If you've ever burned a CD or DVD, there's a good
chance that you used Roxio's Easy Media Creator or Nero's burning
software to do it. When you buy a new PC, the odds are that it'll come
bundled with the standard version of one of these two industry-leading
software suites. But which one is better? It all depends on what you're
looking for.
How do they stack up?
Both
suites come with an impressive array of bundled programs, with more
being included in each new release. Creator, for example, comes with a
whopping 18 separate programs, while Nero ships with a
nearly-as-impressive 16. Included among the offerings are the requisite
audio editors, media viewers, and of course burning modules--but while
each suite duplicates the other's efforts, not all of the components are
necessarily created equal. Take, for instance, Nero's audio applet. The
program boasts more than 20 more effects and filters than does the
Creator counterpart, including Reverb, Chorus, Flanger, Delay, Wah-Wah,
Phaser, Voice Modification, and Pitch Tuning filters.
By the
same token, Creator's PhotoSuite 7 completely blows away Nero's meager
offering in the arena of image editors. While not quite at the level of
PhotoShop or Paint Shop Pro, PhotoSuite can easily handle whatever you
might throw at it.
To edit or not to edit
If you put together a lot of DVDs and want snazzy menus to go with
them, Nero definitely has the edge. The NeroVision Express
disc-authoring module gives you precision control over menu layouts, and
its flexible output options enable you to squeeze as much as three hours
of DivX video onto a single DVD. But if you need to edit the movies
themselves, Creator 7's VideoWave 7 application offers more flexibility
by boasting multiple-timeline capabilities, easy-to-use movie-production
tools, and an impressive multitude overlay capabilities and effects that
leave Nero lagging far behind.
Ease of use
When it comes to usability, Creator wins the competition hands down.
The interface is intuitive where Nero's is clunky, and everything is
laid out in an easy-to-understand, logical manner. While the Nero
SmartStart tabbed interface is ultimately more adaptable (you can choose
which applications to associate with each menu task, as well as flip
between expert and beginner modes) Creator's setup is near-perfect out
of the box.
And that goes double for most of the individual
programs. If you're a power user, you can sometimes get more use out of
Nero's offerings; but if you only need to burn a CD or DVD every now and
then, you'll get the hang of using Creator much faster.
Nero hits a zero
While Nero does many things right, it
does one very important thing wrong. Even if you've carefully produced a
source file that's already DVD-compatible MPEG2 encoded, NeroVision puts
your video through a time-consuming process called "transcoding" that
doesn't actually transcode anything. For a 4 GB file, this can sometimes
take as long as an hour - which could be forgiven if the end result
actually improved, or did anything at all to, the original source. But,
if you're already using MPEG2 source material, it doesn't. This is
frustrating, and can ruin the experience of using an otherwise-great
product. (Note that if you're processing a file that isn't MPEG2, the
transcoding is a necessary evil to produce DVD-quality video--a job Nero
scores major points on.)
Creator crashes
If
the transcoding experience is Nero's Achilles heel, Creator's fatal flaw
is its ability to crash right when I'm in the middle of saving a label
that I've finally gotten just right. I've yet to have Nero go belly-up
on me, but Creator does it on a semi-regular basis - especially if I
have three or more of its modules open at once. (Sure, I could forgo
burning a DVD, working on a cover, and editing a sound file all at the
same time, while also browsing Amazon and playing online poker, but what
fun is that?)
Intangibles
Both companies
have refined their software to the point where it isn't even necessary
to discuss the end product in terms of DVD quality; Nero and Creator
both produce outstanding work, with clear resolution, crisp sound, and
no discernable loss in quality - as long as you're working from a good,
quality source. So once that's taken out of the equation, you're left
with the intangibles - how easy is the software to learn? How flexible
is the interface? How long does it take to burn a DVD? How well does the
software handle obscure media formats?
We've already covered
which package is more intuitive (Creator) and which is more flexible
(Nero,) and burning time has more to do with your drive and the media
you're using than anything else. For my money, however, Nero wins out
over Creator when it comes to being able to deal with every single video
file I've ever thrown at it. Creator sometimes balks at certain AVIs,
for example, while Nero tackles them with gusto and outputs a usable
file on the other end.
But which is better?
They're both amazing products, and each have their pros and cons.
Moreover, both cost about the same, around $100. But if you're new to
the world of burning and need a little hand-holding, you should probably
consider going with Creator; if, on the other hand, you've been burning
CDs and DVDs for years and need to transfer your old 8MM slides to a
more accessible media, you might be better off with Nero. Either way,
make sure you get the super-duper-deluxe version of the program and
ditch the "standard" version that came with your PC. That's a smart
choice that's easy to make regardless of which suite you prefer.
Contributing Editor Joe DeRouen writes Windows Advisor
monthly for ComputerUser.
