Roxio vs. Nero

Posted 03/18/08 at 11:50:00AM | by

Katherine Stevenson

By now, anyone who knows their way around an optical disc drive knows the names Roxio and Nero. The two media-creation mavens have been on the scene since practically the dawn of CD-burning time. And through to today, inclusion of one or the other’s software is de rigueur with the purchase of just about any retail PC or optical drive. Of course, the bundled software packages are but abbreviated versions of the full-on suites Roxio and Nero offer. The stand-alone packages go far beyond the basics of disc copying, burning, and playing—and that’s never been more true than today.

In recent months Nero and Roxio have released new iterations of their respective media-creation suites and both are packed with enough features to challenge the commitment of even manic media-philes. Roxio Easy Media Creator 10 and Nero 8 Ultra have come out swinging with more media-creation capabilities than we know what to do with… literally. Still, we’re willing to jump into the fray to figure it all out. We’ll tell you how these two suites rate and help you decide whether it’s worth upgrading from the software you’re already using.

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DVD43 is a free alternative to AnyDVD

Submitted by bellz on Tue, 2008-03-18 12:52.

Maxpc said "We believe we’d be smarter, savvier, more Maximum PC, if you will, by choosing just the media-creation apps that suit our purposes from the various resources at our disposal."

...yet endorsed Anydvd, when there's a free alternative called DVD43. http://www.dvd43.com/

I'm not sure why you didn't mention it, but now you know.

There are many free

Submitted by Shalbatana on Wed, 2008-03-19 07:15.

There are many free alternatives out there. One just needs to know where to look.

I typically rely on Nero simply for ease of use and reliability. I do feel they are missing some great opportunities though. They should develop a "capture from LP or cassette" feature... though I hear there's a great stand-alone for that too.

I would also love to see them develop an intensive help system that even gets into setting up components, etc.

I use 6 Ultra, and find it invaluable, but tend not to install the bloat. That's the best way to use these products.

P.S. can someone, someday, come up with a media player that doesn't suck. Nero's is not only limited, it's fugly no matter the skin.

There's no time like the future.

There are many free

Submitted by Shalbatana on Wed, 2008-03-19 07:27.

There are many free alternatives out there. One just needs to know where to look.

I would also love to see them develop an intensive help system that even gets into setting up components, etc.

I use 6 Ultra, and find it invaluable, but tend not to install the bloat. That's the best way to use these products.

P.S. can someone, someday, come up with a media player that doesn't suck. Nero's is not only limited, it's fugly no matter the skin.

There's no time like the future.

Ripping from LPs

Submitted by MrMick on Thu, 2008-03-20 08:27.

Speaking of free alternatives, I really like the free, open-source Audacity for ripping tracks from vinyl. I haven't tried it with cassettes, but it's the same concept so the results should be the same.

Mike

Michael Brown
Executive Editor

Videohelp.com

Submitted by JohnnyCNote on Fri, 2008-03-21 18:48.

This is one of the best sites I've come across, full of reviews, links and a great forum: http://www.videohelp.com/ . You can find just about any free and non-free app there is when it comes to CD's or DVD's, along with download links and users' comments.

They have hardware, software and media reviews, how-to guides - you name it. I've learned just about everything I know, particularly when it comes to DVD's, on this site.

Johnny C-Note says "check 'em out!" . . .

What about labeling of CD/DVDs?

Submitted by Mike_H on Mon, 2008-03-24 07:43.

What about labeling of CD/DVDs? There's two camps now PhotoInk/Dye, and LightScribe. Both Nero Burning ROM, and Roxio have these abilities built into their software, BUT I have neve seen any type of competition between the 2 camps. I've seen both disc, and they're amazing (Depending on the Photojet Printer) Both camps can do CD/DVDs as well as Covers for gem cases/DVD cases. I think MaximumPC magazine should do a head to head competition.

Nero / Roxio

Submitted by Glen2low on Tue, 2008-04-15 19:02.

I have used both for creating DVD's and they each have their pluses and minuses. Now I'm at the point of I have a DVD I'm trying to make and Nero will do most of the things I want (I have Nero 7) but it will not let me adjust the size of the title font. I can adjust the size in MyDVD but it is limited to 99 pics for a slide show. Old version of MyDVD, 5 to be exact. So I do my best to work around the limitations. What I'd like to see is a list of all them programs out there and where I can get them. I really don't want to spend money on something I use maybe 2 or 3 times a year!

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