Adobe Encore DVD: In the Studio

DVD Product Features

Now that you understand DVDs better, let’s get started deconstructing some DVDs. The Planet Earth series of DVDs that we’ll start with is subtitled “Visions of the Earth from Space.” The content is based on NASA space imagery of planet Earth: oceans, seas, islands, and coastlines. Each disc is organized by geographic region, with more than an hour of video panning over different areas accompanied by a thematic music track. The discs also include hundreds of detailed information screens linked to the videos. The Planet Earth series is designed to span seven titles. The first three Planet Earth discs are Oceania, Australia, with the Great Barrier Reef and New Zealand, and North America, covering Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

Let’s look at the cover to understand the features on this specific disc, and also take a look at the disc contents on our PC to see the data files stored on it. The front of the cover is shown in Figure 2-6.

Figure 2-6. The Plant Earth: North America DVD.

Special features are often described on the back of the DVD case, along with a profusion of logos, as shown in Figure 2-7. Depending on the publisher, these are described in varying detail with phrases such as “Special Features” or “Technical Specs,” and are also indicated by the row of tiny logos arrayed at the bottom of the cover.

Figure 2-7. The back cover of Planet Earth: North America. ...