A Burning Desire To Create CDs Easily (Roxio Easy CD Creator 5 Platinum)

Name: Nibelung

Hello doyoo user, You have to be logged in to use these functions... Login or register Close window

Send message to member

Product:	Roxio Easy CD Creator 5 Platinum
Date:	07/09/02 (1210 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Packed with facilities, DVD-R ready

Disadvantages: Overkill for those who only want to copy

There never was anything really wrong with Adaptec?s Easy CD Creator 4.0 Deluxe, so why am I now writing about version 5.0 Platinum? Because bloody Windows XP Pro won't work with the older version, that's why!

However, it would only be a matter of time before I upgraded my CD-Writer to a newer faster model, and then support for 32-speed models probably wouldn't exist on version 4 anyway, so the enforced necessity of the upgrade isn?t a COMPLETE waste of money.

In the mean time, the software is now owned by Roxio, which sounds more like a Spanish cinema chain than a software house, but that's by the by. It was on the support page their web site, www.roxio.com that I ascertained the need for the upgrade. Windows XP only informed me that the old version MIGHT not work.

But why buy CD-Burning software when the CD-Writer itself usually comes with its own software package? Because the version supplied is often the 'Lite' version, stripped to bare essentials, and I'm a sucker for a gadget!

SO WHAT?S NEW?

Well, there's the ability to write to DVD-Rs, for one thing. This gives you up to 4.7gbyte capacity, instead of the punier 650-700mbyte afforded by CD-R and CD-RW format.

The suite no longer comes with Take Two back up software, which is a shame because the ability to back your entire C:\ drive up to a series of CD-Rs was very useful.

There is also a new front end, called Project Selector, which breaks down your needs into logical steps. However, there wasn't much wrong with the old menu-driven front end, so why these people have to tinker is beyond me, and it only serves to slow down the assimilation process. Presumably to convince you that it's all new, and not something forced on you by circumstances.

USING IT

The initial menu gets you to choose between making 1.) Music CD, 2.) Data CD, 3.) Photo or Video CD or 4.) CD Copy.

1. MUSIC CD?s
><br
>
This option then breaks down into

a) Soundstream - a short cut way of producing an audio CD from existing .wav or .mp3 files. Just follow the prompts - e.g. where are the source files? Where is the recorder? Hit the record button, that kind of thing.

However, nestled within this utility are other processes, like Spin Doctor, which enables you to record from analogue sources like a tape deck or a turntable via your sound card. During this process, the software can be set to reduce tape hiss, or vinyl crackles, find the spaces between tracks, and separate them out for transfer to CD (otherwise your new CD from old Vinyl is going to have just two tracks, side A and side B)

b) Music CD Project - a more comprehensive means of ending at the same result, and those familiar with Windows Explorer's drag'n'drop methods will probably be happiest here, identifying source files and dragging them to the 'assembly area'. Also, you can carry out various 'professional' effects like overlapping the fade-out/fade-in of tracks. I would still tend to use this means even if all I want is a verbatim copy of an existing CD (I never said that!), since it allows for access to the Internet to fill in the track titles etc. from a web-based database. This then transfers over into the CD label creator, which prints out the inserts both for a CD case and a circular one for the disk itself if you are that fussed.

c) Create an MP3 CD - not strictly speaking an audio CD, since the final result is still a CD-ROM, but many of the (strangely-enough) cheaper home DVD players are including mp3 playback in their impressive repertoire of formats, and the ability to put hours of music on one disk must be a very strong pull for avid party-throwers.

d) CD Copy - This menu item appears on all menus, since a copy is a copy, sound or data. One tip I have learned over the years, if your are to avoid 'creating beer ma
ts' from
your precious CD-Rs, is that even with a separate CD-ROM drive to supply the source data, it is still better to let the software create a temporary copy of it on C:\Drive before burning it to the CD-R. This helps prevent any 'buffer under-runs' as they are known, which lead to yet another coaster being produced! Once set up, it's a hands-free operation that you can walk away from anyway! Many newer CD-writers are now claiming 'burn proof' technology to put a halt to the march of the beer mat.

2. DATA CD

a) DirectCD - This offers the ability to use existing file utilities like Windows Explorer or My Computer to drag'n'?drop files to a CD-R or RW as if it's a bloody-great floppy disk. Some prior 'prepping' of the disk is needed, and when ejected, you are also given the option of closing the disk so that it can be almost universally used as a CR-Rom, or leaving it open for the addition of further data, until full. Other routines like saving from your word processor also qualify to use the CD-R, if 'prepped'.

b) Data CD Project - This is a very similar concept to the Music version, enabling dragging and dropping of files to an assembly area before committing them to CD. I use this for partial back up of C:\Drive's vital files, (My Documents etc) with the details saved for convenience. This way, I can call up the same disk content next month and make a new back-up copy.


c) Data DVD Project - More or less as above but with infinitely greater disk capacity. Pity I haven't got a DVD 'burner'!

d) CD Copy - there it goes again!

3. PHOTO OR VIDEO CD

To be honest, I haven't had a lot of use for this kind of thing, but here goes.

a) Photo Album ? This allows you to transfer digital photo formats to a CD-R complete with the means for creating logical ?Albums? plus the ability to run them as slide shows. This, in the ca
se on Windows XP
is slightly superfluous since the operating system itself can do this direct from Windows Explorer.

b) Video Postcard - This enables you to assemble video clips (mpeg files, avi files, what have you) to CD-R. So what, you might think, anyone can copy files to a CD-R, but this then creates the ability for the CD to 'auto run' if your Windows settings allow this. If you're not sure what I mean, it's that moment when slotting in a new CD-ROM causes the PC to run whatever software is on the disk. This is very common with software installation disks. I feel the idea here is to make the operation as hands-off as possible for the recipient of the disk, who may not be as computer literate as the sender.


c) Video Impression - The need for this somewhat cloudy to me, but it seems to enable the user to incorporate a mixture of still and movie shots into an AV presentation, combined with the ability to alter the running order of items. It allows files to be bundled under one single .exe file for ease of e-mailing, although with all the bad press that file attachments get these days, especially .exe files, I doubt if anyone would open it!

d) VCD - VCD is the forerunner to DVD as a domestic picture format. Frankly, it's only about as good as a VHS tape when it comes to picture quality. However, if you can download from a digital camcorder, or you have some other means of movie capture, then you could start putting your holiday videos onto a playable silver disk. Just make sure that your DVD player categorically states that not only does it support VCD (it probably will) but also that it supports 'burned' media like CD-Rs otherwise you are wasting your time. Roxio DO NOT supply the means to manipulate and edit your movie. You would probably use the software that came with your capture device for this, but once you have the .mpeg files.

As I implied at the beginning, I don't yet have muc
h use for the above vi
deo features, and will probably wait until burnable DVD formats are within economic grasp before delving any deeper. Besides, VCD is a step back, and at the very least you need S-VCD, which is ALMOST the same picture quality as DVD but with 'mere' stereo sound.

So there it is, the Platinum version of Easy CD Creator 5.0, an impressive repertoire of abilities and gadgets. How much you use them is up to you. Whether you think it's worth £45 is also up to you, after all, if all you want to do is copy CDs or make compilation albums, then the software that came with the hardware will probably do.

Summary: