This file contains ambiguous Unicode characters

This file contains Unicode characters that might be confused with other characters. If you think that this is intentional, you can safely ignore this warning. Use the Escape button to reveal them.

Author Module Guide

What Does This Do?

The Author module turns your video files into DVDs that'll play in any DVD player - the kind you'd hook up to a TV. It handles all the technical stuff so you don't have to worry about it.

---

Getting Started

Making a Single Disc

1. Click Author from the main menu
2. Files Tab → Click "Add Files" → Pick your video
3. Settings Tab:
   • Target Type: DVD or Blu-ray
   • Region/Standard: NTSC/PAL (DVD) or 1080p/4K (Blu-ray)
   • Aspect Ratio: 16:9 or 4:3
4. Generate Tab → Click "Generate Disc/ISO"
5. Wait for it to finish, then burn the .iso file to a blank disc.

That's it. The disc will play in any standard player.

---

Content Types: Feature, Extras, Galleries

The Author module treats every import as a content type, not just a file:

• Feature: the main movie title (supports chapters and chapter menus)
• Extra: bonus video titles (no chapters, separate titles)
• Gallery: still-image slideshows (photos, artwork, stills)

Default Behavior

• All imported videos default to Feature
• You can change each video’s Content Type using the per-item toggle.

---

Understanding the Settings

Output Type

DVD - Standard Definition (480i/576i). Compatible with all DVD and Blu-ray players. Blu-ray - High Definition (1080p) or Ultra HD (4K). Requires a Blu-ray player.

Region / Standard

For DVD:

• NTSC: North America, Japan (30 fps)
• PAL: Europe, Australia (25 fps)

For Blu-ray:

• 1080p: Standard High Definition
• 4K UHD: Ultra High Definition with HDR support

Pick based on your source quality and target player.

Aspect Ratio

16:9 - Widescreen (Modern TV). 4:3 - Standard (Old TV). AUTO - Match source aspect ratio.

Disc Size

DVD5 / DVD9: 4.7GB or 8.5GB (Standard DVD) BD25 / BD50: 25GB or 50GB (Standard Blu-ray) BD66 / BD100: 66GB or 100GB (4K UHD Blu-ray)

---

What's Happening Behind the Scenes?

VideoTools uses a Native Go Authoring Engine to build your discs without external Linux-only tools like DVDauthor or xorriso.

The Pipeline

1. Encoding: Video is transcoded to MPEG-2 (DVD) or H.264/HEVC (Blu-ray).
2. Muxing: Video, audio, and menu assets are combined into standard-compliant streams.
3. Structure: The VIDEO_TS or BDMV directory structure is generated with all necessary metadata (IFO/MPLS).
4. Mastering: A UDF 1.02 (DVD) or UDF 2.50 (Blu-ray) disc image (.iso) is created natively.