The Replicator
What is the Replicator? Some type of top-secret government
project gone horribly awry? Nope -- it's just Motif's way
of stepping you through the process of how a DVD gets authored,
from start to finish.
Step 1: Planning
Any interactive program requires quite a bit of pre-production
planning and DVD is no different. Whether your project is
a full-length feature film or a corporate training product,
it's imperative that we plan every detail before production
begins. A complete flow chart or logic diagram is generally
required. This chart will present proposed navigation as well
as when and where particular parts of the content are offered.
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Step 2: Asset preparation
Because DVD offers an extremely high quality viewing and
listening experience, DVD video projects generally require
extra attention to the preparation of the content. Depending
on the state of your content, your project might need film-to-tape
transfers, colour correction, tape-to-tape colour correction,
noise reduction, audio re-mixing, audio sweetening, etc. We
recommend that a complete QC be completed on all source material
before production begins to determine what may be required.
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Step 3: Navigation, menu design and production
Almost all DVD video projects include some kind of interactivity
controlled through a series of menus. These menus can be extremely
complex and can include animations or full motion video. Planning
and producing these elements is crucial (and somewhat subjective).
Depending on the content and whether it is corporate- or entertainment-
based, branding and enhancement of the property's image is
imperative. Working with one or a team of designers to create
these elements should be considered as important as any other
in the DVD production process.
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Step 4: Video and audio compression
Following any asset preparation, audio and video will each
go through a compression process. Compressing video and audio
are vastly different processes and should be treated as such.
Video is compressed using a variable bit rate MPEG-2 process,
attempting to reproduce the source material as closely as
possible. The process is complex and similar to that of film-to-tape
transfer/color correction. Audio is compressed using either
Dolby Digital mono to full 5.1 channel surround sound, or
linear PCM mono and 2 channel only formats. Maintaining the
original intention of the audio mix in a compressed Dolby
Digital signal requires the right equipment and significant
experience and knowledge.
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Step 5: Video and Audio QC
Following any compression process, video and audio elements
should be examined to ensure that the process was successful.
This QC step would result in either re-compression or moving
forward to the next step.
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Step 6: Authoring / Pre-Mastering
Authoring is the step in DVD where all interactivity and
formatting is accomplished. This includes features such as
copy protection, region coding, navigation, etc.
Authoring can be the most laborious part of the process,
requiring an intimate knowledge of DVD specifications, programming,
and development tools. Authoring tools are similar to VideoCD
or CD-I tools. However, because the DVD Video format is so
much more complex, the tools are much more capable and complex
as well. The possibilities are almost endless, and creative,
innovative people are taking full advantage of everything
DVD has to offer.
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Step 7: Program QC
Program quality control is the step in which all navigation
and interactivity is checked to ensure accuracy. Several methods
are invoked including professional proofing tools and creating
"one off" DVD-R discs. Program QC would result in either re-authoring
or moving forward.
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Step 8: Final QC
Final quality control is the step in which all elements are
checked one last time. Video, audio, and programming are all
included in this QC step. Methods include proofing tools,
DVD-R discs, and mastered check discs. Final QC might result
in either re-compression or re-authoring.
^
Step 9: Replication
The final packaged discs are created and replicated for distribution.
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