studio Pro over iDVD is that you have much more control over everything on your DVD. You will be able to create much more professional and better quality results with a bit of hard work.

Another problem with iDVD is that it offers some very simple features that can't be customized, whereas DVD Studio Pro gives you control over everything. One of the best things about DVD Studio Pro is the ability to create menu transitions. It's possible to control how long the transition lasts and alter the effects.

Training

The only disadvantage with DVD Studio Pro is that it will take a very long time to learn how to use it properly. Once you have mastered it, though, it is very easy to use.

As long as you have a few days to teach yourself how to use the software, then DVD Studio Pro will be the best option for you. If you don't have enough time to learn and just want to make the occasional DVD, then iDVD will normally be sufficient.

Verdict

DVD Studio Pro is a much more powerful and professional application. It does take more time to learn how to use, but it does work very well and have some nice features.

Anyone interested in creating high quality DVDs that have menus and transition effects should take the time to learn how to use DVD studio Pro.