Nero and Roxio Put New Spin on Traditional Disc-Burning Suites
Advanced features in both updates, but one targets power users while the other goes for ease of use.Jon L. Jacobi
Photograph by Marc Simon
Both suites are composed of multiple individual modules--Nero counts 18, Roxio has 25--most of which are accessible via a launcher or individually through Windows' Programs menu. Each suite has its assets, and each makes strides with features on the periphery of disc burning; which suite you'll prefer depends on which capabilities you value most.
In spite of the packages' similarities, the two vendors' approaches to software design couldn't be more different. Nero has a tradition--continued in version 7--of adding cool features without much concern about how simple they are to access or master. Roxio not only adds features, but it also expends more effort making its suite easier to use--a daunting task given the sheer number of components involved.
Nero 7 Ultra Edition's new advanced features include high-definition video editing, 7.1-channel surround-sound editing, a musical beat editor and dance synthesizer that exports files to the sound editor, and a living-room interface (for more on the two packages' living-room-centric aspects, see "Beyond Burning"). But I found little improvement in the program's interface from version 6.6--in fact, the Nero suite's often downright unfriendly design and workflow could use a complete rethinking.
By contrast, Roxio has made significant progress toward improving its product's ease of use in version 8, as well as adding features such as a DVD music disc function and high-resolution video editing. Simple data and disc-maintenance chores are now easily accessible, and virtually every component has been imbued with the attractive look and logical workflow that version 7 introduced. The result is a much more cohesive feel, though the overlapping capabilities of many modules can still get confusing.
Here's how the two suites and their various modules--all of which have their own monikers--stack up on the fundamental tasks. I looked at preproduction software from Roxio and early production-level software from Nero. Unfortunately, I encountered numerous sloppy glitches in Nero's interface, such as a reference to a previous version of one Nero module; we expect most of these glitches to be corrected when Nero issues its first patch. (Keep reading for my updated take and PCW Ratings based on final production software.)
Data: Between Nero Burning ROM and Roxio Creator Classic, Nero remains our choice of the two old-school data-burning applications--even though it retains an interface that is poorly organized in spots. Roxio's Creator Classic program may be prettier and easier to use, but it simply can't match the wide variety of CD and DVD disc projects, the disc image handling, and the integrated audio ripping and encoding that Nero Burning ROM offers.
The Roxio launch module includes task-specific shortcuts, as well as clearly defined options to help jump-start your project.
If you want friendly, direct access to your burning functions, however, go with Roxio: It now integrates the most common disc tasks--such as simple data CD/DVD burning, as well as disc copying, erasing, and finalizing--into its Roxio Home launch module, making those functions simpler to access. Nero's equivalent launch module, StartSmart, is not nearly as direct, but it is configurable.
Nero's StartSmart launcher has bold color, but not-so-bold type; it also lacks shortcuts into specific functions.
Audio: Both packages are amped up with new audio features that extend far beyond basic ripping, encoding, and burning. Power users will appreciate the 7.1-channel surround-sound editing and individual-track special effects in Nero's SoundTrax editing component. Nero also wins this review's award for the most fun new feature: Its SoundBox rhythm box/sample synthesizer allows you to create cool dance grooves.
As fun as Nero's sound mixing may be, I found Roxio's new, brilliantly simple DVD music disc function far more useful. In this mode, Roxio creates a DVD movie disc, ditches the video to produce more space for an audio track (created from imported MP3s and other audio files), and uses the DVD menu to sort and provide access to the tunes. You can fit far more music on a 4.7GB DVD than on an audio CD--and you can play it in any DVD drive or player.
DVD authoring: Though I consider Nero's DVD authoring (creating DVD movies or slide shows with menus from your own clips, photos, and video) good, Roxio has the distinct edge. The beauty of its templates and the way the new, integrated versions of MyDVD Express and MyDVD guide you in turn through the DVD authoring process make the task easy. Plus, the suite adds some nice image editing, organizing, and secure Web sharing capabilities (via its PhotoSuite and LiveShare components, respectively).
By comparison, Nero Vision 4's restrictive workflow and arcane language make the otherwise powerful app seem crude. Nero's suite also has no answer for Roxio's CineMagic, which deftly automates the production of video discs with professional-looking menus, fades, and musical tracks.
Video: Each suite offers extensive and capable video capture and editing. For editing, I preferred Roxio's more traditional stand-alone VideoWave 8 component, which is easier to learn and supplies more on-screen storyboard space than Nero Vision 4 does.
When it comes to the high-resolution video handling new to both suites, though, Nero has the advantage. VideoWave 8 and Nero Vision 4 can now edit and export high-definition video (up to 1920 by 1080 resolution, also known as 1080i). However, Roxio exports to DivX HD or Windows Media 9 HD, which may cause compatibility issues down the road. Nero's export format (Nero Digital) is completely compatible with H.264, one of the codecs included in both the Blu-ray and HD-DVD specs. Many experts believe that H.264 is the heir apparent to MPEG-2--which means you would be able to play your video five years from now. Exporting video in high definition can be time-consuming, though: It took more than 2 hours to reencode my 5-minute 1440 by 1080 clip created by a Sony DV camcorder.
Both suites can compress dual-layer content to fit on a single 4.7GB DVD. For this task Nero's Recode offers more options by far, but has a nearly unfathomable interface.
Backup: Roxio includes the robust, full-featured Backup MyPC 6 (a $70 product on its own, sold as StompSoft's Backup MyPC 2005) and adds a new, simpler Backup component for uncompressed file backups to disc or hard drive, which takes care of my only gripe from previous versions. However, the new Backup component has no restore function, relying instead on the stand-alone Roxio Retrieve program that's stored with the backup. That may be handy for CD/DVD backups, but a pain when you want only to restore from a hard drive.
Nero improves its backup capabilities over those of previous versions with dramatic changes to BackItUp--the only component in the suite whose workflow and interface the company took the time to rethink and reorganize. Not only is defining a backup much easier than before, but a new calendar lets multiple users schedule backups from across a network, and you can now image (back up to one large file) a boot partition. You can even save a new job before executing it; this improvement eliminates my one major complaint with the version of the tool in Nero 6.
Update: Nero 7 vs. Roxio 8--The Real Deal
After moving to the final-release versions of Nero 7 Ultra Edition and Roxio Easy Media Creator 8, my opinion hasn't changed--much. Roxio remains friendlier to beginners and produces prettier DVDs, while Nero still excels at audio, high-def video, and other technical tasks. However, I was hoping for more interface improvements in the Nero 7 final release, as well as better performance and more stability out of Easy Media Creator 8.
Nero's approach appears to be the same as it has always been: Get a largely usable product out the door whether it's truly ready or not, and then fix it with a slew of (free) online updates. As incredibly aggravating as this habitual use of paying customers for beta testing may be, though, users are eventually rewarded with a powerful suite. As of version 7.0.1.2 I've found Nero 7 to be very stable on my Athlon desktops, but still plagued by longstanding interface shortcomings and help files that are poorly translated or incomplete.
Nero is charging registered users $50 to upgrade, and is offering a $20 rebate for users of competing packages--reasonable considering the suite's new audio and HD video features. Nero also maintains an admirable tradition of adding major features for free during its monthly and sometimes weekly updates, so the upgrade fee will undoubtedly buy you even more as time goes on. If you purchase Nero at your local store, update the software immediately after installation; Nero does not perform automatic updates, but it does inform you when updates are available.
Easy Media Creator 8 is indeed easier to learn than Nero 7--but after nearly a month of use, I've found that certain aspects of the suite have begun to wear on me. The suite's large number of modules, numerous ways to launch those modules, and multiple methods to perform the same task often invoke interface sensory overload. I also was expecting the final-release software to offer sprightlier performance; instead, Easy Media Creator 8's interface continues to feel sluggish, compared with Nero's, on my Athlon 64 3200+ test bed. The VideoWave 8 module also has a tendency to freeze up.
Still, I truly enjoy Roxio's exclusive DVD music disc feature. It has me bopping to tunes I'd forgotten I even own, and they sound a lot better blasting over the big stereo in the living room than on my PC. A more reasonable upgrade price for version 8 would've counterbalanced most of my gripes; however, owners of previous editions of the Easy Media Creator (or Easy CD & DVD Creator) suites are charged the full price of the software, and, according to Roxio's Web site, get only the same $20 mail-in rebate that competing-software users get--not much of an incentive for loyal users. Paying $80 after rebate is tantamount to rebuying the program, and Roxio doesn't have a history of adding features between versions.
In the end though, if you don't mind the extravagant upgrade costs, Roxio Easy Media Creator 8 is still your best bet for easily producing professional-looking DVD projects or making DVD music discs. As a power user, I'll still reach for Nero, as it offers a slightly superior set of features--but only if you have the patience to master the package's maddeningly complex interface.
Nero and Roxio Square Off
These venerable suites each have their strengths, but Roxio's interface is easier to use.
| Nero 7 Ultra Edition Price when reviewed: $100 |
Powerful suite is often unintuitive--but remains the choice for users who want to control the minutiae of their burns. |
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| Roxio Easy Media Creator 8 Price when reviewed: $100 |
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Much easier to learn and use than Nero, with a large array of components. Coolest feature is its ability to burn DVD music discs. |
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Beyond Burning
Nero 7 Ultra Edition's Nero Home provides a graphical, Media Center-like view for playing and viewing audio, video, and photos.
CD/DVD suites are rapidly expanding not only into the realm of media production, but also into media display and management.
For example, both Nero and Roxio have added a media-server component. Nero 7's MediaHome and Easy Media Creator 8's MediaSpace sit in your system tray and stream selected audio, video, and photo files from your PC to UPnP-AV 1.0-compliant devices that in turn route the content to your living room's TV or stereo. Among such devices are Pinnacle's $300 Show Streamer and D-Link's $220 DSM-520 Wireless Media Player (which supports 720p or 1080i HD content when connected via an HDMI output).
Nero dives even further into multimedia waters with its new Nero Home interface, which is designed to be viewed and navigated from a comfy position on your couch, from about 10 feet away, using a third-party remote control. The view is similar to what you find on TVs, TiVo DVRs, and PCs running Microsoft's Windows XP Media Center Edition operating system. And just like XP MCE, Nero Home allows you to browse and display photos, video, music, and TV (if you have the appropriate hardware); however, it's not quite as easy to use as MCE and lacks some features (my preproduction software could pause, resume, and fast-forward TV, but not record it).
How many users actually want or require such features is questionable. What is clear, however, is that CD/DVD suites are looking toward a future that goes well beyond simply burning discs.