Ulead 1.0 - Manual (Page 37)

SpruceUp User’s Guide 2—15
DVD+RW and DVD-RW
The DVD+RW and DVD-RW standards are both very new, and as of this writing, not
available in the U.S. They both promise the ability to write discs readable in set-top DVD
players and all other DVD drives. Both are being looked at as video recorders that can
replace VHS tape recorders.
Video CD (VCD) and Super Video CD (SVCD)
The Video CD (VCD) format uses MPEG-1 video at DVD compliant bit-rates and resolutions.
There is the ability to author limited menus, but these are not DVD compliant. Many set-top
DVD players can play VCDs. The Super Video CD (SVCD) format uses non-DVD compliant
MPEG-2 resolutions with low bit-rates to provide better quality than a VCD but still not up to
DVD standards. Almost no DVD players can play these discs.
SpruceUp cannot create VCD or SVCD format titles.
Distributing SpruceUp Titles
SpruceUp is designed to create DVD-Video titles. It provides the most popular features of
the DVD specification in a simple-to-use environment. Embedding web-based URLs within a
title adds the ability to enhance your titles with up-to-date information from web sites.
There are a number of options for distributing the SpruceUp titles you create. The choice is
primarily driven by how you want the titles to be played back.
Set-Top DVD Players
Playback on set-top DVD players generally requires you to create a DVD-Video disc using
one of the standard DVD media sizes. Currently there are two options for this: Use a DVD-R
drive to create the disc or write to a DLT (Digital Linear Tape) drive and have a replicator
make the discs for you.
Currently there is only one DVD-R drive model available – the Pioneer DVR-S201. A number
of companies are working on DVD-RW and DVD+RW drives which should also be able to
create standard DVD-Video titles. Older set-top players may not play DVD-R discs.
Set-top DVD players ignore any extra data on a DVD-Video disc, such as URLs and text files
that a DVD-ROM might contain.
Set-top DVD players cannot play DVDonCD titles. Most set-top DVD players can play audio
CDs, and assume any CD media is an audio CD. They will typically eject the disc rather than
check to see if it contains DVD video files. New generation DVD players are constantly being
developed, so there is some hope for the future.
PC DVD-ROM Drives
PCs with DVD-ROM drives can play DVD-Video titles, provided the PC is equipped with a
suitable DVD player. They can also take advantage of any non-DVD Video data on the disc,
such as URLs embedded in the title. DVD-ROM drives can also play CD-R discs with a DVD-
Video title, as well as audio CDs.
The obvious disadvantage of a DVD-ROM drive is its inability to record data. New
combination DVD-ROM drives with CD-RW capabilities are now being released.
CD-ROM Drives
CD-ROM, CD-R, and CD-RW drives cannot play DVD media. Spruce Technologies created
DVDonCD™ technology to allow you to create titles using standard CD media that plays on
CD-ROM, CD-R, and CD-RW drives. DVDonCD titles have three primary advantages: They
are much less expensive than DVD discs, burning your own discs is easy and fast, and the
finished title can be played back in most of the millions of CD-ROM and DVD-ROM equipped
PCs that exist.