InterVideo's Disc Master 2 is a very mediocre application with respect to the interface and content. As a saving grace, it doesn't burden the system too much.
Features
This application lacks the ability to create video discs and MP3 DVDs, which we believe is a mandatory feature for burning software. Creation of a disc image is also not possible; Disc Master 2 is the only application in this comparison that didn't feature this tool. On the brighter side, it has many necessary features, such as image burning, creation of bootable CDs and DVDs, and duallayer support. It also supported multi session and overburning.
Ease Of Use
A straightforward interface lists all the necessary tasks related to burning on the left pane. The right half is the drag and drop interface,
which includes the file browser and the area to where you drag and drop the files to be burnt. A Wizard is conspicuously absent in the interface, but strictly speaking, Disc Master 2 doesn't need one.
Performance
Memory usage was under 30 MB during the burn process, and Disc Master 2 (along with Power2Go) clocked the fastest time for burning a data disc.
Site: http://intervideo.com/jsp/Disc¬
Master Profile.jsp
NewTech InfoSystems NTI CD&DVD Maker 7
NTI CD&DVD Maker has always been known for its ease of use. The last time we did a review and comparison of burning software, NTI gave stiff competition to the then winner Nero 6 Ultra in the ease of use and features departments. Does it still stand up to the competit
ion?
Features
it is hard to pinpoint a missing feature here. In the table you'll
notice that CD&DVD Maker 7 gives Nero and Easy Media Creator a tough challenge. The only area it missed out on was in the ability to create a Music DVD. WMA music CDs are supported in CD&DVD Maker, though.
CD&DVD Maker is sparse in the additional package departMent; it bundled only the important applications the AVI to MPEG converter, audio ripper, audio editor, and a few others.
Ease of use
The interface bears a strong resemblance to Mac software. It is well supported by a simple Wizard that guides you through
all the steps necessary to burn your desired project. The only area where we had to work around a little bit with the interface was to burn a disc image. otherwise, the interface is pretty straightforward, and so is the installation.
Performance
CD&DVD Maker 7 did not impress us performance wise. It taxes the system memory (albeit a little less than Nero does).
Site: https://secure.ntius.com/esdsoft/ cdmaker v7 full.asp
Sonic/Roxio Easy Media Creator 8
The dark horse in our comparison was Roxio's Easy Media Creator 8. Roxio has been bought over by Sonic Solutions, and the effect is showing up in this suite.
If you thought Nero was a complete solution, you might feel sorry for not having known about Easy Media Creator 8. But you can't be blamed; Sonic Solutions and Roxio do not provide a demo or a trial pack. All other manufacturers do.
Features
What would you call a software that has all the features you'd want? We call it Easy Media Creator 8! This software is not only feature rich but also provides loads of additional packages. The only two areas we got a chance to type in "absent" in our comparison chart were Blu Ray support and UPnP streaming... but do you really need these as of now?
Ease of Use
The installation Wizard is almost identical to that of Nero 7 you'll need to choose custom installa
in Roxio Easy Media Creator 8, used disc space is shown as a
shaded region on a disc symbol at the lower left corner
tion if you want to control the applications this mammoth product will add to your system.
The interface is fully backed by a Wizard that is integrated with the main application; it is not a separate dialog box guiding you through the various stages of a burn project. The left pane displays various categories under which different burn projects are classified. On the lower left corner, a disc icon shows the used disc space as a pie chart, and the estimated remaining space is displayed next to it.
Performance
The application consumes about 100 MB of system memory when loading, and then settles down to 80 odd MB. But try burning a CD, and you'll see memory usage drop sometimes it doesn't consume any! Even if Easy Media Creator uses virtual memory for its burning, it would probably just take a few extra seconds to burn a media and you'll have free RAM to run other applications simultaneously.
Site: www.roxio.com/en/products/
index.jhtml
Sonic/Roxio RecordNow! Deluxe 7
Looking for a software that is strictly meant for burning CDs and DVDs, and that doesn't load your system with packages you may never use? Sonic Solutions' RecordNow! Deluxe 7 is the answer: all it does is burn!
Features
Most burning features are supported in RecordNow! Deluxe. But it lacks a little on the DVD burn features available in its cousin, Easy Media Creator 8. Other important features such as overburning, multi session and image burning are supported.
In the additional package
department, RecordNow!
provided only basic, useful and
frequently used apps such as a CD
label creator, audio ripping, and
a Photo Slide Show disc wizard.
Ease Of Use
We found the interface very compact and not very informative. It looks more like audio player software; the tabs on the base open up a hideable menu that reveals all the burn related features. The tab classifies the
various burn tasks into audio, video, data, etc. You can choose to drag and drop the files you want to burn using Windows Explorer, since the file browser is as compact as the interface. The interface is intuitive drag MP3 tracks onto the disc symbol on the interface, and it will automatically open the MP3 CD creator. You can also choose to change the volume levels of the sound tracks you add.
Performance
RecordNow!, too, was very low on resources right from the opening of the application to the end of the burn process. The time taken to record disc images and data were average. The readings we obtained were just the values we expected from an application with such a modest interface.
