Section 20.1. Why iDVD?

20.1. Why iDVD?

You already know from Chapter 19 that you can export your finished iMovie project back to a good old VHS cassette, one of the world's most sure-fire distribution methods . Anyone who doesn't have a VCR in this day and age probably wouldn't appreciate your cinematic genius anyway.

But preserving your work on a DVD gives you a boatload of benefits. For example, they're cheaper than VHS tapes. DVDs are also compact. They never need rewinding, either, and they're cheap to ship. They're more rigid and have zero moving parts . They're far more durable, too; wherease VHS tapes begin to deteriorate in 10 to 15 years , DVDs are built to lastup to a century or more, if you believe the manufacturers.

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Tip: They'll last, that is, if you stick to buying brand- name blanks like Verbatim and Imation. Cheaper brands don't use the same amount of organic dyes and are more likely to suffer premature deaths.

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Still, you should be aware that homemade DVDs don't work in as many DVD players as commercially pressed discs do. Check the master player compatibility list at www.videohelp.com if you're ever in doubt.