Digital Home Thoughts - News & Reviews for the Digital Home

I always have the best of intentions, but sometimes I just miss the news. Case in point, Roxio Creator 2009. I had a pre-release phone call with Roxio about the software, but the day the software was released (a few weeks ago now) I never managed to post on it. Better late than never, here's the news posting. The Roxio product page has lots of info about the new product, and the full press release is after the break.

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"CyberLink Corp., innovative solutions provider for the connected digital lifestyle, announced today the release of disc authoring software CyberLink PowerProducer 5, which supports the creation of Blu-ray Discs and DVDs featuring video content recorded in the AVCHD format. PowerProducer 5 is available in two versions. PowerProducer 5 Ultra lets users create high-quality professional-looking discs on Blu-ray Discs and DVDs. With support for the AVCHD video format, users can also create DVDs featuring highly compressed high-definition content. PowerProducer 5 (DVD) supports the creation of customized menu designs for DVDs and VCDs. In version 5 CyberLink has made major improvements to product usability, providing a simpler, re-stylied interface, and new design tools for creating customizable disc menus with imported photos and videos."

This seems to be "high definition video editing and DVD burning product release week" - and no one told me! Cyberlink's product looks quite powerful. Any fans of Cyberlink products out there? I have yet to try anything they make, though I know a friendly PR person who's hoping that will change one day (it will, I swear!). The remainder of the press release can be found on the Cyberlink site.

Product Category: DVD burning software
Manufacturer: Roxio
Where to Buy: Amazon.com
Price: $43.49 USD
System Requirements: Minimum requirements include 2 Ghz CPU for full video functionality, 1024 x 768 screen resolution, DirectX 9 or higher compatible video card, 1 GB of hard drive space for a typical install, and 1 GB of hard drive space for every 5 minutes of video captured.

Pros:

• Flexible file type input and output options;
  
• Easy to use all the features.
  

Cons:

• Stability issues (it's crash prone);
  
• Transcoding and DVD creation glitches;
  
• No Auto-Save feature.
  

Summary:
Roxio's MyDVD 9 bears the name of the product that mother-company Sonic had on the market for years, but it's really still Roxio's DVD Maker – and that's not necessarily a good thing from my point of view. From a functionality standpoint, it might be fine for basic DVD projects – if it didn't crash so often. Read on for the full review. Read more...