DVDBuilder SDK vs DVDStyler

DVDBuilder SDK is a Windows development kit for building DVD authoring into software. Developers describe disc features in XML, including video titles, chapters, menus, subtitles and languages, and can use the API from C++ or.NET languages such as C#, F# and VB. It accepts MPEG-2 program streams, MPEG-2 elementary video streams and VOB files. Audio options include MPEG-2, AC3 and DTS elementary streams, alongside subpicture streams and Spruce STL subtitles. Menus can use still or moving MPEG backgrounds and hold up to 36 buttons each. The SDK outputs a VIDEO_TS directory containing VOB, IFO and BUP files, with NTSC or PAL formats and 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratios. It supports up to 99 titles, with multiple chapters per title, and includes AVBlocks; documentation also lists PrimoBurner as included. DVDBuilder does not itself burn DVDs, and using PrimoBurner for that requires a separate license. A DVDBuilder license is needed to use the API; demo mode limits each title to five minutes. Paid access starts at $1,500/yr.

DVDStyler is a DVD authoring application for creating video discs with menus designed for playback on standalone DVD players. Start with a template or build a menu by arranging buttons, text, images, and other objects. The software can make photo slideshows and add multiple subtitle and audio tracks. It supports formats including AVI, MOV, MP4, MPEG, OGG, WMV, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, Xvid, MP2, MP3, and AC-3, among others. MPEG and VOB files can be used without re-encoding, and files with different audio or video formats can be placed on one DVD. The interface supports drag-and-drop, and menus use scalable vector graphics. DVDStyler runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows and is distributed under the GNU General Public License. The listed macOS installer requires OS X 10.15 Catalina or later. The application is free, with no free trial listed.