This month sees new versions of the leading disc-burning and media suites, Ahead Nero and Roxio Easy Media Creator. The good news for current Nero 7 Premium users is that this is a free update, and it has plenty of new features to tempt those upgrading from simple disc burning software that they got with their PC.
Nero now supports Blu-ray and HD-DVD burning, although only for data discs: not high-definition video. It introduces high-quality encoding to MP3, plus two new applications. Nero Sipps is a Voice Over IP (VoIP) program for free phone calls over the internet, although there seems little point in using it over the far more established (and free) Skype. Nero Mobile is a media playback application that runs on PDAs, mobile phones and other portable devices, and with support for the high quality Nero Digital format, turns any device into a powerful media player. Nero Home, Ahead's answer to Windows Media Center, now records and time-shifts TV and supports dual-TV tuners. The backup program adds the ability to back up entire hard disks and there are plenty more minor improvements across the suite.
If you're getting this as a free update it seems churlish to complain, but for new users, Nero 7 has Roxio Easy Media Creator to compete with. Nero has more applications, with nothing in Roxio's suite to match Nero's Universal Plug & Play (UPnP) server (for streaming music and video to networked players around the house) or SoundTrax, Nero's music-production program. However, SoundTrax is underpowered and confusing, and Microsoft's Windows Media Connect UPnP server software is free. Creator is better equipped for photo editing while Nero has the edge for media playback.
Ultimately, it's Creator's ease of use that makes it our top choice. Nero isn't tricky, but its interface isn't as homogenous as Creator's and the wealth of options sometimes makes it hard to find a specific task.
REQUIRES Windows 2000 (SP4)/XP (SP2), Pentium 4 1.6GHz and 128MB RAM for advanced features, 600MB disk spaceNero 7 users shouldn't hesitate to upgrade, but for first-time buyers, Roxio is more rewarding.Author: Ben Pitt
Ahead Nero 7 Premium Reloaded