• HDMV - High Definition Movie Mode. This mode can be thought of as "DVD-Video on steroids"! Not only does it include high definition video and audio but a lot of the limitations of DVD-Video have been lifted enabling more complex navigation and better looking menus that can display over video.
• BD-J - In this mode, almost anything goes since you're effectively using a programming language based on Java to author a disc. Certainly there are audio, video and graphics limitations due to the hardware, but content creators are free to combine the media in almost any fashion that can be imagined. This mode would be used to create the kinds of features that are available on standard definition DVDs using the InterActual Player on PC's.

• Profile 1 - Supported by both HDMV & BD-J modes. Profile 1 does not require or use an internet connection, has limited storage capacity (persistent storage), and does not feature picture-in-picture.
• Profile 2 - Supported by both HDMV & BD-J modes. Profile 2 takes advantage of an internet connection, local hard drive storage in the player, and picture-in-picture capabilities.

• Movie-centric viewing experience - Pop-up menus can be displayed, when the user requests, on top of the video during playback. This means that the viewer never has to leave the movie to view menus and navigation possibilities.
• 'Always-on' Menus - These are similar to DVD-Video menus. They are usually displayed on disc insertion or because the viewer has selected to leave the video presentation and display a menu. It is possible for video to continue playing uninterrupted in the background.

• Buttons can be any shape or size, full-color, and even animated.
• Sounds can be associated with buttons and their states.
• It is possible to animate transitions between menus.
• Buttons can be shown or hidden at any point. Such a scheme allows authors to create hierarchical menus, only showing the detail when the user selects a particular option.

• Generally used for extras such as biographies, commentary, storyboards, and slideshows.
• Not 'seek-able' on a timeline and chapters aren't used because you may have many branches and paths.
• Time and Chapter Search User Operations

A: Generally used for the main movie playback. Movie Titles contain pop-up menus. This type of title supports Sequential Titles, Multi-path Titles (e.g. credits in multiple languages, seamless multi-angle, or director's cut), and Multi-title Disc.

A: IG (Interactive Graphics) are used to navigate the content in a BD title. Typically this means that they are buttons. They can be always on, or called by the user during playback (Pop-ip style). PG (Presentation Graphics) are used as labels, titles, subtitles, or for purely decorative means. They can contain text–based subtitles that use OpenType fonts and user–defined text styles.

A: Yes, but they work a little differently with Blu-ray. Blu-ray uses movie and button objects as command sequences. For example, 'play playlist' initiates playback of the video. Anything before this command in a movie object or button object will act as the DVD equivalent of a pre-command. Anything after this in a movie object will behave as the DVD equivalent of a post-command.

A: Simulation uses the project file and assets to provide authors with a realistic simulation of how their finished title will appear when finished. Emulation uses the project file and assets to multiplex and playback a finished BD-ROM image, giving authors an exact emulation of their finished title.

A: An Xlet is the J2ME equivalent of an Applet. Unlike Java applications, which are self-contained, it requires a hosted environment to run (like a Web browser or Applet viewer).

A: Currently, Scenarist does not support the OpenDVD specification. However, Scenarist is able to export to .TAR archives for efficient project archiving and revision.

A: A Jacket Picture is a still image that displays whenever a set-top player is in Stop mode, with a DVD loaded in the tray. The majority of DVD players display the player manufacturer's logo when an inserted disc does not contain a Jacket Picture. Sonic Scenarist enables you to replace this default image with an image of your choice.

A: Commonly known as GPRMs, General Parameter registers enable a majority of DVD's interactive functionality. GPRMs are pieces of memory (RAM) found in every DVD player in the world. DVD authors can use these pieces of memory to store variable numerical values that can then be used for a variety of purposes including:

Navigation Decisions - 'If' decisions. You can author DVD navigation that will navigate to different areas of the DVD based on the value of a GPRM. For example, at the end of a movie, if a GPRM equals 1 - play bonus footage, if GPRM equals 2 - return to the menu.

DVD Quizzes - You can use GPRMs to keep track of viewer's scores when they answer questions to a quiz. You can also use GPRMs to decide the difficulty level of DVD quizzes.

DVD Games - You can author DVD games that use GPRMs to decide where the game takes the viewer based on their input.

These are just a few examples, the possibilities are endless!

Each GPRM is 16-bits long and is capable of storing a decimal value between 0 and 65535. It's also possible to divide GPRMs into smaller registers using Bitwise Comparisons. For example, instead of using 16, 16-bit registers, you could use 64, 4-bit registers.

Sonic Scenarist gives you full access to all 16 GPRMs, vital if you're looking to unlock the full interactive capabilities of the DVD format.

A: No other authoring tool lets you get deeper into the inner workings of the DVD specification than Sonic Scenarist, making it the choice of DVD professionals worldwide. Cell-level access gives DVD authors precise control over navigation and interactivity at every possible scripting point on the DVD (e.g. before, during, and after movies). It also enables you to position the assets on your disc in the most efficient way ensuring the playback of your titles is as fast as possible.

A: For the sake of simplicity, think of a DVD as having a hierarchy of files and folders that are exactly like the files and folders on your computers' hard drive. Video Title Sets (VTSs) are like DVD subsections. Each VTS can have its own aspect ratio, video, audio, and subtitle stream settings, and menu areas.

For example, a common application of multiple Video Titles Sets would be a feature film with a main movie and extra features sections. The two sections may have different aspect ratios, audio settings, and menu areas, so they would be housed in separate VTSs.

Sonic Scenarist gives you full access to all available 99 Video Titles Sets, vital if you're looking to unlock the full interactive capabilities of the DVD format.

A: Both stillshows and slideshows display a sequence of still images.

Slideshows - The still images in slideshows are timed so that the displayed image changes after a specified amount of time. Slideshows may also contain audio and subtitle streams.

Stillshows - The still images in stillshows are not timed so the viewer uses the DVD remote control to change the image when they want to.