Isn't it nice, Toast being a simple HD authoring solution for the Mac? If I read this thing correctly, you can use plain AVCHD files from your Sanyo HD-1000 (or Sony, or Panasonic, or Canon, or JVC SDHC-equipped camcorders) and author them into a fully-compliant Blu-Ray-formatted content, which you can burn on ordinary DVD(DL), if you don't want to waste $10 for a blank Blu-Ray disc?

How come iMovie/iDVD combo can't yet do this?

Blu-Ray seems to be rapidly gaining traction. Time is ripe for Apple to bring HD authoring (and disc burning) to iLife.

Sorry Vasic, but your facts are wrong. You need a blue ray burner to burn blue ray discs. An ordinary DVD burner doesn't have the power of a blue laser to burn a blue ray disc. Something that Roxio conveniently left out of there advertisements to get you to buy there software.

Here are the system requirements from Roxio.

Minimum System Requirements:

Macintosh computer with a PowerPC™ G4, PowerPC G5, or Intel® processor. PowerPC G5 or Intel processor required for encoding and viewing high definition content CD, DVD, Blu-ray, or HD DVD recordable drive Mac OS X v10.4.x and Mac OS X v10.5.x 600 MB of free disk space to install Up to 15 GB of temporary free disk space during usage Additional space may be required when working with high definition content QuickTime 7.x Internet connection required for some functionality

It seems then that the article has one sentence wrong:

"HD video can also be burned to standard DVDs."

Blu-Ray standard definition allows properly authored Blu-Ray content (i.e. with proper directory structure and format) to be delivered on standard DVDs (including DL). Obviously, with less space, you probably wouldn't be able to squeeze more than 45 minutes of decent HD video, but standard-compliant Blu-Ray players should properly read it.

This is very much like (non-compliant, de-facto) standard from the early 2000s for 'Mini-DVD'. If you authored and formatted your content for DVD (i.e. proper VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS folders, VOB files, IFO, BUP, etc.), and the size was under 700MB, you could burn it on an ordinary CD-R and many newer DVD players could read it. Obviously, you could only squeeze about 30 minutes of content on it, before compression artifact begin to show.

Now, Can Toast 9 do this for HD on DVD-R or not?

"Blu-Ray standard definition":

I meant the actual definition of Blu-Ray standards (for HD authoring, interactive content, etc); not the SD (standard-definition) video, as in today's analogue TV or ordinary DVD. I'm sure most readers got the point, though.

Yes, you CAN author and burn HD video on an ordinary DVD-R, and watch it on a Blu-Ray player in full HD. It will cost you extra $20 for that HD/BD plug-in, but it will work.

Ripping LPs with Roxio's accompanying CD Spin Doctor 5 now works again, after my Leopard upgrade which somehow killed CD Spin Doctor v.3 and 4.

in order to get a $20 upgrade discount--which is pretty low for a $100 app-- you have to mail in a rebate form. i consider this a real slap in the face from Roxio. i mean i'm buying it from their online store. They're just hoping i forget or i mess something up, not to mention not caring about the 10-20 minutes i'll have to spend printing stuff out finding an envelope stamps etc

Roxio makes good products, but they sure have no respect for their customers. I agree with the other poster..this IS a slap in the face of existing customers. Mail in rebate on a download product? Losers...Roxio...Losers.

well after i posted my comment above, yeah this is the same guest, i went to another mac site. The link they had went to a page where you could upgrade for $59.99 and no mail in stuff. The main Toast 9 page, which is what this article links to, says that the product is $79.99 after a $20 upgrade mail in rebate. Silly me, i assumed going from toast 8 to toast 9 was an upgrade. So the good news is that the people at Roxio aren't evil but they do need to learn the difference between a sidegrade and an upgrade. So i'm currently downloading Toast 9. yeah!