Nero Express 6 - It's Now Obvious Why Rome Burned
Written: May 07 '05 (Updated May 09 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: It will burn DVDs eventually, attractive interface
Cons: user interface is difficult to use
The Bottom Line: It's not as intuitive as Roxio 6.0 (and later), and the main program is clunky, but the associated programs are nice.
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| martytdx's Full Review: Nero OEM SUITE Latest Version CD / DVD Burning Sof... |
When I needed to get a DVD-RW to start backing up large files and get some others off of my hard drives, I started my search to find out what I wanted/needed: What was DVD-R vs. DVD+R? What was the use of DVD-DL? How much data could I put on one DVD versus a CD-R. Once I got all of those questions answered, I jumped to get my Sony DRU-710A internal DVD burner. It was a great burner and was a breeze to install. There was only one drawback - the OEM burner software included - Nero Express 6 was a horrid interface, which is a shame because many of the 'project programs' included are pretty nice.
[• software that caused the DARK AGES •]
I have used Nero software in the past for CD burning, and always thought it was decent, although I preferred Roxio 4, 5 and 6 for the most part, in spite of the massive size of those programs. Nero was always known as the kid brother of burner software, less intrusive, smaller footprint, perhaps fewer bells and whistles but a solid program. Well, Nero got fat and lazy sitting on that dais, and the OEM version included with my drive is just as bloated as anything that Roxio puts out. The OEM version includes a bundle of software - Nero Express 6, InCD4, Nero Vision Express 2, Nero BackITUp and Nero Showtime. I've described them briefly below, although my experience with them is limited other than the burning program.
InCD4 ::
InCD4 is a DVD+R/-R and CD-RW Packet Writing program; in layman's terms, it creates a virtual drive that you can drag and drop files to using a rewritable disc. I don't like using these types of drives, so I don't think that I even loaded this program, although for those with smallish hard drives, it can be a great way to create a virtual drive - although they aren't usually as fast as a hard drive, and with hard drive prices, I'm unsure why you would do this instead of getting another hard drive.
Nero Vision Express 2 ::
This DVD-Video authoring software to help you take your images and video is actually pretty nice. It's main goal is to take those old pictures and videos and turn it into a mind-numbing video of your childs first, second and 1,142nd steps that you can play on ALL of your relatives DVD players. The interface is pretty straight-forward: pick a type of video project that you want to create (DVD, CD-video, Slide Show or capture video to your hard drive), and the wizard interface walks you through each step from selecting your files to creating the welcome screens to creating your DVD case. There are a decent number of effects and transitions, although I couldn't seem to find a way to download more directly from the Nero site.
The one limitation that I didn't like about this program is that it won't let you add .MOV files - i.e. Quicktime files whic are the majority of my video files.
Nero Back It Up :: is just that - a back-up program that includes a scheduler, and makes sure that you keep critical files at the ready. Set up is simple, but since I don't use this type of program (although maybe I should), I can't tell you the final performance.
Showtime ::
I'll start with Showtime, the DVD player software for Nero. As a player it was an okay experience, although I wouldn't make it my first choice. Showtime had changed the default DVD player on my computer, starting up when I put a movie in the computer. The software isn't half bad, and the interface is very ultra-modern-hip black plastimetal looking. However, the buttons seemed sluggish to respond many times, although there were enough controls to do almost anything you'd want with a DVD movie on your PC. I'd give this a B-.
[• using NERO - WATCH THE FIRE! •]
Then we got to the main event, the big chili pepper, the POS that is Nero Express. I went into this getting excited to use it. The interface is pretty snazzy - they obviously took a look at the Mac OSX to get a gel-like interface down - and I thought this would be easy. But easy is a foreign word to Nero.
There is an app called "StartSmart" that is supposed to launch each time you put a writeable DVD into the drive. When I did, nothing happened. I had to search the start menu for the program, and started it manually. I opened Nero Express, and selected the drive I wanted to use - the new DVD drive. I selected that I wanted to burn a data disc, and it brought up the screen to add my data to be burned. Right there, I hit my first usability snag. Where as Roxio and most other programs give you a 2-pane look where you drag and drop your files/songs, with Nero you have to see the "ADD" button to the right. Once you click on that, then you add the files to be burned. Once you have added all of the files, you click 'finished' to go back to the set up screen.
Okay, I'm ready to go, right? I then selected the "More" button because I wanted to see my options, and played with those to set my options, etc. Then I hit next, selected my drive and named the disc, and hit the magical BURN button. And I got burned. I was told that the disc format I had chosen was not the right format for the disc in the drive. What? Well, after at least 1/2 hour of trying, resetting configurations, checking the nearly useless help section, I FINALLY determined that what had happened was that because I had skipped the 'SmartStart' step, it had defaulted me to CD-R instead of DVD-R. And there is NO way to change that from within the program or software project that you are working on.
So, once I discovered that, I was able to choose DVD from the small icon at the top representing a disc - it says either CD or DVD, but it is pretty obscured by the large icons below it for all of your secondary functions. Once the DVD was selected and I redid all of my settings, I was able to burn the disc.
It turns out that there is a secondary - read bare-bones but more powerful - burner as well, called Nero Burning ROM, which allows a user to have much of the same touch as they do automatically with Roxio. I found it later, and I prefer it to the 'user-friendly' version because I can change settings and get real control from the software. You don't get as many bells and whistles, and the interface doesn't have the glossy 'do this now' buttons, but it's a solid program.
[• okay, i'm done whining •]
The software does have some punch to it, navigation and user-interface problems aside. From the StartSmart section, once you select the correct media type in the upper-right (sorry, one last snipe), you can choose from one of six functions:
Favorites »
Previous choices and settings
Data CD/DVD »
Create data discs
Audio CD »
Create audio discs, including MP3 and WMA discs
Photo & Video »
Capture video or tv, create a photo slideshow, make your own DVD Video and more
Copy and Backup functions »
Backup functions that are a lot easier to use than the DVD burning software, although I would still prefer to have a drag and drop interface. The checkbox interface works in this instance, though - however, as I didn't want to actually back up my stuff to a DVD, I don't know how well it would actually work.
Extras » System Info, Burn Optimization and Label Maker
The system info is pretty good - it gives you a ton of information about your system and not just about the drives. This is a nice tool to have, although I'm surprised that it is included with a CD/DVD burning program. Burn optimization allows you to set the maximum speeds you want your drives to burn - but doesn't do a whole lot, to be honest. The label maker program isn't going to win any awards, and comes with very few templates - but it is easier to use and format than Roxio's version. Since I never use templates as it is, I could see me trying out this program in the future.
Also included is a .WAV file editor, which is a nice touch, although I would recommend getting a copy of Goldwave instead - it's a more robust program if you are going to do .WAV editing. This is too basic to do a whole lot, and I can't figure that novices will want to play with their .WAV files.
I haven't delved into most of the video/DVD functions because I really haven't had the opportunity or need to make a DVD video or record a TV show. However, they seem to have a semi-friendly interface, especially if you like to follow prompts for doing things.
[• final THOUGHTS •]
To be honest, I'll probably still use this software because it is installed - even though it takes up a LOT of hard drive space. If I could get Roxio to work with the Sony drive¹, I would probably consider deleting Nero altogether, although I like some of the secondary programs. Besides, there is some sort of conflict preventing that (most likely Nero itself), so for now I'm stuck with Nero for my DVD burning because Roxio 6 doesn't support Dual-Layer DVD burning.
When I first wrote this review, I was fresh off a bout of frustration, and probably tore this program apart a bit more than it deserved. The actual 'WYSIWYG' burner interface is still non-intuitive and clunky, but there are a bunch of other programs which seem fairly well put together, although some seem a bit extraneous. As I use it more, it's actually starting to grow on me a bit ... who knows, maybe there will be some new life rising from Nero's ashes.
[• special THANKS •]
¹ Thanks for ivplay for giving some feedback to make this a better review, and for pointing out that the software packages (Nero and Roxio) might be fighting for control of the DVD-burner, and that eliminating one might allow me to have undisputed use of all drives.
[• better stuff TO GET •]
Sony DRU-710A DVD Burner »
If this software isn't what I had hoped, the burner itself is a stud.
Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security »
Norton is down ... and it's out.
Mozilla Firefox »
Take back the web with a better browser.
Recommended:
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martytdx
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Member: Marty
Location: New Jersey
Reviews written: 481
Trusted by: 179 members
About Me:
Doing what I can to try new places, restaurants, books and beers.
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