This is the fifth in a series of articles reviewing Apple’s iLife 06 software suite. Applications will be reviewed in this order: iPhoto, GarageBand, iWeb, iMovie, iDVD, and iLife summary. I will not be reviewing iTunes because iTunes 6 has been out for a while, and it’s ubiquitous. Let’s boogie!

DVD players are like the fastest-growing consumer electronics segment ever, or something like that. And while initially almost all DVDs were products of Hollywood studios, the ability to create DVDs eventually made it into personal computers. Apple’s solution is iDVD. Now in its sixth revision, iDVD has received a significant upgrade. The result is quite possibly the best iLife application ever created.

iDVD’s UI is the most overhauled of any iLife app. The interface has undergone a substantial makeover, and the changes are more than skin-deep. First, the drawer is gone (yay!). Having the drawer made little sense, since the tools located in it are commonly used. They belong in the main window itself. Secondly, the interface itself is more streamlined. There are also fewer buttons, as some items have been consolidated under a drop-down menu. The overall feel is a more svelte, less bulky user interface. It’s a nice change.

The interface as a whole is more responsive as well. For example, previewing DVD playback would result in some beachballing and lagging under iDVD 5. Entering and exiting preview mode is instant in iDVD 6. Resizing is a little sluggish on my iBook, but is a non-issue (I think we all know by now that OS X isn’t always the fastest OS out there). Yes, the hardware is the same. Yes, both have been tested under Mac OS X 10.4. The general feeling of iDVD is that it’s fast, stable, and slick.

The most significant updates are in the area of themes. iDVD has the old standbys from earlier versions. Anyone who has used iDVD before can tell you that the themes are outstanding; they’re polished and well-designed, which make creating beautiful projects incredibly easy (which is a common theme with iLife). I thought iDVD 5’s themes were great, but iDVD 6 raises the bar even higher. To call iDVD 6’s themes “stunning” would be a gross understatement. They’re flat-out awesome. Aside from looking absolutely beautiful, the themes hold some cool new features.

iDVD 6 now features high definition themes, which support 16:9 widescreen video. Perhaps the best new part of the iDVD 6 themes is the fact that they include various menu templates. For example, the new themes include a main menu template, an extras menu template, and a chapter selection template. Some of the themes very much resemble the themes featured in iMovie 6. The result is a project that is consistent from start to finish. Note that only the iDVD 6 themes include the various menus; themes from iDVD 5 and earlier do not have this feature.

Additionally, iDVD 6 features drop zone autofill; with the click of a button, iDVD decides which photos or videos get added to the drop zones. Also, iDVD has a floating palette for the drop zones; instead of scrubbing through the menu to locate the drop zones, you can drop the items into a floating palette instead. These are small additions, but welcome nonetheless.

Apple has finally added a much-needed feature to iDVD: compatibility with third-party burners. No longer do users need to forgo using iDVD with an external DVD burner! Rejoice!

Making a DVD is now easier than ever in iDVD 6. As if it wasn’t simple enough to create a DVD already, iDVD 6 features “Magic iDVD,” which allows you to create a DVD in a matter of minutes (screenshot). Note that it is more advanced than one-step DVD. Here’s how to make a DVD in five easy steps:

1. Give it a title.
2. Pick a theme.
3. Select the video you want to include on the DVD.
4. Select photos for the slide show (either individual photos or entire albums).
5. Press “Create Project” to further edit the project, or “Burn” to burn the project to DVD right then and there. It’s so simple, it’s absurd.

By itself, the addition of Magic iDVD makes creating DVDs extremely accessible to the mere mortal. It’s a winner.

There are a number of new additions beyond what I covered here. The bottom line is this: iDVD is amazing. To quote Walt Mossberg’s iPod nano review, “I am smitten.” iDVD 6 blows me away. I had a hard time finding any real problems with it. In fact, the worst problem I found is that you now need to open a window to monitor background encoding. If you ask me, that’s almost a non-issue. I highly recommend that all iDVD users consider upgrading to iDVD 6. You won’t be disappointed.

Articles in this series

1. iLife 06 Review Part 1: iPhoto
2. iLife 06 Review Part 2: Garageband
3. iLife 06 Review Part 3: iWeb
4. iLife 06 Review Part 4: iMovie