Unit 58-Assignment 1

Authoring Conventions

+R

The R in DVD R represents the word recordable. This type of DVD is intended to be used over a
series of sessions. A session is defined as a period of time in which something occurs so since this
type of DVD is intended to have data added to it over multiple occasions it is a multi-session piece of
hardware. This type of hardware will usually be used as a backup for files that are added to over a
period of time, an example would be a students long essay or a long legal report. Each addition
made in a session can be added to the same DVD or every addition can be saved to a different one.
Whilst information cannot be fully deleted off a DVD R, code can be inserted to the DVD to instruct
the media player to ignore or exclude certain files or parts of the DVD.

+RW

The letters RW are shorthand for the word rewritable. As the name would suggest the data on a
rewritable DVD can be erased and rewritten. The material of the DVD will have a limit on how many
times it can withstand being erased and overwritten. This limit is estimated to be around 1000
rewrites. DVD RWs will be used by people who regularly need to access and store lots of different
files. The use of DVD RW has decreased in recent years as products such as USB sticks or external
hard drives are seen a much more versatile and transportable.

-R

A DVD -R is an example of a single session media product. This means that once the DVD has had
information burned onto it, and the burning has been locked no more data can be added to the
DVD, even if there is still space available on DVD. There are products that can install information
after the -R DVD has been burned (multisession), such as a DVD recorder, however not all DVD
reading devices are capable of reading these additional sessions.
-RW

The RW in DVD-RW stands for rewritable. A DVD-RW is very similar to the previously spoken about
DVD-R, apart from the fact that DVD-RW can be haver its data be erased and rewritten multiple
times. For new information to be added to a DVD-RW the information currently on the product must
be completely erased before new data can be added. DVD-RWs have a capacity of 4.7 GB. DVD-RWs
are not available in double sided or double layered formats. It Is not necessary for DVD-RWs to come
in these formats because of them already having such a large capacity, and having the ability to be
rewritten multiple times. DVD-RWs are commonly used by people who have to regularly back up
computer files, because of their versatility and ability to be rewritten multiple times. Information can
only be placed on DVD-RWs by a DVD burner that is compatible with the DVD-RW format.

Dual Layer DVDs

Another name for dual layer DVDs is DVD-9. Dual layer DVDs have a disc space of 8.5 GB. Dual layer
DVDs are created by marrying two layers of DVD-5 with a transparent spacer and a thin reflective
layer between the two. The top layer is written and read in the exact same it would be as if it were a
single layer DVD. The reading and writing of the bottom layer is achieved by having the laser burner
be focused a small portion of a millimetre further than it would usually be (to reach the bottom
layer). The diagram below demonstrates this process.
Writing Speed

The time it takes for data to be written onto a DVD depends on the writing speed of the DVD
recorder, the writing mode of the DVD recorder and the amount of information that is being
transferred onto the DVD from an external source. At the lowest writing speed setting (x1) a DVD
recorder will write 1.32 MB of data on to the DVD per second. And at 2x speed the DVD recorder will
write double that, and the 3x speed 3 times that and so on. The table below represents this idea.

DVD
Transfer Rate Transfer Rate Transfer Rate Equivalent CD-R/CD-RW
Read/Write
bytes/sec KB/sec MB/sec read/ write speed
Speed

1x 1,385,000 1,352.54 1.32 9x

2x 2.770,000 2,705.08 2.64 18x
3x 4,155,000 4,057.62 3.96 27x
4x 5,540,000 5,410.16 5.28 36x
5x 6,925,000 6,762.70 6.60 45x
6x 8,310,000 8,115.23 7.93 54x

8x 11,080,000 10,820.31 10.57 --

10x 13,850,000 13,525.39 13.21 --

12x 16,620,000 16,230.47 15.85 --
16x 22,160,000 21,640.63 21.13 --

Audio and Video

A DVDs audio and video is burned onto the DVD separately to the rest of the product, even if the
audio or video is intended to be used in conjunction with the video or images on the product. The
DVDs audio will almost always be encoded as a Dolby Digital file Ac3. The DVDs video will usually be
encoded as a MPED2 file with the file extension of M2V

Menus

Menus are used in DVDs to allow users to navigate through a range of options that the DVD offers.
The most common options are language settings, subtitle settings, scene selection, special features
and deleted scenes. The menus can also contain more advanced media such as minigames or
quizzes. An industry standard or DVD menus is to have the background contain video or a series of
images related to the product. It is also very common for the DVD menu to feature the films
soundtrack. The soundtrack is used to establish the tone of the product, this gives the user an idea
of what to expect with the rest of the product and makes the menus more fun to navigate through.
Additional DVD Features

Subtitles and Different languages

In the main menu of the DVD the user will often be given the option to select the language of the
film and the language of the subtitles if they choose to have them. The higher the budget of the DVD
the more likely it is to have a wide range of languages. This is because the producers will have more
money to spend on creating the subtitles and will do this make the film accessible to as many
different people as possible from all around the world. If the DVD does not include subtitles of a
certain language, external sites do exist where subtitles can be downloaded and used, however the
availability of these subtitles depends entirely on If someone has taken the time to write and upload
them.

These options can be seen in the planet of the apes DVD screenshotted below.

Text Based Material

In DVDs text based material Is used to communicate a wide array of information to the user. The
first thing the user will see is a series of legal disclaimers and copyright warnings about the film.
These disclaimers are put in place to deter people from trying to illegally copy and distribute copies
of the DVD product. The DVD is programmed to make these disclaimers un skippable as it is required
by law for these disclaimers to be displayed to the user. The DVD will also exhibit warnings about
things such as how the stunts have been performed by professionals in a controlled environment
and should not be attempted at home.

An example of one of the warnings before the planet of the apes film starts Is screenshotted below.

Easter Eggs

Easter eggs are small secrets hidden within the menu of a DVD. They are usually designed to reward
dedicated fans of the product and are usually unlocked by having a deep knowledge of the product.
However, some Easter eggs are also designed to be accessed by anyone. These Easter eggs can be
unlocked in a number of different ways. One may be typing a specific number whilst on the home
page, or pressing a number a certain of times. Some Easter eggs are unlocked by not pressing
anything for a certain amount of time. The purpose of an Easter egg Is to simply give the product an
extra layer of fun and mystery, it rewards dedicated fans and just gives people another outlet of
enjoyment.

While I could not find an example of an Easter egg on my own, I was able to find a YouTube video
that shows an Easter egg in the Cars DVD menu. When the menu was left alone for a period of
time, and no buttons were pressed an extra button titled Dinoco on the screen appeared, selecting
the extra button played an extra scene.
Animations

Animations are used in DVD menus to give the menu interesting aesthetic qualities and to just make
the product more interesting to look at. The animations on the main menu used will usually consist
of short out of context clips of the film, or can sometimes focus on a specific image or item from the
film doing one thing, this depends entirely on what style the creator is going for. Animations can also
be used as transitions between menu pages. These are used to make the product feel like it flows a
bit more and to give the product a less stop-start feel. The transitions can range from being very
simple and formulaic such as a simple wipe animation to being very complex, such as having an
animated character push the camera towards the meu page or hold up a piece of paper to the
screen.

The small alien creatures on the DVD menu for toy story are animated to act in a certain way in
response to the viewers selections.

DTS (Digital Theatre Systems)-Dolby

The American company Dolby is a specialist company in audio encoding and audio noise reduction.
External companies are given a licence to use Dolbys DTS for their product, the Dolby logo will often
be seen on the products packaging or as a logo pop up before the film starts or the product opens.
Printable Discs

Printable discs are DVDs that have been designed with a permeable coating on the cover side of the
disc. The permeable coating allows certain printers to print text or images onto the disc. The
printable DVDs have been designed so this can be achieved very easily at home as well as in
professional DVD distribution. The main benefit of using printable discs is that whatever is printed
upon the DVD will last much longer and look much better than if there was a sticker printed out
separately and then placed on the DVD. Printable discs are also a cheaper alternative to stickers, as
well as being more reliable.

Regional Codes

DVD players are all region locked. This means that the DVD player will only play DVDs that are
encoded to play in a certain region. DVD players became region locked so that film companies would
be able to control things like the prices of the DVDs, different versions and release dates etc. This is
done to prevent someone viewing and uncensored version for that region or someone taking a copy
of a DVD to a different company to be sold before the official release date. Not all DVDs and DVD
players are region locked, region free DVD players are available, and all Blu ray DVDs are region free.
Copyright Protection

When a person purchases a DVD that particular copy of the DVD is their personal property.
However, if the person were to make another copy of that DVD and then try and sell the DVD for a
profit they would be violating copyright law. DVD distributors have tried to implement ways to
prevent this illegal distribution. These are attempts at enforcing digital rights management. An
example of DRM is when the DVD recorder senses an illegal copy being made the DVD recording
device send pulses of analogue video signals onto the AGC circuit of the recording device. These
signals cause the recorded images to become damaged, lowering the quality of the copy to an
unusable degree.

Parental Controls

The age rating of a film will be displayed on the packaging of a DVD and on the DVD itself. The age
rating will also be coded into the DVD itself. This is done so the DVD player or DVD playing device
can know the age rating of the DVD and decide which parent control protocols to go through. The
parents may have previously selected so that the DVD player will not play DVDs of a certain age
rating at all, they may have selected that a password is required to play the video. These parental
controls are implemented to prevent young children from watching a film of an unsuitable age
rating.

The windows media centre parental controls confirmation page is screenshotted below.
Functions and Elements

Buttons

Buttons are used in DVD menus for navigation through the menu and for the user to select what
option they would like. The most common buttons found on a DVD menu are play, scene selection,
deleted scenes, extras and options. The play button will obviously play the film from the beginning,
the scene selection menu almost always consists of screenshots of the first frame of the scene
where, if selected the film will begin from. The deleted scenes as the name would suggest will
contain any scenes that were edited out of the film, but that viewers may still wish to see. The extras
page will contain any additional features that the producers have put in the product, this could
include fact files on certain characters or maybe even a minigame. The buttons will be pressed by
pressing select on the DVD player remote, they can also be selected by pressing the play button on
the DVD player itself. The skip forward and skip backward buttons will double up as navigational
buttons.

The main menu and all subsequent menus for the planet of the apes film are screenshotted below.
Still Images (graphics and photographs)

A still image can take a few different forms in a DVD menu. Still images can be photographs, part of
slideshows, and can be utilised as a form of text information. The inclusion of a striking image or
series of images will greatly elevate the overall quality of the DVD product. When used correctly still
images will heighten the users interest and make them more excited to press play. Depending on
how they are used still images can be even more effective at gaining a viewers interest, however
moving images are usually far more effective at this as there is more going on and more for the user
to look at and ponder over.

The backgrounds for all the pages on the planet of the apes DVD are still images.

Moving Images (film and animation)

Moving images are used in DVD menus to give the menu a feeling of high energy and vibrancy. The
moving images will contain exciting or iconic scenes from the film, this is intended to, in the same
way as still images, engage and excite the user and make them want to watch the film. The moving
images will often feature short clips from any action scenes from the film, some of the most striking
landscape shots, and close ups of character interaction. the very best and most interesting scenes
will be chosen to be played on loop on the menu, but the producers will be careful not to spoil the
ending of the film.

The main menu for the toy story film features animations of alien creatures watching the previously
mentioned most exciting or iconic parts of the film.
Text

Text Is used in DVD menus to communicate the different options to the user and to give and legal
disclaimers and instructions. The text used for the options will often be in the same font as the title
of the film, or at least in a similar style, this is just to create a consistent design style and to make the
product feel more professional and thought out. The text options usually are, but are not limited to,
play, scene selection, deleted scenes and language and subtitle settings.

Sound

The sound used in the DVD menu will always accompany the moving images on screen. Sound is just
another outlet to evoke emotional responses from the users, as with images and moving images any
sound used is intended to excite the user and make them want to press play. The DVD menu will
almost always feature the main theme of the film, and any clips used from the film will obviously
have the audio that matches that scene. With all these elements combined, the user should be very
eager and excited to watch the film and should have some idea of what to expect and to look
forward to from the tone established and the information shown.
Uses and Applications

Moving Image

A moving image, or a motion picture is a film itself. Moving images will also be used in the trailers
shown before the DVD menu, any short clips used in the menu, any deleted scenes included and any
extra video.

The DVD menus for the Italian job feature moving cars and parts of the film in the shape of an arrow.
Interactive Media

Interactive media is anything that the user interacts with within the product to get feedback from.
The most likely piece of interactive media used in a DVD menu will be a small minigame. This game
will usually be something like a quiz about the film or sometimes can be more complicated.

The Shrek DVD features a small mini game where the user has to answer questions correctly to help
Shrek save Fiona from unhappiness

Text Based Files

Text based files are files that contain any text asset used in the multimedia product. Text files are an
important part of a DVD product as they contain things like the subtitles of the film, including the
subtitles in different languages, these files will also contain any titles used in the DVD menu, any on
screen instructions or any other written information that must be communicated to the user. Text
based files are also used before the main menu comes up to exhibit any legal copyright information
or age rating information.

Text based files will also contain instructions for when the DVD is inserted into a computer, these
files will contain information for the computer to follow to make the DVD accessible and will
sometimes contain instructions for the user about what programs may be needed to be used or
installed to make the DVD product accessible. The screenshots below show the text for the subtitles
mene, and the subtitle text on the bottom of the screen once the film is played.
Image Based Files/Image slideshow

Image based files can be stored on DVDs and used accessed by DVD files. The DVD format lends itself
very well to presenting images to the user, as the only function the DVD has to carry out is selecting
the image and presenting it in the highest quality possible. Images will be presented in a list format
and depending on the DVD player will have a thumbnail, so the user can select whichever image
they want to view. If the user wants the DVD player to cycle through automatically in a similar way
to a slideshow, the DVD players software, or software on the DVD itself will again place the images
in the order they were uploaded to the DVD and play them at a timed interval. The timed the images
are displayed for will have a default setting usually around five seconds, this time will likely be able
to be edited in the DVD players options. Images displayed on the DVD will not be able to be altered
or edited in any way, however since people are aware that DVD players are not designed for this
purpose, this isnt really an issue.

Additional Material

Additional materials will be released with directors cut or special editions of a DVD product. These
additional materials will likely be comprised of things such as a longer version of the film with
deleted scenes re added into the film that had to be removed from the cinematic cut due to timing
reasons. The additional materials may also include interviews with the cast and crew about the
production of the film and the ideas behind specific scenes or the film as a whole. The special edition
could also include things like a commentary track by the director or actors that is played over the
film. Special editions are released to give die hard fans extra content and information about the film
that they love they are also beneficial to the studio as it allows them to make more money by
essentially selling the same product twice, albeit with very cheap and quick additions added.
Additional Features

Additional features are located within the original release of the DVD. The additional features option
will appear on the menu as a selectable subtitle. When the additional features option is selected the
user will be taken to a page that will contain options that will allow them to see such things as a
behind the scenes or blooper reel, trailers for up and coming films by the same studio,
advertisements for merchandise, and possibly things like character fact files. These additional
features are merely meant to be another source of enjoyment for the user and are only put in for
the purpose of being mildly entertaining. Some of the features are intended to advertise some of the
companys other products such as the trailers and merchandise advertisement. The additional
features page serves to mildly entertain users whilst also allowing the company to advertise some
of their other products.