This is a combo drive that can read CD-ROMs, audio CDs and DVDS, and can record both CDs and DVDs. For homemade DVDs, it uses a format called DVD-R, which can be written just once. Here's how it works. First, you have to get your movies and photos into the computer. You scan the photos in, or copy them from a disk or CD you get from the photo processor, or copy them from a digital camera.
Digital camcorders connect directly to the computer.
Apple's video-editing software, called iMovie, is the best on the market. To do this, you need both the new DVD-R drive and new software that handles the recording and allows you to organize the DVD using interactive menus and icons. I was using canned videos and photos provided by Apple, and the quick trial wasn't enough to form the basis of a real review. But my first impression was that Apple's iDVD is as simple and elegant as its iMovie software. In just the short time I had, I laid out the DVD by dragging video clips and photos into the iDVD program.