Authoring in iDVD?

Question

I've created a 53 minute program in FCE which will be released for sale both in standard DVD and Blu-ray formats. Though I won't attempt authoring the Blu-ray version, is there any reason I can't use iDVD to author the DVD? I've been told that, since iDVD is essentially software intended for home use, that a DVD authored in iDVD may not be compatible with a wide enough range of DVD players to be acceptable for commercial use. For this reason it was strongly suggested that a pro-level authoring program like DVD SP be used to ensure compatibility. Can anyone shed light on this?

Answer 1

Good afternoon, Airwatcher.
There are at least several angles to think about when embarking on this adventure:
1)  Technical -- does your DVD duplicating company have technical submission requirements which iDVD can meet?  (these might include the specific structure of the DVD files, format of the audio, whether there is DVD-ROM content, etc.)
2)  Legal -- One Canadian user advises that Apple allows users to sell DVDs with Apple menu themes but not their audio, nor audio purchased from iTunes (see https://discussions.apple.com/message/11142006#11142006), but you may wish to verify this yourself.
3)  Features -- does iDVD allow you to make the DVD perform as you need?  "Play all" is an oft-cited limitation of iDVD, for example.  Also, some DVDs are required to be accessible to deaf viewers, and sub-titles may be desired for other viewers.  iDVD doesn't have the ability for captions (although a workaround for shorter videos is to put two copies of the video on the DVD, one with captions).
Regarding the compatibility question, perhaps your colleague is thinking about the DVD media, since there is a compatibility distinction between DVD-R and DVD+R media.  DVD-R is more compatible with older DVD players, but iDVD can burn to either media format.
If you are considering worldwide sales, it is possible your colleague was referring to the different video format (PAL) used in many countries, rather than the standard US format of NTSC.  iDVD can burn both formats, but the underlying technical differences would need separate discussion.
John