Apple has officially announced Studio Pro 3, DVD authoring application for Mac OS X. The latest release include some new features such as Alpha Transitions, a new Graphical View, DTS 5.1 audio support and the inclusion of Compressor 1.2. The software can be used to design menus, make slides in slideshows and still in tracks. Users can build their own Alpha Transitions using Apple's just-announced Motion or Adobe After Effects as well.

The new Graphical View lets creators view their DVD Studio Pro 3 projects in a storyboard environment, visually blending menus, tracks, slideshows, stories and scripts. The Graphical View can also be printed.

The Compressor 1.2 and Final Cut Pro HD features, offers encoding from HD directly to MPEG-2. DTS 5.1 audio support is provided in addition to Dolby Digital support.

System requirements
P4/733MHz
8MB VRAM
Mac OS X v10.3.2
QuickTime 6.5
20GB hard disk space
DVD drive


DVD Studio Pro 3 will be available in May through the Apple Store and resellers for £299 plus VAT. Registered users of previous versions can upgrade for £119 plus VAT.