As movies are increasingly being distributed in digital format, VSO DivxToDVD Converter represents the perfect way of converting your videos and burning them onto a DVD for home viewing. The application boasts the ability to transfer video to and from a mammoth range of different file types, including all the usual suspects such as DivX, MOV and MPEG.

VSO DivxToDVD Converter is one of the easiest to use of its kind and allows you to get started in a matter of seconds. You simply choose the files that you wish to convert, hit a button and wait for the magic to happen. Although it isn't the quickest burner of its kind, the results are flawless, and VSO DivxToDVD is able to compress MPEGs to a very small size without a noticeable reduction in quality. This is great if you want to cram two movies onto one disk.

Of course, we should point out that using the software to copy illegally downloaded movies to disk infringes copyright law, but for backing up movies and burning paid-for video downloads you'll struggle to find a better tool.

Download VSO ConvertXtoDVD 3.1.1.32 in Softonic

Antivirus tools are the kind of software applications that you need to use for an extended period of time in order to fully test them. Still, having only a few hours to try Kaspersky Anti-Virus, I must say I got a really positive impression.

After a slightly troublesome installation process which included the eventual uninstalling of other antivirus apps plus an updating process, you're ready to launch Kaspersky and let it take care of your computer. In fact, it monitors not only the file system, but also email and web browsing, thus providing you with a comprehensive security solution that will keep you safe from today's most usual dangers on the Web.

Kaspersy features several different scanning modes (Critical areas, My computer, Startup objects and Rootkit scan). Each one of them can be run manually or programmed to run according to a certain period of time. You can also define your own scan mode and set an exception list for those files, folders and apps that you trust and needn't be scanned. One thing I particularly liked is the possibility to create a rescue disk, in case your PC is completely ruined by a virus attack.

Kaspersky seems very light on resources, which is always good in a program that you must have constantly running. However, files and apps may take slightly more time to open while Kaspersky analyzes them. I guess this is a small price we have to pay for being a bit more secure. In any case, you may as well use the exception list and make sure all your trusted apps are included there.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus offers a complete protection against virus, Trojans and worms for your file system, email and web browsing.

Download Kaspersky Anti-Virus 8.0.0.357 in Softonic

As video goes the way of the good old cassette tape, DVD has become universally adopted as the format of choice for watching movies. Of course, the medium is not infallible, and DVDs are as prone to scratching or damage as VHS tapes were to getting chewed by the machine. CloneDVD represents one of the easiest ways to back up your movies to disk, ensuring that even novice users don't have to worry about loss or damage of their favorite films.

The interface is wonderfully simple to use, allowing you to select your source location and destination through an obvious wizard-style menu system. The beauty of the program is that it gives you a number of options for cloning to help you compress the file size without compromising movie quality. For instance, you can choose to omit certain extras from your DVD such as foreign language subtitles or theatrical trailers. Copying speed is among the fastest around, allowing you to copy to an ISO file on your hard drive or directly to recordable DVD in a flash.

Although the application doesn't allow you to clone copy-protected media, this is of course, illegal anyway, and if you want to perform such operations then there are alternative applications available that can be used alongside CloneDVD. If it's simplicity of use and speed that you require then CloneDVD is more than capable.

Download CloneDVD 2.9.1.9 in Softonic

Music Makers fall into two categories for me - inspirational and a pleasure to use or cluttered and down right depressing.

Music Maker 14 is one of the better efforts on the market containing so many features that it's almost impossible to go through them in depth. However, this is no bad thing because many of the features are a little overkill but the basics are so easy to get to grips with, you'll be making sweet music in minutes. The program works with sixteen tracks laid out at the top of the screen although you can only see six at one time. You can drag and drop music samples from the soundbar into any track, and building a basic tune is simply a matter of picking out some drum, guitar, bass and keyboard samples. Then just add some special effects and the tunes you create will really impress. To get the mix and pitch of your composition right, there's a list of pitches labelled one to seven from where you can experiment and make it sound pitch perfect. On the left of the track, you'll find a panel which allows you to adjust the overall beats per and apply effects such as those simulated by a guitar pedal.

Overall, this one of the most powerful and fun music makers out there and if you can't make decent music on it, then try another hobby.

Download MAGIX Music Maker 14 (UK) in Softonic

Are you bombarded with popup ads, seeing new toolbars in your browser, is your home page changing to unwanted destinations or are you bombarded with irritating spam? Perhaps strange software loads on startup or your favorites have new entries that YOU DONT WANT. If So.. Your PC is most likely infected with adware, spyware, spybot, trojans or another internet parasite.

Your Privacy is being seriously Invaded. These programs have the ability to track your browsing habits and even steal such personal information as bank account numbers and passwords. Spyware has the power to install more parasites on your computer without your consent. Everything you do and everything you type is being recorded right now! Companies know what your interests are! Hackers will access your PC and do anything they wish. They can even steal your Identity and You would never be the wiser!

Download the latest version of XoftSpy right now. Within just a few minutes you will be able to completely clean your computer of all these invasive threats! Your computer will be clean and will run a lot faster - Your Privacy will be Protected!

Download XoftSpySE 4.29 in Softonic

PhotoSuite® 8 puts the power to create spectacular photo projects of the highest quality right in your hands. With One Button Photo Fix, Smart Views, and Peer-to-Peer photo sharing your life just got a whole lot more organized. What’s more, the DVD creation capability turns your slideshow productions into DVDs that you can easily share with friends and family on your TV!

Main features:

Make every picture perfect

Automatically remove red-eye, scratches - even dust. Get even more creative with tools like cloning, effects brushes, smart edge detection, and masking.

Add your own personal touch

Create photo collages and control layers, fading & transparency. Tap into 340+ effects & transitions, 80+ photo content projects, 25 labels and 20+ menu styles!

Create photo slideshows

Easily share photos using peer-to-peer technology - no upload or large email attachments required. Or, create up to 999-photo slideshows and burn to DVD!

Files at your fingertips

Access the files you need with a unified view of your photos in one place. Your PC will monitor new files added and auto-update the information in the Media Manager.

Download Roxio PhotoSuite 8 in Softonic

If you want to keep your PC in good condition and running as smoothly as the very first day you switched it on, you've got two options: either you download a dozen different system optimization apps or you just use TuneUp Utilities, a nice piece of software that has turned into an essential maintenance toolkit for your PC.

The new version of TuneUp Utilities brings many exciting new features that make the program even better. It has not only improved many of the tools included in previous editions, but has also added new ones such as a defrag tool or a repair wizard. Also, you'll notice a completely revamped interface which makes the program even easier to use: tools are classified into several categories as usual, but now there are also direct links to the most frequently used ones. As for the other areas in the program, TuneUp 2008 maintains the same clear, intuitive and eye-catching design that has made it so popular among users.

The first thing you see when launching the program is a nagging window, a short message reminding you that this is not free software and that you have a 30 day trial period. It's a bit of a nuisance because it appears every time you run TuneUp, but no big deal.

Featured tools range from customizing the appearance of your Windows installation to editing the Registry and covering many important aspects of your system. You'll be able to optimize its overall performance, gain disk space by erasing useless files and even recover those documents you've deleted by accident. TuneUp can also generate a highly detailed report on the state of your PC. The good thing is that, no matter how many changes you make, you can always go back to your PC's previous state thanks to TuneUp Rescue Center.

TuneUp is seamlessly integrated into Windows. New commands are added to context menus to shred or undelete files in your Recycle Bin. Also, you'll find a new shortcut named "1-Click Maintenance" on the Desktop, which enables you to perform a quick maintenance check-up and which has also been optimized in TuneUp 2008. This is certainly a very handy tool which we recommend running every week as a periodic maintenance task.

TuneUp Utilities gathers pretty much all the maintenance and optimization tools you need into one efficient, easy-to-use application. You couldn't ask for more.

Download TuneUp Utilities 2008 7.0.7992 in Softonic

RegCure provides fast and efficient scanning and cleaning of your Windows registry so that your computer can run at an optimal level of performance.

RegCure enables you to fix your PC's Windows registry in the way that is most comfortable for you. Clean your registry manually according to your own specifications or perform a thorough scan and clean it automatically.

The user-friendly interface allows you to monitor the progress of your scan, schedule RegCure to scan at the times that are best for you and will even manage and clean up your start up programs. Removes of invalid registry items including COM/ActiveX Entries, Uninstall Entries, Font Entries, Shared DLLs, Application Paths, Help Files Information, Windows Startup Items, File/Path References, Program Shortcuts, Empty Registry Keys, File Associations. Ability to back-up and restore the Windows registry.

Download RegCure 1.0.0.43 in Softonic

Comprehensive protection is priority number one for every computer user connected to the net and no matter what measures one takes, there will eventually be some way for attacks to circumvent them. There is therefore the need for not only a shield from spyware but a permanently up-to-date scanner that will give your system a rigorous once over to weed out any root kits and of course any other kind of malware. Step up Spy Sweeper, an advanced solution that will help you put your mind to rest.

Emphasising the need to stay on top of recent trends, the program will conduct an automatic update when you first open it. Follow that with a “Sweep” and you’ll soon realise that the term “excavation” may better suit the process that follows. There’s no point in holding your breath for it to finish because if our test system is anything to go by you can expect a wait of up to one hour! Thankfully though, a scan won’t gobble up your CPU usage and there will be no noticeable slow-down if you use other applications during the process.

A unique and very practical feature of Spy Sweeper is the running commentary of everything you’ve done since beginning the session. As the scan progresses, issues will appear in red with the type of problem and the name of the offending file. A more detailed log of your session history can be found under the Results tab which also time stamps every event.

While Spy Sweeper tries to keep the user informed, it doesn’t venture so far as to estimate the time remaining for a scan. This is a small feature that should be regarded as standard for this type of software but it’s just not to be the case here. What’s more, within the options tab you find what amounts to nothing more than advertising with links to more Webroots products. We would hope that these disappear once you’ve registered your copy.

Issues aside, Spy Sweeper packs a punch where it counts and certainly justifies its modest price tag. While there are free alternatives to be found in Ad-Aware and Spybot Search and Destroy, the extra funding may provide more incentive to stay on top of recent threats and should also guarantee the longevity of support for many years to come.

Download Spy Sweeper 5.3 in Softonic

Since bursting onto the internet in 2000, BSPlayer has been downloaded over 60 million times according to its developers. The aim of the player is to "enable users to focus on watching the movie instead of dealing with poor computer capabilities or running around looking for a proper settings and codecs." For those that have had problems with mainstream media players on offer, BSPlayer may prove a useful alternative.

It supports all kinds of media including avi, mpeg, asf, wmv, mp3, etc but also specializes in DivX playback. Many users report that DivX files that wouldn’t work on other players, did in BS Player. One of the major drawbacks with many media players is resource hogging but BSPlayer consumes no more than many audio players and start-up is pleasantly fast. Because it does not use much of the processing power, its more suited to those users with slower machines that are not looking for too many fancy features.

BSPlayer also comes bundled with BSMediaLibrary which can manage all your multimedia content and enables you to create your own playlists. It also has a multitude of skins available for download, many designed by other devoted users.

The major drawback with BSPlayer is the concealed menu which appears and disappears when you wave the mouse over it. This becomes increasingly annoying if you are listening to something whilst using another application. However, loading subtitles is easy and dragging and dropping files into the screen to open files means you can avoid the annoying menu. You also have a small graphic equaliser and can load the player with other codecs that you might need.

Overall, definitely worth trying for anyone who has had problems with DivX files or are tired of bulky mainstream offerings.

Download BSPlayer Pro 2.28 build 964 in Softonic

This powerful app has the ability to record and change your voice, either for fun or to use for music production purposes. The program also includes a built-in phone recorder, plus a high-quality MP3 recorder.

These are the program's top features:

Change your voice from the microphone

Does "voice masquerading" sound exciting to you? Adjust the Pitch and Timbre table to change your voice pitch and voice timbre to the desired level. You can also choose among the preset "nickvoices" to sound like a man, woman, baby, etc. Ideal for voice chat and online gaming.

Change singer's voice in songs and narrations

Get bored of listening to the same old singers? Looking for something fresh? AV Voice Changer Software helps you liven up your CD collection by changing the voice of the songs in any way you wish.

Record and edit your own voice

Use the built-in voice recorder as a phone, MP3, and digital recorder. You can save sound files then morph them and add effects. Thanks to the huge libraries of preset "nickvoices", effects and settings, this can be accomplished in next to no time.

Download Voice Changer Software Basic 6.0.27 in Softonic

The world of dubbing and lip syncing has come a long way since the days when high-pitched voice actors would jabber away in not-so-perfect harmony to Japanese Kung Fu fighters in the martial arts movies of the 1970s. In fact, digital animation technology has improved so much that it’s now possible to animate your own talking heads from your home PC.

CrazyTalk Media Studio promises to give you all the tools you need to import images and photographs before quickly applying mouth, head and eye movement to create realistic looking avatars and fun animations. At first we were a little dubious about the value of such a product, but were soon pleasantly surprised by the power of the utility.

Granted, our initial efforts were limited to taking pictures of friends and giggling inanely as they repeated audio clips from famous movies or songs. These first experiments were a little clunky to say the least and looked far from realistic when we relied on the automatic lip-syncing functionality. However, once you delve deeper into the settings, you start to realize that you can actually produce some impressive animations.

With enough tinkering you can customize everything from the teeth in the character’s mouth to their facial movements and their range of movement. Best of all is the built-in timeline, which gives you complete control of the animation and sound, much as you would do in Flash, or a video-editing suite. Complete with alpha channel support, the program is ideal for producing talking presenters to welcome visitors to your web site or presentations. The simple-to-use export facilities allow you to save to a range of formats whether as a media file, email attachment or a personalized greeting.

There are a few flaws with the program that are a little frustrating, but they fail to prevent CrazyTalk Media Studio from being a great program. Minor niggles are the lack of MP3 audio import support, and the relatively low number of preset templates and characters. The app does have a fairly steep learning curve but it’s good fun to use and is surprisingly powerful.

Download CrazyTalk 4.6 in Softonic

Nearly all software can be categorised as being from one of two groups: the programs that do one thing, normally fairly well, and the programs which do everything - often with some loss of quality. Roxio Easy Media Creator Suite (EMCS) is a classic case of the second type. While its capabilities are huge and impressive, they bring with them other problems like reduced performance and long load times.

The original cornerstone of Roxio's flagship product is CD and DVD burning. EMCS still packs a powerful tool for writing to disks but it's really all the extra functionality that makes this suite interesting. EMCS does it all: photo slide shows, video editing, iPod and MP3 player management, secure backups, multimedia organisation and video playback - to name but a few.

We tested each of the components and found that most of them perform to at least a satisfactory level. Sadly, Roxio included several design-related elements which annoy (like using custom window decorations, buttons and even file browsers when the Windows default shell is perfectly usable). Also, the suite contains numerous advertisements for new Roxio services which appear a little odd given that this isn't a free program. Likewise, Roxio's insistence on opening web links using Internet Explorer whether it's your default browser or not was disappointing: it's never a good sign when a program effectively forces you to do things its way or not at all.

The worst feature of the suite is without doubt the video player (called 'CinePlayer') which is nothing more than a run-of-the-mill movie player. After loading for nearly 30 seconds, it took ages to load a simple DivX file and crashed when a couple of buttons were clicked. When free players like VLC can do so much better, one has to wonder why Roxio didn't make an effort to deliver a really fast, lightweight player instead of the slovenly, unstable one bundled in this suite.

All that said, Roxio Easy Media Creator Suite is actually a pretty good bundle. We love the photo editing application which is fairly fast and has just the right balance of basic and advanced tools. The mobile phone photo wizard is a particularly cool utility which really did help camera-phone pictures look better.

The most significant problem with Roxio is the way it treats your PC. This is not a program which is designed to be removed once installed. It installs so many components to your system that you can easily lose track of them... and it fails to include a comprehensive uninstall application for the whole bundle. Instead, you must uninstall each component separately, a time consuming and irritating hassle. I'm still having trouble getting the 1.4 GB installer off my computer!

Roxio Easy Media Creator Suite is a powerful and comprehensive media suite. If you're looking for one bundle of software, which you'll never remove from your computer, to handle all your media tasks then this is the software for you. If, however, you prize quality over convenience, and have some respect for your hard-disk and registry, Roxio Easy Media Creator Suite is not recommended.

Download Roxio Easy Media Creator Suite 10 in Softonic

Kaspersky® Internet Security 7.0 provides you with the same proven anti-virus protection as Kaspersky Anti-Virus together with additional features including Parental Control, a personal firewall, an anti-spam filter, Privacy Control and more.

Product Highlights

• Integrated protection from all Internet threats
• Integrated antivirus protection: 1) Hourly automated database updates, 2) Preliminary behavior analysis, 3) On-going behavior analysis. New!
• Real-time scanning for email, Internet traffic and files
• Personal firewall with an IDS / IPS system. Improved!
• Protection from leaks of confidential data. New!
• Parental Control. New!
• Protection from spam and phishing
• Automatic database updates

Additional Features

• Protection from viruses, Trojans and worms
• Protection from spyware and adware
• Protection from all types of keyloggers. Improved!
• Detection of all types of rootkits. Improved!
• Protection from viruses when using ICQ and other IM clients
• Rollback of malicious changes on your PC
• Self-defense of the antivirus program from being disabled or stopped
• Tools for creating a Rescue Disk
• Free technical support

Download Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 8.0.0.357 in Softonic

With such an ever growing range of multimedia devices, no wonder format converters are becoming so popular these days!

Any Audio/Video Converter is one of those converters: a simple, easy-to-use application that support pretty much any format you can find nowadays and lets you convert both audio and video files in just a few steps.

The program works with a list where you add the files you want to convert, no matter what format they are. Then you configure the conversion options for each one of them separately and finally click on the "Convert" button to let the program do the rest. I think this method is quite handy and saves you loads of work and time; pity the trial version only accepts one file on this list!

Any Audio/Video Converter includes a built-in player in its interface, but it's only good to watch the video while it's being converted and not preview it before actually starting the process.

With Any Audio/Video Converter you can convert basically any audio and video file you can think of, in a quite easy process that involves very little effort.

Download Any Audio/Video Converter 4.1 in Softonic

iTunes is a great tool to synchronize content between your iPod or iPhone and your computer, but unfortunately it only works in one way. So if you want to transfer files from the Apple device or you're simply looking for an iTunes alternative, here's Xilisoft iPod Rip.

This handy app lets you synchronize contents between an iPod/iPhone and your computer in both ways, including music and video. Transfers are easy to do and also instantaneous, syncing content in the very moment you add files or folders to the list. They can also be done in batches, though the trial version has some limitations in this area.

On the downside, Xilisoft iPod Rip is obviously not the same as iTunes, so it doesn't support podcasts, or ringtones to name a few. I specially missed ratings and even more Cover Flow, to which I'm addicted after having spent a whole weekend downloading covers for all my albums so that they look nice on iTunes. At least the program does support playlists!

In any case, Xilisoft iPod Rip is a really handy solution if you're looking for a quick, easy way to copy files from the iPod/iPhone to your computer. If you need a complete music organizer, you'd better stick to iTunes.

Download Xilisoft iPod Rip 2.0.93.0509 in Softonic

Atomic Mail Sender (AMS) is a mass mailer, a utility that delivers e-mail messages directly to the recipients' mailboxes without using your ISP mail server. This mailer supports the mailing lists stored in the formats of text files (.txt or .lst) or CSV-files exported from MS Excel or MS Access. Atomic Mail Sender provides basic mailing list management options: adding new addresses, removing addresses, filtering features, etc.

Combined together with Atomic Subscription Manager, the two software applications make the entire process of addresses management automatic. You need not add or remove users manually anymore!

Download Atomic Mail Sender 4.20 in Softonic

While the iPod is best know for being the music lovers best friend, it can also be a useful tool for movie buffs.

Xilisoft DVD to iPod Converter lets you extract DVD video and audio tracks of DVDs and convert them to audio and video formats compatible with the iPod Video (MPEG-4, MP3, AAC or M4A formats). Like most Xillisoft converters, it's very easy to follow and use with a good looking interface to boot. Conversions are fast but most impressive is the quality which is as good as any iPod converter you'll find. The conversion process is very simple - you can choose to either rip and convert a whole film or sections of a film. Apart from this, there are some customisation options too such as setting a file limit for your conversions, normalizing audio or the ability to compress files that have been extracted to fit your iPod - useful for if you've filled your hard drive with too many tunes. You can also customise the audio, subtitles and part of a DVD that you want to rip. If you've got an iPhone, the program has also now been updated to allow you to put films on your hard drive too.

Flexible, simple to convert and fast, Xilisoft DVD to iPod Converter has more than enough to fulfil your conversion needs.

Download Xilisoft DVD to iPod Converter 5.0.32.0314 in Softonic

Ever thought your photos and movies could do with some special effects? Fancy yourself as a Spielberg? What about all those holiday snaps, surely you could make them more interesting. Photo editing can seem a daunting and sometimes futile business. And creating movies is another prospect altogether. However, MAGIX appear to be offering a program to take the fear out of editing that offers quick and easy results with spectacular effects. In a few clicks you can create effects that you will have seen on many television programmes.

To get started just install the software onto your PC and try out some of the presaved features. There is a large viewing area on the left of the screen and to the right are your folders and files. First of all you need to make sure you have chosen widescreen or normal video though; otherwise all your time and work will be wasted. You can upload music into your presentation, cue intro and outro themes, add cinema curtains opening and closing, then play with the myriad effects available. These include fade ins and outs, pixellation, zooming, tracking in from left or right, tracking out, the whole screen folding up, swirls... too many to mention to be honest.

Once you've mastered all this you can go to the next level of editing which involves animating your photographs, giving your grandparents hilarious moustaches, if they don't have them already, or putting glasses on your dog. You can also add speech bubbles or pixellate faces, as if they were on a news report. Once your happy burn your presentation, slideshow or home movie onto a CD or DVD, or show your slideshows as videos in Flash format or even in high resolution HD. Even better, you can share them with your friends using an online MAGIX album. MAGIX is a substantial and, most importantly, accessible editing package.

Download MAGIX - Photos on CD & DVD 2007 (UK) in Softonic

CopyToDVD is a new generation DVD backup software tool to copy your music, games, movies, video, photos and data files. CopyToDVD provides you with a variety of ways to create CD(s) or DVD(s), such as integration to shell, user friendly frontend or FileDepot technology. With just a few clicks you can backup DVD movies, burn files, folders, pictures or photos, and music (MP3 Ogg Vorbis WMA Flac) to CD DVD. CopyToDVD uses a smart data analyser which suggests the best output format (audio CD, DVD Video...).

CopyToDVD is very user friendly. No more time wasted on fussy, complicated interfaces. CopyToDVD supports all CD and DVD formats (CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, DVD-RAM, DVD+R DL, DVD-R DL). Registered users can contact the support team for assistance on problems or advices.

For developers, CopyToDVD DVD backup software can be integrated in any application. CopyToDVD is the unique way to add burning and save-to-media features.

Key features:

• Create Audio CDs from MP3, WMA, Ogg Vorbis, MusePack and APE file formats.
• Create CDs and DVDs using ISO/Joliet/UDF. Multi session feature allows you to add to your media in stages.
• Create high quality DVD Video backups to be played on your PC or home DVD player. Copy DVD video with high playability.
• Customize the way you wish to use the software by the large number of settings available.
• Supports any CD or DVD writer.
• Burn iso files in 1 click
• Developers: Add a CD or DVD burning feature to your application using the batch/command line mode of CopyToDVD (complete SDK on request)
• Latest technologies including Double Layer and HD-Burn
• Multilingual support

Download VSO CopyToDVD 4.0.4 in Softonic