- Storyboarding Your DVD
- Creating the Swiss Storyboard Using the Graphical Tab
- Previewing the Finished Project with Apples DVD Player
- Identifying Source Video Settings
- Setting DVD Studio Pro Preferences
- Setting Up Disc Properties
- Importing Video and Audio Files
- Setting Chapter Markers
- Simulating Your Project
- Lesson Review
Identifying Source Video Settings
Before starting a DVD project, you must choose the video standard for your DVD depending on the source material you have (NTSC for North America and Japan; PAL for Europe and just about everywhere else), and set your preferences in DVD Studio Pro to encode and output your video in the correct format. As you collect and prepare your video, audio, and graphic assets for import into DVD Studio Pro, it is important to know how the footage was originally recorded. If it isn’t in the same format you intend to use for your DVD, it must be converted prior to encoding and importing it.
The difference between PAL and NTSC is primarily in the frame rate and size. PAL runs at 25 frames per second (fps), and its frame size is 720 × 576 pixels. NTSC runs at approximately 30 fps, and its frame size is 720 × 480 pixels. The video for the Swiss Tourism DVD was shot with a PAL Betacam camera, and because this project is intended for the PAL market, you will not need to do any conversion. However, you will need to change the encoding settings in the Preferences window, as explained next.