In this chapter we explored commercial DVDs in several ways, looking at their physical structure, menu design, navigational linking, and track layout. Along the way, I’ve pointed out how you can use Encore DVD to provide these kinds of features for your own discs.

As you have seen, PC-based DVD player software applications provide great access for exploring and deconstructing DVDs to understand how they are made, especially by browsing the titles and chapters on the disc. Before we move on to authoring our own discs, however, I now release you from your promise to not get distracted by the content of your discs.

Take some time to mess around with these DVD player applications, and tweak and tune your DVD-watching experience. Viewing DVDs on a snazzy computer with a large monitor and surround-sound audio can be a rather impressive experience. And viewing DVDs on your laptop is a good way to pass time while traveling. With a laptop, you even can hear simulated surround sound on headphones with Dolby Headphone audio processing, and you can timestretch the playback to speed it up slightly (without distorting the audio) so that you can watch the entire movie before your plane lands.