DVD Authoring with Linux
Kyle Rankin
Author of Linux Multimedia Hacks
Linux DVD Authoring Background
Standard Linux multimedia utilities for DVD
- Encoding: mplayer (mencoder), transcode
- DVD Authoring: dvdauthor, mkisofs
- DVD Burning: growisofs
- Great programs, but...
- Hard to use.
Linux DVD Authoring
Today's Goal
- Make a DVD from a .avi file, but...
- Without remembering MPEG-2 DVD spec
- Without editing XML in a text file
- Without intimate DVD layout knowledge
- Without (directly) using the standard tools
Linux DVD Authoring
General Steps
- Convert to DVD-compatible MPEG
- Add DVD menus
- Make and Test ISO
- Burn
Convert to DVD-compatible MPEG
What's a DVD-compatible MPEG?
Convert to DVD-compatible MPEG
What's a DVD-compatible MPEG?
Generally speaking:
- Video:
- MPEG 1 or MPEG 2 compression
- NTSC: 720x480 29fps
- PAL: 720x576 25fps
- 4:3 or 16:9
- Audio: 48 kHz AC3 or MPEG-2
Convert to DVD-compatible MPEG
First, the Sample Video
Convert to DVD-compatible MPEG
Use tovid
Get tovid scripts: tovid.sf.net
- $ tovid -ntsc -dvd -in input.avi -out output
(use -pal for PAL format)
- Force aspect ratio:
- -full (4:3)
- -wide (16:9)
- -panavision (2.35:1)
Add DVD Menus
- Optional
- Nice for multi-part video
- Don't use straight dvdauthor... unless:
- You really enjoy editing large XML files hand
- Making complex menus
- Very familiar with DVD structure
Add DVD Menus
DVDStyler
Get DVDStyler: dvdstyler.sf.net
- Easy GUI
- Drag 'n' drop backgrounds and menus
- Requires passing DVD structure know-how
- Make ISO, don't Burn
Add DVD Menus
Use DVDStyler
- Choose background
- Add video
- Set chapters
- Add buttons
- Make DVD
Make and Test ISO
Use Xine
- Mplayer's great, but doesn't support menus
- $ xine dvd://path/to/dvd.iso
- Test menus
Burn
Use k3b
- Tools->Burn DVD ISO Image...