Put your photos on DVD

Not everyone owns a computer. This fact became very apparent to me recently when I told a friend that he could view some party pictures on his computer, and he said (somewhat embarrassedly) that he didn't have one. Gasp!

Once I lifted my jaw off the floor, I got to thinking: What other cool ways (beyond an actual stack of photos) are there to show people your digital pictures that don't require a computer? Then I remembered that my friend had a DVD player, so I did a little searching on ZDNet Downloads and found some great software for making photo DVDs.

With these programs, not only can you have your friends check out photos on their DVD players, you can make slide shows with background music and captions for a full multimedia experience. Here are the ones I found that offer the best options.

MemoriesOnTV was the first photo DVD software I came upon, and I wasn't disappointed at all with the results. Using my regular CD burner, I was able to make a photo CD playable on a DVD player, including music, text, and a customized menu to make it easy for my friend to navigate. (Shareware/Windows)

PhotoDVD lets you create mixed audio and visual presentations with professional-looking results. Create your own slide show, add music, sync the music to your pictures, and even preview your work before you burn it to DVD. (Shareware/Windows)

Still Life for Mac OS X lets you experiment with panning over single images, using background music to present a unique photo experience in your DVD presentation. Use the zoom options and create a dramatic camera path to get the best effect. (Shareware/Mac)