Glossary
G
lossa
ry
authoring media The DVD-R format that supports the Cutting Master Format (CMF) for
adding advanced features to master discs supplied to a replication facility. Requires using
a special authoring DVD-R drive. See also
Cutting Master Format (CMF)
,
general media
.
AVC (Advanced Video Codec) See
H.264
.
background image All menus have a background image, over which the menu’s buttons
are placed. The background can be a still image or a motion video (creating a motion
menu). See also
motion menu
.
B-frame Bi-directional frame. In an MPEG video stream, a B-frame contains the motion
differences between I-frames and P-frames occurring before and after it. With respect to
file sizes, these are the most efficient frame types, although they have the greatest difficulty
in handling abrupt scene changes. See also
Group of Pictures (GOP)
,
I-frame
,
P-frame
.
bit rate The number of bits per second that makes up a digital video or audio asset. The
higher the bit rate, the better the quality. However, higher bit rates require larger file
sizes and can cause playback problems if the DVD player is unable to keep up. The DVD
specification places bit rate limits on assets used in DVD titles.
blue laser The name for the new disc format supported by HD-based DVDs. The name
refers to the color of the laser that plays the discs. Because a blue laser has a shorter
wavelength than the red laser used with traditional SD-based DVDs, it is able to handle
data that is more tightly packed than on red laser discs. This results in a little more than
three times higher disc capacity. See also
red laser
.
build To compile the project into its DVD-compliant format, creating the AUDIO_TS and
VIDEO_TS folders for SD projects, and the HVDVD_TS folder for HD projects. The streams
that make up a track are multiplexed into a single video object file. See also
format
.
burn To write data to a disc. Within DVD Studio Pro, burn refers to a process that builds
the project and then formats and writes it to a DVD-R, simplifying the process. See also
build
,
format
.
button Each DVD menu has at least one button that the viewer can activate to access
areas within the DVD. You can also place buttons over a video track. DVD Studio Pro
supports three button types: overlay-based using an overlay graphic, shape-based using
supplied or custom shape graphics, and layer-based using layers in an Adobe Photoshop
(PSD) format file. You can connect buttons to a wide variety of project elements, including
buttons on other menus, tracks, stories, slideshows, and scripts. See also
button navigation
,
button states
,
motion button
.
648
Glossary
button navigation The actions that occur when a viewer presses a remote control’s arrow
buttons. You can manually configure each button’s navigation settings or use the
DVD Studio Pro Auto Assign feature to automatically set the navigation of all buttons on
a menu at once. It is important to set the navigation so that viewers can logically get
from the current button to the desired one.
buttons over video Interactive buttons that appear over a video stream by way of a
subtitle stream. Used to provide the viewer with viewing options while watching a title’s
main program. Also known as interactive subtitles and interactive markers.
button states Each button on a menu can be in one of three states: normal, selected,
and activated. In the normal state, the button displays its inactive condition. All buttons
on a menu except one are in the normal state. A button is selected when the viewer
navigates to it. Only one button at a time can be in the selected state. The selected button
becomes activated when the viewer presses the remote control’s Enter button. Depending
on the button type, highlights or layers are used to indicate each button’s state.
chapter Places in a track where you can connect to. Commonly used to identify scenes
for a chapter index menu. You can assign up to 99 chapters in each track.
clip The term used to describe a video or audio asset, especially after it has been added
to a track. See also
assets
.
color mapping When working with overlay graphics, the process of assigning a color
and opacity setting to colors used in the overlay graphic. You assign separate colors and
opacities for all three button states (normal, selected, and advanced). See also
overlay
.
compile See
build
.
constant bit rate (CBR) encoding A video MPEG encoding method that uses the same
bit rate for the entire video file. Its primary advantage is that you can reliably predict the
resulting file size. Its disadvantage is that all video scenes, whether still or with a lot of
motion, are treated the same. See also
variable bit rate (VBR) encoding
.
Content Scrambling System (CSS) Provides digital-based copyright protection for an SD
DVD’s contents. See also
Copy Generation Management System (CGMS)
,
Macrovision
.
Copy Generation Management System (CGMS) Used to set whether an SD DVD can
have unlimited copies made, a single copy made, or no copies made. Allowing no copies
to be made activates the CSS and Macrovision settings. See also
Content Scrambling
System (CSS)
,
Macrovision
.
Cutting Master Format (CMF) A format that provides the information needed by
replication facilities to add advanced features to a DVD, such as support for copy protection
and dual-layer discs. The cutting master format can be applied to DLTs and authoring
DVD-Rs, but not general DVD-Rs.
649
Glossary
Digital Linear Tape (DLT) drive The tape drive most often used to supply an SD DVD
project to a replication facility. A separate tape is written for each project layer during
the format process. See also
disc description protocol (DDP)
,
format
.
Digital Theatre Systems (DTS) audio A compressed audio format for single channel
through 5.1 surround sound configurations. Requires an external DTS decoder for playing
on your computer.
disc description protocol (DDP) The file type most often used when formatting a project
onto a DLT drive. See also
Digital Linear Tape (DLT) drive
.
Dolby Digital See
AC-3 audio
.
double-layer disc A recordable disc format that you can burn a dual-layer project to.
Because it has the same capacity as a dual-layer disc, it is able to use the dual-layer settings
in your project to place the break point, making it possible to test the project before
sending it to the replicator. See also
dual-layer disc
.
double-sided disc A DVD with content on both sides of the disc. Most DVD players require
you to turn the disc over to play the second side. Each side can be single- or dual-layer.
See also
dual-layer disc
.
drop frame timecode Timecode that represents the actual time duration of NTSC at
29.97 frames per second (fps). To achieve this accuracy in numbering the frames, two
frame numbers are dropped every minute on the minute, except for the tenth minute.
See also
non-drop frame timecode
,
timecode
.
drop zone An element you can add to a menus background. You can assign a still image
or moving video asset to the drop zone. You can size, position, and rotate the drop zone.
When you build the title, the drop zone is merged with the background. Drop zones
cannot be linked to other elements in the project.
dual-layer disc A DVD with two layers on a single disc side, almost doubling a single-layer
disc’s capacity. While you can burn a dual-layer project on a double-layer drive, they are
most often created by a replication facility. See also
double-layer disc
,
double-sided disc
,
opposite track path (OTP)
,
parallel track path (PTP)
.
duplication facility When you need to create multiple copies of a DVD, and the disc fits
on a standard DVD-R and requires no special high-end features such as copy protection,
you can use a duplication facility. The duplication process creates DVD-R copies from a
DVD-R that you burn on your system; they can automate the process and add professional
labels. See also
replication facility
.
650
Glossary
DVD@CCESS A feature in DVD Studio Pro that allows you to add additional interactivity
to your title when it is played on a computer. With DVD@CCESS, you can add links to
menus, tracks, and markers that can be used to open an application on the computer to
display extra content. For example, you can open the system’s web browser and direct
it to a specific URL.
DVD-R The DVD format supported by the Apple SuperDrive, using write-once discs. See
also
authoring media
,
Cutting Master Format (CMF)
,
general media
.
DVD-ROM A DVD with files in addition to those included on a standard DVD-Video disc.
These files can be accessed when the title is played on a computer—they are ignored by
standard set-top DVD players. The files can be almost anything you can write to a disc
such as additional graphics or software.
elements The parts of a DVD project, such as menus, tracks, stories, slideshows, and
scripts. Authoring a project involves creating the elements and connecting them together.
See also
authoring
.
encoding The process of converting video or audio to a different format. For DVD projects,
this means converting the video to an MPEG-2 file, and the audio to one of several
DVD-compliant formats.
First Play The element of a project that appears when the title begins playing. You can
assign any of your projects elements as the First Play.
format The process of writing the build files to an output device, which can be a DVD-R
drive, an DLT drive, or your system’s hard disk. See also
build
.
general media The DVD-R format most commonly used by DVD-R drives, including the
Apple SuperDrive. It does not support the Cutting Master Format (CMF). See also
authoring
media
,
Cutting Master Format (CMF)
.
General Purpose Register Memories (GPRMs) DVD players contain memory registers
that are set aside for use by DVDs while they play. Scripts in a DVD use the GPRMs to
store values used to provide special playback features, such as language customization
or random playback. See also
System Parameter Register Memories (SPRMs)
.
Group of Pictures (GOP) A small section of an MPEG-2 encoded video clip, built from
one I-frame and several B-frames and P-frames. Typical GOP sizes range from a few frames
to a maximum of 18 frames (NTSC) or 15 frames (PAL). Marker placement and video trims
can only occur at GOP boundaries. See also
B-frame
,
I-frame
,
P-frame
.
651
Glossary
H.264 Based on the MPEG-4 part 10 format, the H.264 format, the H.264 video format,
also known as Advanced Video Codec (AVC), provides for encoding with about twice the
efficiency as with the MPEG-2 format. This results in better quality at the same bit rate,
or you can choose to use a lower bit rate to achieve the same quality (with a smaller file
size). In DVD Studio Pro, the H.264 format can only be used with HD projects.
HDV An HD video format, using high bit rate MPEG-2 encoding, designed to be recorded
on standard mini-DV tapes. HDV video can be edited in Final Cut Pro 5 and used in your
HD projects without ever needing to be transcoded.
HVDVD_TS The folder required on HD DVD-Video discs. DVD Studio Pro creates the
HVDVD_TS folder when you build your HD project. It contains all of the video, audio,
subtitle, menu, and navigation files that make up your HD DVD-Video title.
I-frame Intra frame. In an MPEG video stream, I-frames, also known as reference or key
frames, contain the complete image of the current frame. Unlike B-frames and P-frames,
I-frames do not rely on other frames to provide image information. Each GOP contains
one I-frame. See also
B-frame
,
Group of Pictures (GOP)
,
P-frame
.
interactive markers See
buttons over video
.
interactive subtitles See
buttons over video
.
jacket picture An optional part of the DVD-Video specification that is intended to allow
a DVD player to display a graphic representing a DVD, either on a separate display or
when the DVD player is stopped.
layered menu creation method A method of creating menus that takes advantage of a
Photoshop PSD file having separate layers for each button in its three states (normal,
selected, and activated). This allows you to use complex graphics for the button highlights;
however, you cannot include a motion video background or audio. See also
button states
,
standard menu creation method
.
letterbox A method of displaying 16:9 video on a 4:3 monitor. The entire frame appears,
with black bars at the top and bottom. See also
pan-scan
.
Line 21 support In NTSC systems, the video line that can contain special data. Most often
used to contain closed caption information.
Macrovision Provides analog-based copyright protection for an SD DVD’s contents. See
also
Content Scrambling System (CSS)
,
Copy Generation Management System (CGMS)
.
marker An element you can add to a track to identify specific parts of the track’s content.
There are several marker types, including chapter markers used to link chapter buttons
and button highlight markers used to control buttons over video. You can have up to 99
chapter markers in a track, and up to 255 total markers in a track. Markers can only be
placed at GOP boundaries. See also
Group of Pictures (GOP)
.
652
Glossary
menu An element in a project that provides buttons for the purpose of connecting to
other elements in your project, such as tracks and slideshows. A menu can have a still or
full motion background, and can include audio. See also
background image
,
drop zone
,
motion button
,
motion menu
.
motion button Button shapes that can display a thumbnail image of an assigned asset.
The asset can be a still image or a video clip.
motion menu A menu that contains moving video content, either as the background, a
motion button, or a drop zone. See also
background image
,
drop zone
,
motion button
.
MPEG Acronym for Moving Picture Encoding Group. A group of encoding standards that
define the MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 encoding standards used by DVDs.
multiplexing The process of combining multiple streams, such as video streams, audio
streams, and subtitle streams, into a single stream. This occurs when you build your title
and create DVD-compatible streams. See also
build
.
muxing See
multiplexing
.
non-drop frame timecode Normal NTSC timecode, where frames are numbered
sequentially and there are 30 frames per second, 60 seconds per minute, and 60 minutes
per hour. Because NTSC’s frame rate is actually 29.97 fps, non-drop frame timecode is off
by 3 seconds and 18 frames per hour in comparison to actual elapsed time. See also
drop
frame timecode
,
timecode
.
NTSC Abbreviation for National Television Standards Committee. The organization that
defines North American broadcast standards. The term NTSC video refers to the video
standard defined by the committee, which has a specifically limited color gamut, is
interlaced, and is approximately 720 x 480 pixels, 29.97 fps. See also
PAL
.
one-pass and two-pass VBR (variable bit rate) encoding See
variable bit rate (VBR)
encoding
.
opposite track path (OTP) Used when creating dual-layer discs to control where the
second layer starts. With OTP, the second layer starts at the outside edge of the disc,
which is the opposite of the first layer, which starts at the disc’s inside edge. See also
dual-layer disc
,
parallel track path (PTP)
.
overlay A still graphic that provides the highlight information for buttons when creating
menus or buttons over video. Overlays can be simple, using a single color on a white
background, or advanced, using up to four predefined colors. You use color mapping to
assign highlight colors to those used in the overlay, setting different colors for each button
state (normal, selected, and activated). See also
color mapping
.
PAL Acronym for Phase Alternating Line. A 25 fps (720 x 576 pixels) interlaced video format
used by many European countries. See also
NTSC
.
653
Glossary
pan-scan A method for displaying 16:9 video on a 4:3 monitor. Content is cropped at
each end so that the 4:3 monitor is filled. An MPEG-2 video clip with pan and scan can
include vectors that dynamically change the part of the picture that is cropped. See also
letterbox
.
parallel track path (PTP) Used when creating dual-layer discs to control where the second
layer starts. With PTP, the second layer starts at the inside edge of the disc, the same as
the first layer. See also
dual-layer disc
,
opposite track path (OTP)
.
patches Specialized shapes that provide features not normally available with traditional
shapes, such as shading and colorization. You cannot create your own patches. See also
shapes
.
P-frame Predicted frame. In an MPEG video stream, P-frames are encoded based on the
closest preceding I-frame or P-frame. They can be referenced by B-frames occurring before
or after them. With respect to file size, they are not as efficient as B-frames, but handle
abrupt scene changes better. See also
B-frame
,
Group of Pictures (GOP)
,
I-frame
.
pixel aspect ratio The distance between a pixel, the one next to it, and the one below
it defines its aspect ratio. A square pixel aspect ratio, as used on computer systems and
HD video monitors, has the same pixel distance in both directions. SD video monitors do
not have the same distance in both directions, and have rectangular pixels. NTSC and
PAL video each have different pixel aspect ratios. This difference must be accounted for
when creating graphics on a computer for use in an SD project.
project When you author a DVD title with DVD Studio Pro, you create and work in a
project.
red laser Refers to the color of the laser used to play the discs used by SD projects. See
also
blue laser
.
region codes DVDs can be set to play only in certain parts of the world by selecting the
supported regions when you author your title. The DVD specification divides the world
into six regions plus an additional region for use by airlines and cruise ships.
replication facility You can use a replication facility when you need to reproduce a
significant number of copies of your DVD (generally more than 100). You must use a
replication facility if you require dual-layer discs, or if you intend to include high-end
features such as copy protection or region codes. Replication facilities use a glass mastering
process to create DVDs that are compatible with all DVD players, as opposed to the DVD-R
process used by duplication facilities. See also
duplication facility
.
scripts Simple programs you create to access specialized information from the DVD
player, such as its region code, and to perform advanced functions, such as randomly
playing all tracks. You can connect most elements of a project to scripts. See also
General
Purpose Register Memories (GPRMs)
,
System Parameter Register Memories (SPRMs)
.
654
Glossary
shapes Used with standard menus, shapes can be added to a menu as buttons or drop
zones. In addition to their primary graphic, shapes can include the graphics required for
highlights and video thumbnails. You can use those supplied with DVD Studio Pro or
create your own. See also
motion button
,
patches
,
standard menu creation method
.
slideshow An element in a project that can contain up to 99 still images and
accompanying audio. DVD Studio Pro allows you to convert a slideshow into a track so
that you can add additional features to it, such as a subtitle or additional languages for
the audio.
S/PDIF audio Sony/Philips Digital Interface. Digital audio output used by external AC-3
or DTS decoders to listen to DVD Studio Pro audio.
standard menu creation method In DVD Studio Pro, refers to the process of creating
menus that provides the most flexibility, including the ability to use motion video for the
background, motion buttons, shapes, drop zones, and audio. Standard menus can also
use templates and styles. See also
layered menu creation method
.
story An element in a project that is specific to a particular track, allowing you to create
a customized version of that track. For example, you can use stories to create alternate
versions of a track that skip violent content or play just the track’s highlights.
styles Used with standard menus, styles define how specific menu items, such as text
objects, buttons, and drop zones, work in a menu. You can use those supplied by
DVD Studio Pro or create your own. See also
standard menu creation method
,
templates
.
subpicture See
overlay
.
subtitle The DVD specification provides for up to 32 subtitle streams to be included in
each track. These streams can contain plain text, similar to a closed caption function. They
can also be used to provide buttons over video, allowing you to have buttons appear
outside of menus. You can create the subtitles within DVD Studio Pro or import them
from outside sources.
System Parameter Register Memories (SPRMs) DVD players contain memory registers
that contain configuration information, such as languages, video configuration, and region
codes, for use by DVDs while they play. Scripts in the DVD can use the SPRMs to determine
which version of a track to play or whether the DVD player has the proper region code.
See also
General Purpose Register Memories (GPRMs)
.
templates Used with standard menus, templates can contain styles that define a menu’s
background, button layout, text, and drop zones. You can use those supplied with
DVD Studio Pro or create your own. See also
standard menu creation method
,
styles
.
655
Glossary
timecode A method of associating each frame of video in a clip with a unique, sequential
unit of time. The format is hours: minutes: seconds: frames. See also
drop frame timecode
,
non-drop frame timecode
.
track The element of a DVD Studio Pro project that contains the video, audio, and subtitle
streams that provide the primary content of the DVD. Each project can have a combination
of up to 99 tracks, stories, and slideshows.
transitions A short video clip that plays in place of the normal direct jump from one
button or still image to the next element. There are a variety of transition types supplied
with DVD Studio Pro that you can use. Transitions can be configured between a menu
button and its target, between slides in a slideshow, and between still image clips in a
track.
variable bit rate (VBR) encoding A video MPEG encoding method that varies the bit rate
based on the video content. Scenes with little motion use low bit rates to reduce the disc
space needed, while scenes with a lot of motion use higher bit rates for greater quality.
One-pass VBR encoding is faster than two-pass VBR encoding, but its quality is not quite
as good and the final file size may be slightly different than you predicted. Two-pass VBR
encoding makes a first pass through the video to determine its motion content, and then
uses a second pass to perform the encode, with the advantage of better quality and
providing a predictable file size.
VIDEO_TS folder One of two folders required on DVD-Video discs (the AUDIO_TS folder
is the other). DVD Studio Pro creates the VIDEO_TS folder when you build your SD project.
It contains all of the video, audio, subtitle, menu, and navigation files that make up your
DVD-Video title.
video title set (VTS) The contents of a DVD are contained in one or more VTS blocks.
DVD Studio Pro creates a VTS block for each track and slideshow in your project, with a
maximum of 99 total. In addition to a track or slideshow, each VTS can also contain menus
and scripts. You can use the VTS Editor to view and manage the VTS structure of your
DVD projects.
video zone The area of the DVD that contains the VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folders.
656
Glossary