With the early 2001 release of Apple's DVD Studio Pro at a low price point of $ 1,000, the masses got access to their first full-featured authoring tool, which allowed them to create professional looking DVDs. Or did they?

As is often the case with new technologies, a few quirks arose. That raised some eyebrows, as well as questions, like: "Are frustrated users justified in their complaints about DVD Studio Pro's limitations?" And, "Are users expecting more than Apple promised to deliver with a budget-friendly tool in the first place?"

The answers depend on the user. Some who accept the product as a "prosumer" tool are still venting for various reasons. Others simply look toward more capable authoring tools for higher-end work.

INFORMED POINTS OF VIEW

When DVD Studio Pro was unveiled for this industry it was billed as offering professional-quality DVD encoding, authoring and writing, and as the perfect complement to Apple's Final Cut Pro editing system.

While DVD Studio Pro has its critics, those who spoke to us for this story are mostly complimentary of the product and Apple (www.apple.com) in general, even while pointing out its imperfections. One or these pros is Ralph LaBarge, president of Alpha DVD (www.alphadvd.com) in Crofton, MD, (who uses DVD Studio Pro for OS X, Version 1.5.2). First off, I think it's a wonderful product at that price point It delivers many of the features included in DVD systems that run from $5,000 to $20,000. That's a very big positive."

Then comes the flip side. "There are a few bugs," he continues. "If the user is creating a dual-layer project, DVD Studio Pro puts the layer break in the wrong place, which can cause playback problems. And the subtitle editor crashes intermittently."

LaBarge adds that Apple is aware of these problems and is working on them. "People who develop DVD titles for the consumer market are not using it," LaBarge continues. "But lower-end, small runners of 1000 copies or less are."