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[5.3] What DVD production tools are available?
[5.3.1] Video encoding tools
- Brent Beyeler
- bbMPEG . Basic MPEG-2 encoder for Windows. Free from various download sites.
- Canopus
- ProCoder . Software video format converter with MPEG encoding. Two-pass VBR. Advanced features such as NTSC<->PAL conversion, deinterlacing, 2-3 pulldown, and batch processing. Windows. $700.
- MVR1000 . Hardware real-time video capture and MPEG encoder board for Windows. VBR and CBR. Includes Sonic DVDit SE for DVD/VCD authoring.
- Amber . MPEG-2 hardware designed for encoding and archiving video in MPEG format. VBR and CBR. (Panasonic MN85560 encoder chip). Windows. $2,000.
- DVRaptor RT . Hardware DV video editing with MPEG output. Windows. $600.
- DVStorm . Hardware video editing/encoding system for MPEG and DV. Includes Ulead DVD Workshop for DVD/VCD authoring. Windows. $1,100.
- DVRex RT Professional . Hardware video editing/encoding system for MPEG and DV. Includes Sonic DVDit SE for DVD/VCD authoring. Windows. $4,400.
- Custom Technology
- Cinemacraft Encoder-PRO . MPEG-2 real-time NTSC video encoding software for Windows NT. $38,000.
- Cinema Craft Encoder-SP . MPEG video encoding software for Windows XP and 2000. CBR and VBR. $2,000 .
- Cinema Craft Encoder-Basic . MPEG video encoding software for Windows. CBR and VBR. $60 .
- Darim
- MPEGator 2. MPEG-2 real-time encoding hardware for Windows and Windows NT. $1,800.
- Dazzle
- Digital Video Creator II . MPEG-2 video capture/edit/encode system with PCI card. Includes Sonic DVDit LE . Windows 98/2000. $300.
- Digital Ventures
- DVDComposer . MPEG-2 video encoding system for SGI. VBR and CBR. (C-Cube chip). $50,000.
- Digital Vision
- BitPack . MPEG-2 video encoding workstation. Extendable to HDTV.
- DVNR system for video pre-processing.
- Digigami
- MegaPeg . MPEG-2 video encoding software for Windows. VBR and CBR. $500. Also available as Adobe Premiere plug-in for Windows or PowerMac. $400.
- DV Studio
- Apollo Expert . MPEG-2 video encoding (and decoding) hardware for Windows NT. $2,000.
- FlaskMPEG
- Freeware encoding software for Windows.
- Gunjarm Digital / Metaware (formerly Gunzameory and DreamCom)
- MPEGRich . Professional MPEG-2 real-time encoding hardware. CBR and VBR. Windows NT.
- Heuris
- MPEG Power Professional 1, MPEG Power Professional 2, MPEG Power Professional DVD, MPEG Power Professional DTV-SD, and Power Professional DTV-HD . MPEG-2 video encoding software for Mac OS and Windows. DVD and DTV versions include VBR encoding. $350, $1,000, $1,500 and $2,500.
- Cyclone . MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 encoding software designed for OEMs. Mac OS and Windows NT.
- Ligos
- LSX-MPEG Encoder . MPEG-2 video encoding software. CBR and VBR. Windows. $150.
- LSX-MPEG Suite . Adobe Premiere plug-in for producing MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 output. Includes standalone LSX-MPEG player. Windows 9x/NT. $400.
- Media100
- iFinish RealTime MPEG Option . Editing software with MPEG-2 video encoding add-on. Windows NT. $6,000 to $18,000.
- Microcosmos / Nanocosmos
- MPEG SoftEngine . MPEG-2 video encoding software for Windows, Solaris, and Linux. $250 to $3500.
- Minerva
- Compressionist 110, 200, and 250 . Professional MPEG-2 real-time encoding hardware. CBR and VBR. Mac OS host computer. $70,000. [No longer available.]
- Publisher 300 . Professional MPEG-2 video and MPEG Layer 2 audio real-time encoding hardware. CBR and VBR. Mac OS. [No longer available.]
- Optibase
- MPEG MovieMaker 200. Professional MPEG-2 video and Dolby Digital audio real-time encoding hardware for Windows and Windows NT. CBR and VBR. $7,000 to $22,000.
- Pegasys
- TMPGEnc and TMPGEnc Plus . MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 software video encoders, plus multiplexing/demultiplexing, file joining, and trimming tools. Basic version is free; Plus version is $48 to download, $88 in retail box.
- PixelTools
- Expert-DVD . MPEG-2 video encoding software. CBR and VBR. Windows. $2,000.
- Expert-2. Professional, tweakable MPEG encoder. Windows.
- Snell & Wilcox
- Prefix CPP100, Prefix CPP200, NRS500, Kudos NRS50, and Kudos NRS30. . Video preprocessors (noise reduction and image enhancement).
- Sonic Solutions
- SD-1000 . Professional MPEG-2 video encoding hardware. CBR and VBR. Segment-based reencoding. Mac OS and Windows OS. $13,000.
- DVD Fusion . Encoding/authoring plug-in for Media 100 and QuickTime video editing systems. Hardware-accelerated version (velocity engine) encodes VBR and CBR in real time. Mac OS. $8,000 and $12,000.
- Sony
- DVA-V1100 . High-end MPEG-2 video encoding hardware. CBR and VBR. Windows NT.
- Spruce Technologies
Note: Spruce was acquired in July 2001 by Apple. The MPX-3000 encoder is still available from some dealers.
- MPX-3000 . Professional MPEG-2 real-time encoding hardware. CBR and VBR. Windows NT.
- MPEGXpress 2000 (formerly from CagEnt). Professional MPEG-2 real-time encoding hardware. CBR and VBR. Windows NT.
- VisionTech
- MVCast . Low-end real-time MPEG-2 video/audio encoding hardware for Windows NT and Solaris. AVI-to-MPEG-2 conversion. $2000.
- Vitech
- MPEG Toolbox-2 . AVI to MPEG-2 VBR/CBR. MPEG-2 video editing. Windows 95/98/NT. $250.
- Wired
- MediaPress . MPEG-2 encoding hardware (PCI). CBR and VBR. Mac OS and Windows 95/98/NT. $2,500.
- Yusuf Motiwala
- YMPEG . Basic MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 plug-in software encoder for Windows. Also does KVCD. Free.
- Zapex
- ZP-200 . Real-time PCI encoder for MPEG-2 video and PCM Audio. Non-real-time encoding and VOB multiplexing from Adobe Premiere. Windows NT.
- ZP-300 . Real-time PCI Encoder for CBR/VBR MPEG-2 video, 2-channel Dolby Digital, and PCM Audio. Non-real-time encoding and VOB multiplexing from Adobe Premiere. Windows NT.
[5.3.2] Audio encoding tools
- Astarte
Note: Astarte was acquired in April 2000 by Apple.
- Digital Vision
- BitPack . Multichannel audio encoding workstation for Dolby Digital, MPEG-2, and PCM.
- Dolby
- DP569 . Multichannel Dolby Digital audio encoding hardware.
- Kind of Loud Technologies
- SmartCode Pro/Dolby Digital . 5.1-channel encoding software plugin for Digidesign Pro Tools. $1000.
- SmartCode Pro/DTS . 5.1-channel encoding software plugin for Digidesign Pro Tools. $2000.
- Microcosmos
- MPEG SoftEngine/Audio . MPEG audio encoding software for Windows/Solaris. $95/$350.
- Minerva
- Audio Compressionist . Professional Dolby Digital real-time, 5.1-channel encoder. Windows NT.
- Minnetonka Audio Software
- SurCode for DOlby Digital . Multichannel Dolby Digital audio encoding software. $1000.
- SurCode DVD Professional for DTS . Multichannel DTS audio encoding software. $2000.
- PixelTools
- Expert-Audio . MPEG Layer 2 audio encoding software. Windows.
- Sonic Solutions
- Sonic DVD Studio . Professional real-time Dolby Digital 5.1, MPEG-2, and PCM audio encoding hardware. Mac OS.
- MLP Encoder . $9,000.
- Sonic Foundry
- Soft Encode . Dolby Digital 2-channel or 5.1-channel audio encoding software. Windows 95/98/NT. $500 (2 channels) or $900 (5.1 channels).
- Sony
- DVA-A1100 . High-end, real-time Dolby Digital 5.1, MPEG-2, and PCM audio encoding hardware. Windows NT.
- Zapex
- ZP-100 . Real-time PCI encoder for 2- or 5.1-channel Dolby Digital and MPEG Layer 2. Windows NT.
[5.3.3] Other production tools
- Alcohol Software
- Alcohol 52% . Emulate CDs and DVDs without physical disc. Windows. $28.
- Alcohol 68% . Copy CDs and DVDs. Windows. $30.
- Alcohol 120% . Combination of Alcohol 52% and Alcohol 68%. Windows. $50.
- ASINT
- Industrial DVD players, touchscreens, and DVD kiosk products.
- BCD Associates
- DVD controllers for custom installations.
- Cambridge Multimedia
- Touchscreens and other custom interfaces for industrial DVD players.
- Computer Prompting & Captioning Co.
- CPC-DVD . Closed Caption production system. DOS. $6,000.
- DCA (Doug Carson & Associates)
- MIS (Mastering Interface System) . Mastering interface system for DVD and CD. Windows NT.
- ITS (Image Transfer System) . Transfer and convert DVD and CD images.
- DVS+ (Data Verification System) . Checks DVD and CD images. Includes Interra Surveyor to check for DVD-Video spec compliance. Can transfer between discs and tape. Windows NT.
- INMS (Integrated Network Mastering System) . Combination of MIS, ITS, DVS+ in a system with a RAID.
- Eclipse Data Technologies
- EclipseSuite . DVD and CD premastering tools to copy and verify images, copy tapes, etc. Windows NT.
- ImageEncoder . LBR mastering interface for CD and DVD mastering. Windows NT.
- FAB
- FAB Subtitler DVD Edition. Subtitle generator program (text and bitmap formats) that works with most DVD authoring systems. Windows.
- Heuris
- Xtractor. Software to extract video and audio streams from unencrypted DVD-Video discs and DVD-VR discs. $150.
- Isomedia
- DVD DLT utilities: copy DLTs, extract images, inspect ISO/UDF/DDP info, checksums, etc.
- Museum Technology Source
- DVD controllers for Pioneer industrial players in custom installations.
- Novastor
- TapeCopy . Copy DLTs, inspect tape blocks.
- PixelTools
- MPEGRepair . Software to analyze, repair, insert Closed Captions, add panscan vectors, and do other handy things to MPEG files. Windows.
- Smart Projects
- ISOBuster . Inspect CD and DVD volumes and image files. Freeware/shareware ($26).
- SoftNI
- The DVD Subtitler . Subtitle graphics preparation software. Windows 95/98/NT/2000.
- The Caption Encoder . Closed Caption production system. DOS, Windows 95/98.
- The Caption Retriever . Closed Caption recovery and decoding system. Windows 95/98/NT/2000.
- Tapedisk
- TD Raw . Reads raw data from a SCSI tape drive as if it were a hard disk. DOS/Windows. $500.
- TD RAW NT . Version of TD Raw for Windows NT 4.0. $750.
- Technovision
- Touchscreens and other custom interfaces for industrial DVD players.
- Teco
- ParseMPEG ($500) and Bitrate Viewer (free). Software to analyze MPEG streams. Windows.
Also see 5.6 for DVD emulation, verification, and analysis tools.
[5.3.4] Other production services
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