As far as I know, Windows DVD Maker is an integral part of Movie Maker which in turn is an integral part of the Vista operating system. I would guess that it would only be updated as part of a Windows Vista Update. I have not noticed anything new re Movie Maker or DVD Maker since I got my computer in May 2007. My Movie Maker is Version 6.0.6000.16386, and is part of Vista with Service Pack 1.
RE burning time: I notice that most of the time is taken up with encoding the video file in preparation for burning per se. Generally this time for me is about the same as the real playing time of the video. The actual burn is about another 10% of that time. I use the 'Fast' burning time setting. One thing that is helpful is that, after the encoding step, DVD Maker lets you choose to make multiple burns without repeating the encoding time; that can be a big time saver. Hope this is helpful.
Vista Home Premium
HP Pavilion - 2 GB