Besides a great GUI, Nero has gotten a name for itself through support for a wide range of CD formats, including CD-ROM (ISO), Audio-CD, Mixed Mode CD, Video-CD, bootable CD-ROMs (from a drive partition or floppy disk), and even Hybrid CD-ROMs. Like most other burning software, it also supports CD-Rewritable discs, as well as Track-at-Once and Disc-at-Once modes. In addition, Nero can use ISO level 1 + 2, mode 1 and 2, Joliet characters, as well as ISO, ASCII, and DOS character sets.

Direct CD copying, with jitter control and CRC checking, is also possible. Contrary to common belief, Nero can also burn nearly all 3rd party ISO formats, such as .BIN and .ISO. In addition, custom NRG CD image files can be created and burned through the program. In v5.0, Nero introduced an excellent ripper and encoder for audio CDs. Users may also import a number of different audio types and convert them to either WAV, MP3, WMA, and even VQF. The MP3 encoder is especially solid because it uses the superb Fraunhofer codec.

Other features in Nero include multi-language support (for the German in all of us), 80 minute CD support, and excellent overburning options. Nero also comes bundled with BurnPROOF technology, which prevents burning corrupt CDs. For audio CDs, Nero offers a number of unique filters, including normalize, fading in and out, echo, karaoke, and so on. There's even basic editing functions for splitting files into multiple pieces. Another excellent Nero addition, a print function, helps create covers and jewel case inserts for your burned CDs. We found all the label printing quite intuitive and easy to use.

Running between $50 and $70, Nero certainly isn't cheap. However, for all that it offers - superb CD burning, ripping, encoding, and label printing - you can't go wrong. If you've got the money, go for the gold and grab this one. I highly recommend trying the 30-day trial version.



Recommended: Yes