An “authored” CD or DVD is one that has on-screen selectable buttons that allow the viewer to easily navigate and “jump around” throughout a project.  

For example, when you view a rented movie on DVD, usually a screen comes up after you put the disc in the player.  The screen (which is commonly called a “splash screen”) often presents a number of choices ranging from “Play the Movie,” “Scene Selection,” ”Language,” etc.  And those buttons often lead to sub-menus allowing for further choices.  Well, what you have there is an authored disc.

It’s not difficult to see how this technology can be very useful in non-theatrical presentations as well, such as with training or marketing projects.

And as I’ve implied above, it’s not limited to DVDs either.  At Video Labs, we are often called upon by clients to create authored CDs as well.  A typical project involves combining .pdf files, PowerPoints, other graphics files, compressed video files (e.g. Quicktime, Windows Media, Real Player or Flash) and weblinks into a menu driven CD for upcoming conferences.  Guests can be given the CD at registration and have everything they need for the conference on one CD.  Beats lugging around those huge notebooks, no?

Creating the flow of the navigation takes proper planning and execution, and our multimedia team is ready to assist.

Design of the background of the splash screen is an important consideration as well.  We can easily adapt one of your stills, or if you want more impact, we can create a motion background using a clip from your video.  And a cost-effective alternative is to incorporate one of Video Labs’ own stock motion menus.  We have a created a number of these that cover a wide spectrum of subjects.   Take a look at some samples at http://www.videolabs.net/multimedia/menu-design.htm

Let me conclude that not every CD or DVD project needs to be an “authored” disc.  Sometimes you want your audience to just put the disc in the player and sit back and watch.  We call that a “straight-play” disc, and that is certainly the least expensive way to make a master disc.  But if you want to give your viewers to the ability to interact with the disc and navigate around the presentation, then you probably want to consider authoring.

Contact me with any questions.  I look forward to being of service.  dryan@videolabs.net  301-217-0000 x104.