Friend I've learnt that you need not "necessarily" have an authoring tool for vob creation.

Even an app which is only an image burner is adequate provided it offers a vob or mpeg2 option. I refer to this "hair splitty point" (ugh!) because some image burners (the lousier image burners) do not cover all 3 categories aka Dvd, Vcd & Svcd. Phew!

The reason I say this is also because authoring involves the whole spectrum of tasks from a to z whereas vob or mpeg 2 creation is only a part of that vast task spectrum (aka build part) which is the early part of that task spectrum. A vob or mpeg2 can even be left to rest on our hard disk. You know why this facility is offered to us? Supposing we wanted to finish this part of the task spectrum but we do not have a blank dvd with us, we can complete this task & then when time permits we can go to a shop later & buy that Dvd.........and subsequently complete the authoring.

Ramesh

CD's were quick & co-operative you could burn a 700mb avi movie file from your hard disk to a cd as a 700mb avi movie file in just 12 minutes. The other three physical media formats not only require longer time (DVD requires 90 minutes ) to author but require a different file format as well.

Though I play the movie on my computer & though the computer (unlike DVD/VCD/SVCD players) is not bothered about whether compiled file format is vob or mpeg 2, I asked my question proactively just so it could play in a player as well.....................with equal ease.

Karen please tell me

Ramesh

Not sure of the exact answer to your question, but I think the answer really depends on which device that you want to play the end result.  If  you just want to burn files (of any video type) to the DVD, SVCD, etc and play them back on a computer than I think the medium doesn't matter.

However, if you want to be able to play them back on something other than a computer, then it has to be in a format that the DVD Player, for instance, can understand.  And most DVD Players only "speak" VOB files.

See Ashraf's review today for today's GOTD product which explains a little bit about DVD burning vs DVD authoring tools.

Hi Karen!

I read Ashraf's article too, like you advised.

1. I intend playing the physical medium e.g. DVD on my computer & not an on a player when I ask this question
2. I ask wrt authoring rather than burning for 2 reasons -

• Authoring e.g. a DVD does not reduce its status from DVD to VCD whereas burning could reduce its status from DVD to VCD. Since DVD quality is always better than VCD quality I always prefer authoring.
• Authoring always includes a "burn" whereas Burning never includes "Authoring". In this sense Authoring includes the entire sequence of activities right from having e.g. a movie on your hard disk to transferring that to a Dvd complete with menu etc etc etc

Just for me to to get on the exact same page as you:-

1. There are several intermediate steps involved. Some apps do only certain step/s others deliver the entire spectrum of steps "a to z"
2. The first step is Build. Building is also called Compiling – Firstly this includes first of all creating an image file of the movie existing on the hard disk. The image file can be created on your hard disk itself in another folder. Secondly this also requires decision on where upon your hard disk you wish to place that image file. Thirdly it also includes what name you wish to give the compilation. Fourthly compilation also includes the menus & sub menus you wish to create. The end result is an image file exactly like your "would-be-created-soon" DVD except that this whole output is still on your hard disk & not yet on your DVD………..yet
3. The next step is to burn the compilation to the DVD. Now its on your DVD………………….finally. Phew!
4. The final step is to verify that the DVD just authored is fine
5. Burning takes the most time, verification takes less time & building takes the least time 

Flat out I can author a 700mb movie to a cd in 12 minutes & in 90 minutes to a dvd.

Cd were simpler animals – they accepted the same file formats as the movie on your hard disk & still wagged their tails happily. Dvd's, Vcd's & Svcd's seem to be more complicated animals because the technology of the last 3 physical media differ both in terms of hardware but also in terms of various attributes including:-

1. screen resolution based upon the computer device which one wants to see it on. E.g. ipod has a screen resolution of 320x240 
2. Video bitrate of 512kilobits/s is bitrate. Higher the bitrate better is the video quality & sadly higher bitrate also means larger file size
3. video speed of 29.97 frames/sec is just that – video speed
4. H264 is the codec – I suppose it covers the H264 codec covers both audio & video
5. 44.1 kHZ is frequency which delivers "commercial quality" output
6. 128 kbps is the audio bitrate parameter. There are higher ones too like 160, 192, & even higher ones. Higher bitrate mostly offers better quality but is sometimes not required either if it is just home use &/or not all human ears can notice the audio sound quality improvement beyond a point. Higher bitrate also means larger file size - ugh!
7. AAC is the audio file format 
8. DVD 5 holds 4.37 GB & is Single

   Sided Single Layered, DVD9 holds 7.95 GB & is Single Sided Dual Layered

9. As if all this was not bad enough DVD Players are notorious in that they are intended to suit specific combos of the above attributes. No wonder one wise guy remarked – DVD documentation stinks because it often varies hugely from player to player & even country to country

Phew! What a horribly heavy subject. Anyway since I am now on the same page as you, I'll drink a glass of water & ask you the question on the next post.

Ramesh

Ramesh

However, if you want to be able to play them back on something other than a computer, then it has to be in a format that the DVD Player, for instance, can understand.  And most DVD Players only "speak" VOB files.

See Ashraf's review today for today's GOTD product which explains a little bit about DVD burning vs DVD authoring tools.

1) Which video file formats work with dvd only

2) Which video file formats work with vcd only

3) Which video file formats work with svcd only

4) Which video file formats work with

• dvd & vcd only
• dvd & svcd only
• vcd & svcd only
• dvd, vcd & svcd also

Grateful if you could give me a grasp of not only video file format size but also video file quality so that I understand how much I'd need to compromise on one performance parameter in order to enjoy the other

Ramesh