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Digital Content Producer By Jan Ozer A hefty 2.0 upgrade pushes Adobe Encore DVD up in the DVD authoring rankings. If you haven't seriously considered Adobe Encore DVD in a while, it's time to take another look. The most recent update has catapulted Encore DVD 2.0 to the top of the sub-$1,000 Windows class of DVD authoring programs, and presents a legitimate challenge to Apple's DVD Studio Pro. Encore 2.0’s updated interface is a change from floating panels to tabbed, dockable palettes. Adobe also adapted workspaces to simplify frequently performed tasks such as menu design and timeline editing. In this article, we'll walk through the stages of a typical authoring project, pointing out new features, strengths, and significant product weaknesses. The project is a concert DVD for the jazz group Potluck Trio. I edited the four-camera shoot in Premiere Pro, inserting chapter points on the timeline and outputting 16:9 DV-AVI files for import into Encore DVD. First, here are some commercial details: Encore DVD is included in the Adobe Production Studio Premium version only, which retails for $1,699. Encore is also sold separately for $349, with an upgrade price from any previous version of $149. read more...