The dvdrtools software suite provides comprehensive DVD and CD burning capabilities.
At its core, dvdrtools offers a range of features for writing DVD-R, DVD-RW, CD-R, and CD-RW media. But what makes it stand out from the competition is its many modifications that enhance the user experience. For example, dvdrtools boasts a clean and stripped-down code that makes it easier to use; it also incorporates tools for handling video DVDs, making it a one-stop shop for all your media authoring needs.
Other modifications compared to cdrtools include the replacement of the build system with standard autoconf/automake, as well as the adoption of the Linux way of doing things (dev=/dev/whatever, not 0,0,0) as the primary development platform. Plus, dvdrtools prides itself on not artificially extending the life cycles of obsolete technologies; it removes support for really obsolete systems for the sake of readability.
One important thing to note about dvdrtools is that it's a community project, with contribution and maintenance being managed through a subversion repository. So if you're eager to jump in and help out, you can get write access to the repository after showing your code.
Finally, it's worth mentioning that the latest release of dvdrtools (0.3.1) is a bugfix for version 0.3.0. It mainly addresses portability issues and should only be updated if you've experienced problems with the previous version.
Version 0.3.1: N/A