Since the Apple iPad, iPod and iPhone has become one of the most popular gadgets that is used by modern society, the Video and Audio Mobile industry is facing new opportunities for content creation and distribution . Therefore, if you are a company producing or delivering content, and looking for asolution to vonvert video and audio files compliant with the iPad, iPod and iPhone, MainConcept can provide an advanced transcoding solution called Reference.

Solutions:
First of all, you have to define what kind of workflow will be more suitable to cover your ideas. Then MainConcept can offer two scenarios, either a ready-to-use use application or an SDK platform for refined integration:

• Ready-to-use Application:
  MainConcept Reference is a powerful yet flexible solution that enables video professionals to transcode video & audio streams into various delivery formats required for Apple's iPod, iPhone and iPad. Reference includes many presets compliant with various renowned Apple products.
  
  Process:
  1. First, download and install Reference application on your computer (we have a demo version, that serves as a perfect way to get a first impression of the product).
  2. Choose one of the presets matching your output device: iPhone, iPad or iPod.
  3. Just import the desired file into the application.
  4. You can select one of the predefined Performance/Quality values or customize the settings according to your concrete requirements.
  5. Start the conversion process.
  
  Reference also offers a predefined HMTL5 preset.
  More info...

• SDK Platform (you are a developer who wants to release his own solution, whether as a standalone application or as a feature of your own product built on top of MainConcept's Low Level SDKs):
  The MainConcept Codec SDK library contains a powerful transcoding engine that enables developers to create their own transcoding applications for converting video files into other formats for delivery of Apple iPod, iPhone and iPad compliant video/audio streams.
  More info...

You want to create Flash .F4V streams? MainConcept has a sophisticated solution how to achieve this. Flash videos are a great choice as video format, because a preloader is built-in to the final output. They can be easily streamed on the web which has made them so popular. So if you're having a hard time understanding how to make Flash video or moreover MP3 audio specification is not enough, the following information will provide you with the right solution:

Solutions:
First, you have to define what kind of workflow will be more useful to cover your ideas. Then MainConcept can offer two scenarios, either a ready-to-use application or an SDK platform for more in-depth integration:

• Ready-to-use Application:
  MainConcept Reference is a powerful yet easy to use application that enables video professionals to transcode video & audio streams into Adobe Flash. You can choose between two major presets:
  1. Adobe Flash (Low Resolution Web Content)
  2. Adobe Flash (High Resolution Web Content)
  More info...
  
  
• SDK Platform (you are a developer who wants to releasehis own solution, whether as a standalone application or as a feature of your own product built on top of MainConcept's Low Level SDKs):
  For more than two years now, Adobe® Systems Inc. has been successfully using the MainConcept H.264/AVC Video and AAC Audio Decoders in their Adobe® Flash® Player, so hundreds of millions users worldwide are already working with the renowned MainConcept decoding technology through the Flash Player.
  More info...
  
  
• Audio Plug-in for Adobe® Flash® Media Live Encoder:
  AAC is the emerging future audio standard that might replace existing ones, such as MP3. It is already supported by popular devices such as Apple iPod, Sony PSP, Sony PS3, Nintendo Wii, various cell phones etc. MainConcept offers an AAC Encoder for the Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder that adds this exciting audio format to your Flash productions.
  More info...

You have 3D content and want to prepare it for authoring and then burn it to a 3D Blu-ray disc. This would require encoding your two separate files into the MVC format (H.264/MVC).

The stereoscopic content has become the mostly discussed industry topic, thanks primarily to recent Hollywood productions and all major produced Live Events. 3D is available now in the living-room with the advent of 3D capable televisions and next-generation Blu-ray 3D Disc players. Therefore, all content providers – large and small – are eying this emerging opportunity of getting a powerful transcoding applications to deliver their content into the market. MainConcept is ready by offering exactly that solution content providers are looking for.

Solutions:
At first, please define what kind of workflow will be the most suitable to cover your ideas. MainConcept offers two scenarios, either a ready-to-use application or an SDK platform for flexible integration into your own solutions:

• Ready-to-use Application:
  MainConcept Reference MVC is one of the first transcoding applications on the market. It uses an MVC Encoder that is based on the current MainConcept H.264/AVC Encoder implementation, and includes all its features. Up to 10 layers are supported, i.e. the different views are encoded as different layers to provide a 3D depth impression of the current picture.
  More info...
  
  
• SDK Platform (you are a developer who wants to release his own solution, whether as a standalone application or as a feature of your own product built on top of MainConcept's Low Level SDKs):
  The secret to compelling 3D productions is the quality of the 3D encoding. MainConcept recognizes this, and has risen to the challenge with the new Multiview Video Coding SDK which enables creative software providers an all-encompassing 3D encoding solution.
  More info...
  
  

The rendering and encoding process gets more and more complex nowadays. So there was a high demand on the market to swap complicated tasks to the GPUs of the graphics boards. This technology brings new opportunities to the users to accelerate the Video Transcoding process without losing the CPU power. MainConcept has developed codec technology capable of running on graphics processors (GPUs) offering amazing performance in excellent quality.

There are two main standards for parallel processing:
- CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture) is NVIDIA's parallel computing architecture that is used on many graphics boards from NVIDIA, such as Quadro and Tesla.It is also available on GeForce and ION graphics boards.
- OpenCL (Open Computing Language) is a cross-platform, parallel programming standard managed by the Khronos Group. It is supported by NVIDIA and ATI graphics cards.

Solutions:
First of all, you have to define what kind of workflow you are thinking of to cover your ideas. Then MainConcept can offer two scenarios, either a ready-to-use application or an SDK platform for refined integration.

• Ready-to-Use Application:
  MainConcept Reference is a powerful yet easy-to-use application that enables video professionals to transcode video streams using CUDA acceleration technology. The Reference CUDA H.264/AVC transcoder adds hardware accelerated video conversion by taking advantage of NVIDIA graphics processors’ power (GPUs).
  More info...
  
  
• SDK Platform (You are a developer who wants to release his own solution, whether as a standalone application or as a feature of your own product built on top of MainConcept's Low Level SDKs):
  MainConcept is developing solutions for both CUDA C and OpenCL to ensure software developers, who want to achieve the performance advantages available through parallel computing (GPU), to create solutions that meet the needs of their business.
  
  Check your graphics board model and find matching information below:
  
  For CUDA supporting cards - The MainConcept CUDA H.264/AVC Encoder SDK offers amazing performance by making use of NVIDIA GPU hardware acceleration , while offering excellent quality. The SDK allows transcoding from MPEG-2, VC-1, H.264/AVC elementary streams, and raw frames into the H.264/AVC Baseline and Main Profile formats:
  More info...
  
  For OpenCL supporting cards - The MainConcept OpenCL™ H.264/AVC Encoder SDK empowers software developers with a flexible yet powerful software development kit to add OpenCL™ accelerated encoding to their solutions. The SDK allows encoding from MPEG-2, VC-1, H.264/AVC elementary streams, and raw frames into the H.264/AVC Baseline and Main Profile formats:
  More info...

Since every new Apple mobile device supports web standards including HTML5, the company always introduces a kind of new internet revolution to the market. Nevertheless, it is not just Apple pointing to HTML5 as the future format, but also Microsoft, Google, Opera, Mozilla, W3C, YouTube and even Adobe start implementing by themselves. MainConcept is ready with the right solution for both Windows and Mac OS X platforms supporting HTML5 Video and Audio technology content creation.

If you want to find out whether your browser supports HTML5 technology, we are ready with a perfect test page for verification: Click here...

Solutions:
First of all, you have to define what kind of workflow is most suitable to cover your needs. Then MainConcept can offer two solutions, either a ready-to-use application or SDK platform for refined integration.

• Ready-to-Use Application:
  MainConcept Reference is a powerful yet easy-to-use application that enables video professionals to transcode video & audio streams into the HTML5 format that is required for Apple's iPhone, iPad and all other web application supporting this technology.
  
  Process:
  1. First download and install Reference Application on your computer (we have a demo version, that is the perfect way to get a first impression of the product).
  2. After startup, just import the desired input file into the application.
  3. Chose HTML5 from the default Apple presets list.
  4. You can use the predefined Video and Audio Quality values or customize the settings according to your requirements.
  5. Start the conversion process.
  More info...
  
  
• SDK Platform (You are a developer who wants to release his own solution, whether as a standalone application or asfeature of your own product built on top of MainConcept's Low Level SDKs):
  The MainConcept Codec SDK library contains a powerful encoder that enables developers to create their own encoding and transcoding applications for converting video files into other formats for HTML5 compliant video/audio streams delivery in excellent quality.
  More info...

If Premiere Pro’s default export options do not cover your project requirements and you are looking for more advanced ways to configure the Video and Audio encoding process, MainConcept is offers a powerful solution called Codec Suite 5. The import, editing as well as export plug-in offers overall support for the Sony XDCAM, Panasonic P2 AVC-Intra and DVCPRO camcorder and deck generations as well as for the Ikegami GFCAM and Canon XF series. The Codec Suite Plug-in offers full MPEG-1/2, DVCPRO and H.264/AVC encoding support, including amazing performance acceleration for NVIDIA GPUs with CUDA technology.

• Ready-to-Use Application:
  MainConcept’s Codec Suite 5 is a powerful yet easy-to-use Plug-In that enables post-production editors to export video & audio streams into more elaborated formats and settings directly from the timeline.
  More info: www.mainconcept.com/products/apps-plug-ins/plug-ins-for-adobe/codec-suite.html
  
  You can choose between two different versions and an additional Dolby Digital Professional audio add-on to suit the needs of users from enthusiast to professionals working with production level media formats:
  
  - Codec Suite 5.0 Professional: For CS5 users who need advanced encoding options, H.264/AVC CUDA encoding and Smart Rendering:
  More info...
  
  - Codec Suite 5.0 Broadcast: For CS5 users who need advanced encoding options, H.264/AVC CUDA encoding, Smart Rendering and who also need to input from and output to various production level media formats.
  More info...
  
  - Dolby Digital Professional Add-On for Codec Suite 5: For CS5 users needing to encode sequences to the Dolby Digital Pro format in stereo or 5.1 channels and also optimize their audio streams with high end options.
  More info...
  
  
• Workflow:
  1. First download and install Codec Suite Plug-In. Please check which version of Premiere Pro you use (we have a demo version, that is a perfect way to get a first impression of the product)
  2. Druing startup choose on the the MainConcept Sequence presets.
  3. Edit your Video and Audio files in the Timeline as usual.
  4. In Premiere Pro CS5 choose File > Export > Media, which will take you to the Adobe Export Settings dialog first…
  5. From the Format drop-down box, please select MainConcept Advanced Export, leave the Export Video and Export Audio options checked. Then choose the MainConcept Export Settings tab and click Configure...
  6. You can use any of the Video and Audio presets or customize the settings according to your concrete requirements.
  7. Start the export process from the timeline.

If Final Cut’s default video export options do not cover your project requirements and you are looking for more advanced ways to configure the video and audio encoding options, MainConcept offers a powerful solution called MovieExport. It is the perfect companion not only for Final Cut Pro, but also for QuickTime Pro, iMovie, etc.

• Ready-to-Use Application:
  The MainConcept MovieExport plug-in provides direct access to the most important settings via QuickTime export, such as resolution, video type, frame rate and bitrate. The export module allows you to use all custom or predefined presets for Blu-ray Disc, the whole Sony XDCAM portfolio, AVC-Intra, Adobe Flash F4V, Apple iPod, Sony PSP, AVCHD, DVD, J2k DCI, and many more.
  More info...
  
  The MovieExport Plug-in is available in two different versions that fit perfectly for users from the digital media enthusiast to professionals working with production level media formats:
  
  - MovieExport Professional: Includes the following Codecs: H.264/AVC Pro, MPEG-1/2, MPEG-4 Part 2, VC-1 Pro.
  More info...
  
  - MovieExport Broadcast: Includes the following Codecs: H.264/AVC Broadcast (incl. AVC-Intra), DV/DVCPRO 25/50/HD, JPEG2000, MPEG-1/2, MPEG-4 Part 2, VC-1 Pro.
  More info...
  
  
• Workflow within Final Cut Pro:
  1. First download and install the MovieExport Plug-In Start e.g. Final Cut Pro and check if it is available for exporting your projects from the timeline (we have a demo version, that is as the perfect way to get a first impression of the product).
  2. After finishing your project, make sure that the Timeline has the focus and choose the Export > Using QuickTime Conversion... option from the File menu.
  3. In the following Save dialog, you need to change the corresponding output format. In the Format drop-down menu, select one of the MainConcept MovieExport file format presets.
  4. Click the Options... button to open the MainConcept MovieExport video, audio and preset management settings dialog, where you select the desired preset and also change some general codec settings.
  5. You can use any of the Video and Audio Codecs and to customize the settings according to your requirements.
  6. Start the export process.

Need to ensure your audio and video streams achieve specific quality levels and conform to industry standards? You do not need to look any further: MainConcept offers a comprehensive analyzing product that allows quick analysis of complex media streams and provides easy understanding of metrics to ensure compliance. The MainConcept Analyzer TS application provides deep insight into the structure and bitstream of Transport Streams and Elementary Streams. The analysis includes numerous statistics in graphical and textual way.

Solutions:
First of all, you have to define what kind of workflow will be suitable to cover your needs. Then MainConcept offers a ready-to-use application for stream analysis.

• Read-to-Use Application:
  The MainConcept Analyzer TS is a powerful yet easy-to-use application that provides deep information of most syntax elements defined for several multimedia formats. The application is able to catch a live Transport Stream cast from an IP network by TCP / UDP / RTP protocols and can perform on-the-fly analysis of it in real time. The application enables users to open files for offline analysis as well.
  More info...

If you are looking for an application that serves as a bridge tool to transcode your XDCAM content into different formats by using predefined profiles, Sony® XDCAM Browser, the successor of Sony Clip Browser, is the right software that can be used with the latest portfolio of Sony XDCAM camcorders and decks. The MainConcept Coversion Pack for Sony XDCAM Browser turns the demo codecs within the application into full versions, in order to get rid of the watermark.

Solutions:
First of all, you have to define what kind of workflow will be suitable to cover your needs. Then MainConcept can offer two solutions, either a ready-to-use application or SDK platform for refined integration.

• Ready-to-Use Application:
  Sony® XDCAM Browser is a simple-to-use Windows and Mac OSX application that allows everyone to easily browse and copy videos recorded by the various XDCAM camcorder or deck series to other devices. It offers professional media content conversion of high-resolution video as well as audio formats for the entire Sony XDCAM portfolio. You can transcode your Sony XDCAM EX footage into common XDCAM HD / HD422 MXF / XDCAM IMX / DVCAM files and also easily copy XDCAM EX footage (SxS memory card) to XDCAM HD / HD422 camcorders and decks (Professional Disc). Using the MainConcept Conversion Packs turns the demo codecs within Sony XDCAM Browser into full version, in order to get full access to features without the demo logo in the processed streams.
  More info...
  
  
• SDK Platform (You are a developer who wants to release his own solution, whether as a standalone application or as a feature of your own product built on top of MainConcept's Low Level SDKs):
  If you want to implement the functionality above into your solution, MainConcept’s Reference SDK is the perfect platform for such a project. Built upon the MainConcept Codec SDK library, it contains a powerful transcoding engine that enables developers to create their own transcoding applications for converting video files into other formats for video/audio streams delivery that is compliant with Blu-ray Disc, Sony PSP, Apple iPod/iPad, DVD, the whole Sony XDCAM portfolio, Adobe Flash, Panasonic P2AVC-Intra and DVCPRO, etc...
  More info...

Since the release of Blu-ray Profile 2.0 almost every Blu-ray player including PlayStation 3 supports BD-Live through the ethernet interface or built-in Wi-Fi. BD-Live extends upon the user‘s rich Home Entertainment experience, offering totally new functionalities and possibilities. Therefore, the MainConcept BD-Live Transcoder is the perfect solution for all content providers who want to offer additional footage or information to Blu-ray viewers throughout the world, in order to promote their products as well as interests.

Solutions:
First of all, you have to define what kind of workflow will be most suitable to cover your demands. MainConcept can offer two approaches, either a ready-to-use application or SDK platform for integration.

• Ready-to-Use Application:
  The BD-Live Transcoder generates Transport Streams containing H.264/AVC video with Dolby Digital Professional or LPCM audio. Additionally, it creates the corresponding Playlist and Clipinfo files that are necessary for the Blu-ray folder structure, in order to playback the streams with a Blu-ray software or hardware player properly. The command-line based MainConcept BD-Live Transcoder combines the complete content conversion and preparation for BD-Live. It is as simple as choosing a source file and transcoding preset to generate streams optimized for BD-Live.
  More info...
  
  
• SDK Platform (You are a developer who wants to release his own solution, whether as a standalone application or as a feature of your own product built on top of MainConcept's Low Level SDKs):
  If you want to implement the BD-Live functionality into your solution, MainConcept’s Reference SDK is the perfect platform for such a project. Built upon the MainConcept Codec SDK library, it contains a powerful transcoding engine that enables developers to create their own transcoding applications for converting video files into other formats for delivery of compliant video/audio streams for BD-Live and Blu-ray Disc among others.
  More info...

Streaming live video productions or delivering video “on demand” over local networks as well as internet continues to increase and evolve. MainConcept has grown along with the market and offers industry-leading network streaming solutions for encoding video and audio streams for delivery over the network and internet with exceptionally high quality combined with the lowest bandwidth consumption. When you start thinking of streaming technology, there are two major points that you need to understand: first is what video file format do you need, and second which streaming method will fit to your workflow.

1. File format:
There are many video file formats to choose from when creating video streams. The most common formats are: Windows Media, RealMedia, Quicktime, MPEG (in particular MPEG-4 Part 2 and Part 10) and Adobe Flash.

2. Streaming method:

• Downloading: The entire file is downloaded and saved on your computer (usually in a temporary folder), which you then open and play back. This has some advantages (such as quicker access to different parts of the file), but the big disadvantage of having to wait for the whole file to download before any of its content can be viewed.

• Streaming: The user can start watching the file almost as soon as it begins downloading. In effect, the file is sent to the user in a (more or less) constant stream, and he watches it as it arrives from specialized streaming servers.

3. SDK Solution:
Network Streaming SDK is a powerful platform built for developers who want to release their own solutions, whether as a standalone application or as a feature of your own product built on top. The SDK can be used for streaming and receiving content over the network. Based upon  MainConcept’s huge Codec library, it supports various streaming protocols, e.g. RTMP, RTP, HTTP, RTSP and HTML5, but also many codecs such as MPEG-1/2 TS and PS, MPEG-4 Part 2, H.263, H.264/AVC, AAC, AC-3, VC-1, WMV, etc.
More info...

If you are a company looking for a dedicated solution that allows you integrating encoding or decoding video and audio codec technology into your own products with minimal upfront investment and development effort, MainConcept is the right company with the exact Partnership Program for you.

How it works:
The way the Partner Program is designed is that a customer integrates support for MainConcept technology into his products. We have generally two main scenarios of integration:

• Simple way: The customer integrates support only for some of our various encoding and decoding technologies.
• More complex and powerful way: The customer integrates full support of our Transcoding SDK.

Commercial side:
The customer plug-in will be offered via a revenue share model from the MainConcept’s website or even more through the customer's distribution channel(s). Since the plug-ins are sold through a revenue share business model, companies do not need to invest money upfront in licensing technology from MainConcept. Additional revenue or licensing models are open for discussion.

Benefits:

• MainConcept will handle third party patent pools (e.g. Dolby, MPEG-LA, Via, etc.)
• Quickly integrating future MainConcept’s codec solutions to your products.
• Once the MainConcept technology is integrated, the software can then utilize an additional plug-in to extend the needed encoding or decoding functionality in their software.

Customers:

• IBM launched both a transcoding and a decoding plug-in for the IBM Admira (middleware application for the broadcast IT marketplace).
• Sony launched H.264/AVC encoding plug-in for Ziris Screen Cutter (digital signage application).

More info...

If you are a company looking for a dedicated solution that allows you integrating full transcoding video and audio codec support to your products with minimal time and development efforts, MainConcept’s Reference SDK is the right solution for you.

SDK Solution:
The MainConcept Reference SDK is built upon the MainConcept Codec SDK library and contains a powerful transcoding engine that enables developers to create their own transcoding applications for converting video files into other formats for delivery of compliant video/audio streams for Blu-ray Disc, Sony PSP, Apple iPod, DVD, AVCHD the whole Sony XDCAM portfolio, Adobe Flash, Panasonic P2 AVC-Intra and DVCPRO, etc...  

Key Advantages:

• Well-documented API (Application Programming Interface - in C programming language) allowing you to easily create your own transcoding software with a GUI (Graphical User Interface).
• Command Line: fast development conversion tools
• On Windows it additionally includes DirectShow filters for decoding

How it works:

• Reference SDK works as an additional layer above the MainConcept’s Codec SDK, so developers do not need to take care of the numerous codec settings and parameters.
• Easy-to-use API on top of the Codec SDK, offers easiest and faster way to tune all conversion parameters by hand.
• Developers can set the encoders by using predefined profiles, and the transcoding engine takes care of the rest.

Operating system:
One of the major benefits is the Reference SDK’s multi-platform support. Working over Windows XP/Vista, Mac OS X and Linux 32/64-bit, bringing an additional freedom to all developers, in order to create their own solutions based on various platforms.

Licensing:
MainConcept has full-featured DEMO version for all SDK’s. If you want to request for Demo version or direct price quote for an SDK, please visit and fill-in our online form. This form allows you to request pricing and demos not only for Reference SDK, but for the whole MainConcept SDK family.
Licensing form...

More general info for Reference SDK...

If you are looking for burning your SD content to disc, in order to present it on a TV screen later or to keep it as an archive for the future, the DVD technology will definitely be the answer for such a project. But first of all it is important to know some technical information about the different DVD formats to choose the right configuration for you:

1. DVD region codes

• Region 1: USA, Canada, Bermuda and U.S. territories
• Region 2: Europe, Middle East, Egypt, Japan, South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Greenland
• Region 3: Southeast Asia, South Korea, Republic of China (Taiwan), Hong Kong, Macau
• Region 4: Mexico, Central America, South America, Australia, New Zealand, Oceania
• Region 5: Afghanistan, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Africa (except Egypt, South Africa, Central and South Asia, Mongolia, North Korea
• Region 6: China, Hong Kong
• Region 7: Reserved for future use
• Region 8: International venues such as aircraft, cruise ships, etc.

2. What Video and audio codecs does a DVD support?

PAL:

• Encapsulation (mux): MPEG PS up to 10.08 Mbps total for everything.
• Video:mp2v (MPEG-2 Video), up to 9.8 Mbps with Resolution: 720x576 (Full D1), 704x576, 352x576 (Half D1), 352x288 (same as VCD) - 25 frames/sec.
• Audio: Up to 8 audio tracks, but at least one track must be in a52, mp2a or raw (mp2a Standard MPEG Audio, a52 AC-3 Dolby Digital, DTS Audio, PCM Uncompressed (raw)) with format: 48000 Hz, 32 - 1536 kbps.

NTSC:

• Encapsulation (mux): MPEG PS up to 10.08 Mbps total for everything.
• Video: mp2v (MPEG-2 Video), up to 9.8 Mbps with resolution: 720x480 (Full D1), 704x480, 352x480 (Half D1), 352x240 (same as VCD) - 29.97 frames/sec.
• Audio: Up to 8 audio tracks, but at least one track must be in a52, mp2a or raw (mp2a Standard MPEG Audio, a52 AC-3 Dolby Digital, DTS Audio, PCM Uncompressed (raw)) with format: 48000 Hz, 32 - 1536 kbps.

3. Steps required in the process of creation

• 1. Record the video and audio to your computer.
• 2. Transcode the video and audio in a format suitable for DVD creation.
• 3. Create a final project with menu structure or simple project only for direct burning.
• 4. Check and burn the project to the disc.

4. What kind of applications do you need?

• Transcoding application:
  Reference transcoder is a powerful yet easy-to-use application that supports all standard and advanced features of the MPEG-2 specifications that are required to create DVD compliant streams. The application includes a powerful capture engine that allows you to capture from camcorders, webcams, etc. in their native or another format if available and directly to work with some of the audio and video filters, such as color correction, timecode insertion, audio normalization, etc.
  More info...

• Authoring applications:
  Scenarist SD is the worldwide standard for professional DVD authoring application. Intuitive interface design and a productivity-oriented workflow make everyday tasks easy, while deep specification support gives you complete cell-level control over your title's interactive experience.
  More info: http://www.roxio.com/enu/products/professional/scenarist-sd/overview.html

    OR

• DVDit® Pro HD - is a professional, studio-caliber DVD and Blu-ray Disc authoring tool for videographers, independent filmmakers, corporate users and video enthusiasts.
  More info: http://www.roxio.com/enu/products/dvdit/hd/features.html

• Player:
  CinePlayer DVD Decoder Pack is designed exclusively for Windows Media Player and is renowned for its remarkable video quality and superb audio clarity for DVD playback on your Windows system.
  More info: http://www.roxio.com/enu/products/cineplayer/vista/overview.html

If you're looking to burn your HD content to disc, in order to present it on a HD screen later or to keep it archived for the future, the Blu-ray technology will definitely be the answer for such tasks. But first it is important to know some technical information about the different Blu-ray formats to choose the right configuration for your workflow:

1. Blu-ray Disc formats:

• BDAV: The Blu-ray Disc Audio/Visual format offers HD video clips and chapters, but lacks menu navigation. Instead, play back starts right away.
• BDMV: Blu-ray Disc Movie discs contain HD video clips and a menu for navigation.
• AVCHD: Advanced Video Codec for High Definition is a digital standard for HD camcorders. Files in this format can be burned directly to Blu-ray disc and played in your standalone player; they do not contain navigation menus, though.

2. What video codecs does the Blu-ray format support?

• MPEG-2 - Enhanced for HD, also used for playback of DVDs and HDTV content.
• MPEG-4 AVC - Standard also known as H.264 (High Profile and Main Profile).
• MPEG-4 MVC - Standard also known as H.264/MVC – Multiview Video Coding – predicted to be the main codec for 3D stereoscopic content (High Profile and Main Profile).
• VC-1 - Standard based on Microsoft's Windows Media Video (WMV) technology.

3. What audio codes does the Blu-ray format support?

• Linear PCM (LPCM) - Up to 8 channels of uncompressed audio.
• Dolby Digital (DD) - format used for DVDs, 5.1 channels surround sound.
• Dolby Digital Plus (DD+) - Extension of Dolby Digital, 7.1 channels surround sound.
• Dolby TrueHD - Lossless encoding of up to 8 channels of audio.
• DTS Digital Surround - Format used for DVDs, 5.1 channels surround sound.
• DTS-HD High Resolution Audio - Extension of DTS, 7.1 channels surround sound.
• DTS-HD Master Audio - Lossless encoding of up to 8 channels of audio.

4. Steps required in the process of creation:

• 1. Record the video and audio to your computer.
• 2. Transcode the video and audio files into suitable formats for Blu-ray creation.
• 3. Create a final project with menu structure or simple project only for direct burning.
• 4. Check and burn the project to disc.

5. What kind of applications do you need?

• Transcoding application:
  Reference transcoder is a powerful yet easy-to-use application that supports all standard and advanced features of the H.264 specifications that are required to create Blu-ray Disc compliant streams. Many powerful audio and video filters, such as color correction, timecode insertion, audio normalization, etc. make Reference the perfect tool for every Blu-ray Disc production facility. Moreover, Reference is one of the few applications on the market supporting Blu-ray 3D encoding.
  More info...

• Authoring application:
  Scenarist BD is a comprehensive suite of powerful production tools that provide you with everything needed to deliver stunning Blu-ray Disc titles. It is the only authoring solution that fully prepares you for the future of optical media. Scenarist’s BD creation capabilities include complete support not only for HDMV (Movie Mode), but also for advanced interactive capabilities powered by the BD-J specification.
  More info: http://www.roxio.com/enu/products/professional/scenarist-bd/overview.html

• Emulating application:
  Using Scenarist QC HDMV you can preview your already done projects without the need to burn a test disc. It offers tracing and debugging utilities that enable users specifying breakpoints, tracking the status and values of registers and saving a playback log to debug even the most complicated titles.
  More info: http://www.roxio.com/enu/products/professional/scenarist-bd/overview.html

In digital file encoding, there are two main scenarios of including subtitles in a video. There is simple direct burning method or the more complex way for managing and creating subtitles. If you already have the video, the subtitle files (*.srt and *.sub) and an idea which of the methods above you need, we can offer you two different solutions for embedding subtitles into a video file:

1. Direct and simple burning solution:
First of all, you have to define what kind of workflow you are thinking of that will cover your ideas. Then MainConcept can offer two scenarios, either a ready-to-use application or a SDK solution for refined integration:

• Ready-to-Use Application:
  Reference transcoder is a powerful yet easy-to-use application that enables video professionals to transcode video streams with direct Subtitle rendering support for *.srt and *.sub files. In this case, direct burning of subtitles means that we will put them into the video source. This has the advantage of being playable on every platform such as Windows, Mac OS X, PSPs, iPhones, etc.
  More info...

• SDK Solution:
  (You are a developer who wants to release his own solution, whether as a standalone application or as a feature of your own product built on top of MainConcept's Low Level SDKs)
  Reference SDK is the perfect platform for such a project. Built upon the MainConcept Codec SDK library, it contains a powerful transcoding engine with direct Subtitle rendering support for *.srt and *.sub that enables developers to create their own applications.
  More info...

2. More powerful and complex solutions:

• Ready-to-Use Application:
  Lemony is a comprehensive suite of tools available to create, manage and deliver professional subtitling and captioning for any video delivery format. Featuring a complete set of subtitling capabilities, Lemony enables video professionals, content developers, translators, authoring facilities, and subtitling service offices to build, control, convert and output all subtitle and captioning formats.
  More info: http://www.roxio.com/enu/products/professional/lemony/overview.html