Nero is a mammoth multimedia solution that does just about everything from CD and DVD burning to audio and video editing. This latest version is a bit of a disappointment as it doesn't really bring anything drastically new from version 7. The main improvements are an updated design and reinforced security. Let’s look around at the features available in Nero 8.

This latest version is Windows Vista certified and if you have Microsoft’s latest OS installed you’ll be able to enjoy the Nero sidebar gadget and sleek, clear Vista interface, such as the “Glass” window for StartSmart. Nero Home, the multimedia manager with a DVD menu-like interface, has been slightly improved. Apart from handling all your photos, videos and songs it can also play radio stations and, if you have a TV card set up, play and record TV stations. Furthermore, Nero can stream content to your brand new Xbox 360.

The StartSmart interface is your gateway to all the Nero tools. You can select the individual applications from the left sided menu or choose the file you want to work with (data, audio, photo and video or backup) from the main menu. It’s best to choose the disc type, CD or DVD from the drop-down menu at the top to get the most relevant possibilities. Even though StartSmart gives quick access to all the Nero applications, we found the whole interface too small and cluttered. The window can’t be resized and you need to scroll through to find the tools you need. RSS feeds added to version 8 feel a bit clumsy. They don't show items in a proper feed list and only seem to link back to the Nero help and support pages.

Before it became a full multimedia suite though, Nero was renowned for its burning tools, essentially due to its flagship program, Nero Burning ROM. With it, you can adjust the disc type, set restrictions and control the writing speed. SecurDisc technology has also been added in the latest version to encrypt your CDs or DVDs. If you don’t want to get bogged down in the details, use Nero Express instead to burn your project and design your own disc cover quickly.

Another of the classic Nero apps that has been improved is Nero Showtime. This DVD player boasts support for HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, and will save you from upgrading when these formats become the norm. Just use Nero InfoTool beforehand to check if your system can handle these new formats. The program has also seen the introduction of AVCHD playback and authoring technology used in camcorder videos. Support for Windows Media Format DRM is also part of the deal and you can encode videos to play on your iPod, mobile or PlayStation Portable (PSP) thanks to Nero Recode.

Nero’s strength lies in the wealth of multimedia tools it offers to users. You can do just about everything from managing your media to burning CDs and DVDs or editing and watching high quality videos. The latest release has added a number of significant improvements to handle all the latest technological advances like Windows Vista, iPods or the Xbox 360.

Ironically, Nero´s power also contributes to its downfall. Nero packs so many applications into one package that it’s very easy for the common user to get lost in the menus. The size of the suite(600 MBs) and its draining of PC resources also means that you’ll need a high-spec PC to run it smoothly.

It's a bit surprising that Nero decided to jump to version 8 as there's nothing really that new in this latest outing. Once more, Nero will cater to those users looking for a full multimedia suite and not worried about eating up their PC's resources.

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MagicISO is a powerful and easy CD/DVD image file edit tool. It can open/create/edit/extract CD/DVD image files, and convert BIN to ISO and back. Make image files from CD-ROM or hard disk, and handle bootable information. It can also convert BIN or any other format file created by CD burning software (Such as Nero-Burning ROM, Easy CD Create) or virtual CD-ROM driver software (such as Daemon-tools) to standard ISO format.

MagicISO has the ability to create ISO image files. You can directly add/delete/rename files or folder in CD image file(s) with MagicISO. It can handle up to 10G large sizes so that user can extract/edit/open DVD image files in ease. You can also use MagicISO to make CD/DVD image from CD-ROM to hard disk in order to backup CD/DVD or use it with virtual CD or Virtual machine.

MagicISO has the ability to make bootable CD/DVD image file. With MagicISO, you can process the boot information for CD/DVD image file, as well as directly add/remove/extract boot image for the CD/DVD image file. MagicISO can also make multiple bootable CD/DVD image file. Using this function, you can combine multiple OS installation CD into one CD/DVD image file in order to install multiple OS from one CD/DVD. MagicISO embed Windows Explorer and use the double window unification user contact interface. Use the quick button and the mouse Drag & Drops files between Windows Explorer and MagicISO so that you can handle the CD/DVD image file easy but powerful enough.

Download MagicISO Maker 5.5.269 in Softonic

SoftDisc is an image file creating/editing/managing tool. It also lets you emulate a virtual CD or directly burn a CD image file which is handy when, for example, you need a CD in use when playing a game.

The program lets you store disk information in ISO format. It allows you to record info on disk from local and network hard disk drives as well as removable media. What's more, once you have created an image file, you can modify it in any way you like.

SoftDisc integrates UltraISO, Daemon Tools and Nero in one making it an all-in-one solution for your CD/DVD images. It is capable of handling up to four virtual CD-ROM drives and is able to simulate various protected game CDs. The interface is nice, XP-ish and Explorer-like.

Download SoftDisc 3.02.320 in Softonic

With the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray formats becoming increasingly dominant, it's important to have a burner that can handle them all.

The problem with most new burners is that they come at a cost and Astroburn is no exception. The full version will cost you a few dollars but this demo allows you to perform basic burning of small files. Unlike big name programs such as Nero, Astroburn is one of those programs that's easy to use and allows you to carry out a wide array of functions.

You can burn discs, create and record ISO, copy discs, erase rewritable disks and create music CDs. The interface is incredibly stripped down featuring a drag and drop burning process that's easy to use. The fact that the interface is so basic should not give the impression that it's not particularly powerful though.

However, it doesn't always burn as it should do. Normally CD burners automatically optimise burning for the speed of your drive but it seems that Astroburn requires you to configure this yourself. If you don't define the right speed , the buffer is too slow and you'll suffer from the dreaded "buffer underrun" problem. The support page is useless because it simply gives you a phone number for technical assistance rather than an FAQ.

Nevertheless, if you need a simple solution to burning HD-DVD and Blu-Ray and don't mind paying a bit for the pleasure, Astroburn is a worthy option.

Download Astroburn 1.0.8.0 in Softonic

There are so many formats out there now that it's hard to find a player that can cater for them all but deliver outstanding quality and playback.

However, one program that surely does is Nero ShowTime which plays just about anything in stunning quality. The program comes with a play control panel that allows you to quick launch into the type of function that you need. So if you need a player or a frame capture tool for your favourite movies, this is your starting point. If it's frames that you want to capture, Nero Showtime can save individual frames in very high quality and saves them in BMP format which is a bit big but it's the only format on offer. This does mean that when you select it as your wallpaper, it can slow down your startup a little but it's probably worth it for the stunning display.

The program comes with a ton of video enhancement features which are mainly responsible for offering the very high quality images but with DivX files, changing the settings can lead to some rendering problems - i.e. playback can become jerky or stuttered.

Nero Showtime is a very powerful DVD player and it plays just about anything. The quality can be superb although you may be less than impressed by its handling of DivX.

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The game presents the hard battle between the forces of evil and a powerful hero – the character we control. This time it's not just Dante (the original protagonist), but two people instead: the aforementioned Dante and also Nero, who appears in this demo and has nothing to do with the CD burning tool.

The game's objectives involve completing several missions, gathering objects and of course, killing all the evil creatures you'll find on your way to the final boss. And the best part in the game is precisely these fights against demons, monsters and other strange living beings. Being a hack and slash adventure, Devil May Cry 4 focuses on close combats and enables you to perform extraordinary movements and incredible combos with your sword and a new powerful weapon, the Devil Bringer. Plus, battles feature a hard-beating background music that reminds me of the Blade original soundtrack and which only make them more exciting.

The graphics in Devil May Cry are impressive. I tested the game on a Vista machine with DirectX 10, and I can tell the game makes the most of the computer's resources, rendering beautiful landscapes, realistic light effects and smooth movements.

On the downside we find game's controls. You can really tell this game was originally developed for consoles, because it's really hard to control it with a keyboard. If you have a gamepad you can plug into your PC, I'd recommend using it even if it's only to test the demo.

Devil May Cry 4 presents us with a new episode in the war between Nero and Dante against the forces of evil. Great graphics and brilliant battles make of this game a worthy action adventure, despite its difficult keyboard controls.

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The original native OS system CDs are disappointing -- not to mention Windows 98 or Windows NT/2000, and even Windows XP, only now can you realize and control initial system installs. OEM CDs lack the hard disk partitioning tools, system restore and other useful tools.

Although there are others who have created these "all in 1" CDs, these are built by some specialized man who doesn't know exactly what you want or need. These CDs are also of a general nature not to mention huge and lengthy to download. MultiBoot CDs being sold by others may not satisfy the individual needs or demands you require.

EasyBoot is an integrated tool to create MultiBoot, Menu driven CDs & DVDs with native language. It has the ability to automatically produce boot image files, and generate the ISO file as well. Using your CD/DVD Recording software such as Nero or Roxio to Record the ISO, you get a bootable CD/DVD that completely belongs to you. You can customize it with your company's name or slogan or use it for your clients.

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When all you want to do is just burn a CD or DVD, huge suites like Nero are certainly not the most suitable solution. Instead, you should look for a simple recording application such as InfraRecorder.

This easy tool features everything you need to record both CD and DVD. It supports data and audio burning, dual-layer DVD and also disc images. It works with rewritable discs and can burn copies on the fly as well. Results are very satisfying, with just one small complaint: I'd like to have a sound normalizer for song compilations.

But the best thing about InfraRecorder is undoubtedly its simplicity, in every sense. It launches in a few seconds, enables you to drag and drop files, features very intuitive menus and even includes a reduced version (InfraExpress) for last-minute recordings. However, if you want to record MP3 files into audio CDs you'll need to download the decoder by yourself and copy it to the Program files – InfraRecorder – Codecs folder.

InfraRecorder is a simple and efficient tool for quick CD and DVD recording.

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Software applications are being constantly improved with every new version. Bugs are fixed, designs are polished, new functionalities are added. But sometimes they become too bloated, often losing sight of what they were created for in the first place. So for instance, whenever I need to record a CD or DVD, I no longer turn to Nero but use DeepBurner instead.

This neat program allows you to record CD or DVD in a very simple way: every time you launch it you see a project selection window where you can choose what to do (create a data disk, create an audio CD or burn an ISO image) and you're then guided through a few easy steps in a wizard-like process.

Despite its basic appearance DeepBurner features a large variety of tools and options for your recording needs: support for multisession disks, the ability to erase rewritable media and even a built-in editor to create and print your own custom CD covers and labels. There's also the option to create ISO image files, although you need to follow a small workaround to get to it: run the program and choose "Create data CD/DVD" in the project selection window. Select the files and folders you want to include in your ISO and when you're done click on the "Burn Disk" button. In the next dialog you'll be able to choose "Save ISO" instead of actually burning the data onto a CD.

On the down side, DeepBurner could be criticised for being too simple, especially when compared to big recording suites such as Nero or Roxio. It's perfect if you just need to record a CD from time to time, but if you're looking for something more then you'll miss features like volume normalizing or being able to create copies, to name just a few. In any case, DeepBurner is a perfectly valid option for those who prefer avoiding complicated programs and prefer the simplicity of an app focused on one single ability: recording CD's and DVD's.

Download DeepBurner Free 1.9 in Softonic

Do those no-name CD-Rs really record data at the speed they claim? Check it out with Nero's free tool.

InfoTool specifies the write speeds, supported formats, and other information on every CD or DVD drive in your system. It examines the hardware as well as on the media in your drives.
This version lets you burn Nero image files instead of predefined data.

Download Nero InfoTool 3.01 in Softonic

PC technology has come a long way in the last few years, but the sad fact is that they are still prone to crashes and system failure. Unfortunately, few of us have adequate protection to prevent losing all our valuable data.

That's where Selkie Rescue Data Recovery comes in, allowing you to ensure that if everything goes wrong, your data doesn't go down with the ship. I think many people are often put off of disaster recovery software because they think it's too complicated or that it's not worth the effort because 'it'll never happen to me'. However, anyone who's been in the position where they've lost their university thesis, an important business project, or even their entire web site's files, will tell you that it's vital for you to take these precautions.

Selkie Data Recovery is designed to make the process of protecting your data quick and simple. All you need is a blank CD, a crossover cable, your broken computer (obviously), and a working computer.

You start by creating Selkie rescue disk, and the program includes its own built in burning tool to help you do this without any fuss. It's a hassle-free solution, but you don't get as many writing options as you do with a burning app such as Nero or Roxio. You can still use these programs to create your recovery disk if you like, and Selkie includes instructions on how to do this.

Once you have your magic rescue disk, you're ready for anything. If your operating system crashes you simply reboot your machine and insert the CD into the drive. The interface is coded in DOS and is a far cry from the graphical user environments you'll be used to. Beginners may get a little overwhelmed by this at first, but if you follow the steps on screen, the program will find your files within a few clicks.

Then it's just a case of inserting the CD and copying your files to another computer over a network or via a parallel connection cable. This is a painless enough process, unless your machine is part of a complex LAN, in which case it can take some fiddling around to find the right network directory to copy to.

On the whole though, Selkie Rescue provides a fast and reliable way of recovering your stuff when your computer gives out on you.

Download Selkie Rescue Data Recovery 3.5 in Softonic

CD Speed is a tool to improve CD reading reliability, lower read noise, and extend your CD-ROM drive lifetime. CD Speed can set the maximum data transfer rate of your CD-ROM drive and limit compact disk rotation speed.

These settings will apply to all Windows applications that read data from CD. When you listen to your favorite music, watch movies, or play games, you don't need an ultrafast data transfer rate, because most multimedia formats such as MPEG, DivX, AVI, and MP3 are designed to play for a long time and use low data transfer rates. When you lower data transfer rates with CD Speed, it lowers disk rotation speed, lowers noise level, and also extends the lifetime of your DVD drive.

CD Speed will help if you have data reading problems, because lower rotation speeds improve general data read reliability. You may also use CD Speed to avoid the damage caused by low quality CDs that may crash at high rotation speeds. CD Speed works with multiple CD-ROM devices installed in the computer. It can lock, unlock, eject, and load the CD-ROM tray.

Download Nero CD-DVD Speed 4.7.7.5 in Softonic

Nero 7 Premium enables you to experience your digital media in completely new and innovative ways. With the addition of a Nero Home – media manager, you can now have the complete PC and TV experience. Whether you want to access your media files from the comfort of your living room, or complete digital media projects on your PC, Nero 7 Premium is all you need.

This full feature update includes:

Nero Home

• Quick & easy access to all your digital media files from the comfort of your living room using a remote control

• Integrates TV time-shifting, DVD, video, photo and audio playback

• Easy wizard setup and user interface

• Support for all popular media formats

• Powerful database for storing and organizing of media files into playlists

• Advanced search options

• Complete multiple tasks concurrently

Nero Scout

• Optimized to provide access to media files from all Nero applications

• Browse media files from Windows Explorer

Nero StartSmart 3

• Simple-to-use interface

• Easy connection to the Nero ProductCenter

• Improved integration in Windows XP autoplay

Nero Burning ROM 7

• Advanced search options with Nero Scout

• Support for DVD-R Dual Layer format and DVD+R Double Layer

Nero Express 7

• Redesigned to maximize ease-of-use, efficiency and speed

• LightScribe support

• Support for DVD-R Dual Layer format and DVD+R Double Layer

• Verification for Audio CD, Video CD and Super Video CD

• Support for short lead-out recording

• Intelligent compilation size status bar

• Tree-view in data project

Nero WaveEditor 3

• Surround sound editing with up to 7.1 channels

• Zoom out/in of the recording beyond any limits

• Layout improvements: all channel view/channel sum view

• Offline effect processing possible

• HQ-Dithering to reduce the noise (noise reduction)

• Edit history window showing all editing steps

• Automatic track splitting and export tracks to separate files

Nero SoundTrax 2

• Support for up to 7.1 channel surround sound editing and mixing

• Option to produce subwoofer channel tracks automatically

• Automatic record triggering for LP/tape with supporting wizards option

• Drop CD track splits or CD indexes directly in the multi-track project

• Includes wizard for easy vinyl-to-CD or tape-to-CD transfer

• Add volume or pan curves to the audio tracks

Nero Vision 4

• HDV capturing support

• Improved support for DVD camcorder media (8 cm)

• Full support of Dolby® Digital 5.1 audio

• Supports chapter menus

• Splitting and merging of titles

• Playback of slideshows

Nero Recode 2

• Copy your DVDs with the fastest DVD 9 to 5 copying software in the world

• Convert DVDs and video data into Nero Digital (MPEG-4)

• Remove unwanted audio tracks, subtitles or bonus material

Nero ShowTime 2

• Support for H.264/AVC playback

• Playback media from Nero MediaHome with excellent sound and video quality

Nero MediaHome

• Fully certified UPnP AV Media Server 1.0

• Playback your media files on your TV or hi-fi system

Nero PhotoSnap

• Rotate and cut pictures

• Numerous visual effects

• Improve the resolution of your pictures

Nero CoverDesigner 2

• Choose from a variety of templates

• Import covers from your scanner, digital camera or the Internet

Nero BackItUp 2

• Supports drag and drop for file backup

• File backup from Windows Explorer

• On-the-fly compression

• FTP backup and restore

• Predefined file filters and file excluding list

Nero ImageDrive

• Supports up to two image drives simultaneously

• Mount image after boot of PC

• Seamless integration into Windows Explorer

Download Nero 7 Premium Reloaded 7.9.6.0 Update in Softonic

Windows Essentials Codec Pack is a collection of video and audio codecs and tools that are required to encode and decode (that is, play) audio and video files. With this pack, according to the developer, you should be able to play 99% of all the movies and music files that you download off the Internet, and stay up to date with the latest codecs through the program's Codec Update Service.

Windows Essentials Codec Pack is free and user-friendly, as you get all the work done with just a couple of clicks. Also, it keeps your computer up to date with the latest codecs and it's 100% spamware / adware / spyware / free.

But more importantly, unlike other codec packs which include several filters and decoders that are capable of decoding the same media format (which usually cause many conflicts and errors) Windows Essentials Codec Pack was especially designed to assign each file type to the most appropriate filter or decoder, which not only reduces the installer size but also eliminates many of the conflicts and errors caused by multiple codecs being used to decode the same file type.

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DVDx allows you to convert DVD to VCD2.0 or SCVD1.0 or DivX in one step (including multiplexing, splitting). It produces very good quality movies in MPEG1/2 format and you don't need to have 5GB or more free on your hard disk. DVDx has been designed especialy for unexperimented users, it is a simple and intuitive program. You only need Nero to burn your VCD/SVCD. DVDx has evolved in a very powerful program, the fastest DVD backup solution ever and is now adopted by a lot of people including advanced users.

Download DVDx 2.7 in Softonic

SizeMe makes it possible to scan a directory and compare it to how many floppy/zip/CD-R/DVD-discs you need. It tries to fill each disc up as much as possible, and gives you the result on each disc.

Features:

• ISO file creation on a disc
• Possible to use hotkeys for functions
• Context menu handle on every item
• Copy, move and delete function on each disc
• Each scan is done in only once instance
• Drag'n'Drop support so you can simply drag the Disc into Nero
• Customizes as you select
• Context menu handling by right clicking on a drive anywhere in Explorer

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IrfanView PlugIns is a collection of enhancements for use with the popular and free, file viewing program, Irfanview. These plugins allow you to view a large number of obscure image file types as well as play most video and audio file types.

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The Disc image system is a driver that can mount ISO CD/DVD images into a Microsoft Windows 2000/XP/2003 based system. This gives the impression that a new CD/DVD-ROM drive has been added and a disc has been inserted. The small size of the driver and its simple operation allow an integration which is similar to actually using CD/DVD-ROM hardware, but as the drive is virtual, there is no hardware noise or lag. It is even possible to mount as many images as there are available drive letters.

The Disc image system can mount ISO images that contain either ISO9660 or Joliet (or both) file systems, which on a Windows 2000/XP/2003 based system allows nearly all ISO images to be mounted. It will not allow images to be mounted if Windows does not read that type of file system e.g. HFS+.

For single users the Disc image system allows you to store frequently used CD/DVD images so they can be accessed quickly and quietly (no more loud whirring noises). It will also eliminate the need to have a disc left in the CD/DVD drive when running applications that require access to the disc. When using on a laptop, it allows better use of the battery as CD/DVD drives require a large amount of power, especially when the drive is running continuously.

When you create ISO disc images with products such as Nero, the created images can be mounted using the Disc image system, allowing them to be tested before being burned to discs, thus reducing disc wastage.

For networks that require a secure central location, or just want to store images in an easy to reach place, the Disc image system will allow those images to be mounted locally. This in turn protects certain images from unauthorised use and allows software stored on servers to be installed without finding the installation CD/DVD(s). There is no need for special server software as the small driver is installed on each of the targets. As the Disc image system works with the ISO standard, it gives you the opportunity to store images that can be accessed by other operating systems, such as Apple Macintosh OS X and Unix as they already have the built-in ability to mount ISO images.

Download Disc Image 2.0.0 in Softonic

Nero PhotoShow Deluxe 4 is the ultimate in ease and functionality for photo management, editing, creating and sharing your digital photos:

• Create movie-like PhotoShows with just one click
• Upload to your own FREE website to share your memories with ease
• Locate, manage and organize all your photos and videos
• Touch up or enhance your photos and videos with easy to use tools
• Create PhotoShow DVDs to enjoy in the living room
• Print, archive and much more

To get started with creating an impressive photo album, you can select those that you want to include from your entire library. You may then take advantage of the wide selection of editing tools that are includes; filters, red-eye correction, automatic or manual color adjustments, add text, crop, etc.

Hit "Create" and choose what you would like to do with your album: save it to a DVD / VCD, create a screensaver, a dynamic desktop or simply export them as an executable archive for viewing the presentation on a computer.

Download Nero PhotoShow 4.0 in Softonic

ISO Recorder is a tool for Windows XP, 2003 and now Windows Vista, that allows (depending on the Windows version) to burn CD and DVD images, copy disks, make images of the existing data CDs and DVDs and create ISO images from a content of a disk folder. ISO Recorder was conceived during Windows XP beta program, when Microsoft for the first time started distributing new OS builds as ISO images. Even though the new OS had CD-burning support, it did not have an ability to record an image. ISO Recorder fulfills this need and has been one of the poular Windows downloads ever since.

With an advent of Windows XP SP2 and Windows 2003 version 2 of ISO Recorder has been released, which intorduced some new features including ISO creation and support for non-admin users. Finally, in Windows Vista it became possible to address another long-standing request and provide DVD burning capability.

Since the very beginning ISO Recorder has been a free tool (for personal use). It is recommended by MSDN download site along with Easy CD and Nero and is used by a number of companies around the world.

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