DVD Software
Resources for Creating and Working with DVDs

If you made a movie which software would you use? One thing that many musicians want to do is record and create a video of there performances. I've experimented with a few DVD creators and the biggest limitation I see is probably in the computer power you are using to create your masterpiece. 

I've been on the search for good DVD software and the following products are some of the better choices on the market. You will need to examine the computer system and hardware requirements to ensure you are getting the right package for your needs.

I've tried to summarize some of the better features with these packages to help you on your way. Be sure to visit feature pages of the products to make sure it works with your aspirations.

DVD CREATION SOFTWARE

Cyberlink DVD Suite  Movie Making-editing

Roxio DVD Burning and More - DVDit Pro, MusicLab, Creator and Toast

Cyberlink - Movie Production, Capture, and Playback

Cyberlink products are all media Disc Burning DVD Software to create HD movies from video and music for windows based machines.

CyberLink develops a range of award-winning digital media creation, playback, sharing, and enjoyment applications for home and business PC users worldwide.

There main products are CyberLink PowerDVD and PowerDirector, which are easy-to-use, but also powerful in its approach to allow consumers to use the least amount of effort to create HD movies from video, photo, and music projects.

Cyberlink has been around since 1996, the industry has given praise to CyberLink and they have received the Best Product Software at RetailVision 2006. They have some of the best-selling products in respective categories in worldwide markets and in the DVD software arena.

Along with the PowerDVD (movie playback) and Power Director (video editing) they have other significant packages worth consideration.

Media Suite is a combination of several programs where you can make Blu-ray movies, organize and edit photos (which uses the face identification to group similar photos), video photo effects editing and enhancement, audio and music editing, support for improved video on PC, data control, protection and archiving.

Media suite is also available in three levels depending on what you think you will need for production. This is primarily due to inclusion or exclusion of blu-ray capabilities.

This package is has some stiff system requirements, so make sure your PC can make the grade. Disk space is going to be a major consideration for Blu-ray so get a terabyte of storage.

PowerProducer is used to connect HDV camcorder, TV tuner card, or import HD files. The objective of this DVD software package is to reduce the time required to produce your discs to any output type.

There are several high end features and needless to say you can go get all the gritty details on how PowerProducer works. Well worth your time if you will be transferring a lot of video.

CyberLink has a several products such as MediaShow, YouCam, backup utilities made for photo/video, and eLearning section that would interest anyone working with video. You can review the features and check the full capabilities of the various packages here: CyberLink - Leader in Digital Home and next generation DVD burning solutions.

Roxio Software

I've used Roxio software from several years now and was not happy with the old packages. I moved over to Sonic and had much better luck. Well wouldn't you know it a few years ago Roxio must of understood they needed better software and bought Sonic to merge them into the fold.

This was a good move on their part. It increased the performance in the later DVD software releases although they still had a few issues. Roxio has increasing improved each version of their software with input and feedback from users.

Roxio has many product offerings for full suites to individual needs for audio. Here's a look at a few that I would recommend you consider for your editing and copying purposes.

DVDit Pro HD

At the high end, and I mean high end, you have DVDit Pro HD. This is their big offering for the those that demand more performance from DVD software. I honestly don't know how it stacks up to the other packages as I'm not into that high end stuff and outsource my significant video products.

However, if your an avid video producer this is one that you should consider for comparison.

Roxio has 6 different packages in the DVD creation set and 4 options in the play playback series. You can see all the packages at Roxio's Site. 

Now to the more average user in our area. There are few products that stand out as of interest to our group.

Roxio's Music Lab

RecordNow Music Lab is software to collect, organize and enjoy digital music. This package allow many additional feature you wish that the basic iTunes would have come with. You have the ability to collect music from disc, internet radio, and LPs (Vinyl Albums for the young) and even iPods. It will automatically rename your music by artist, title and album. Then you can copy your music to disc or portable player to enjoy wherever you are.

You can create DVD Music Discs with up to 50 Hours of music with smart navigation by title, artist, album, etc. There is also an ability to write to M4A format and great quality menu themes with tools to make your own themes.

Roxio's Creator

Touted as the number one selling multimedia software suite on the market they have a large penetration into the DVD market. Roxio Creator is the all in one suite which will do most of your video and DVD creation. The recent interface upgrade gives the software a whole new look and some new features.

I've used the older version for a while and created some good slide shows with audio additions. As an all around package you would do well to have this one in your tool box. Easy to use, but again check the specs to make sure you aren't under powered with your PC. I was at one time and it was just a little frustrating to wait so long to get the projects completed.

Roxio's Toast

For the Mac you have Roixo's Toast as the alternative for DVD software. I haven't used Mac's in a while, but I read that toast has gotten much better to compete with the other packages available for Mac. As a matter of fact they have been getting awards for the new edition in 2009. That's always a good sign that improvements were made. If you haven't had the luck you should with the other Mac programs, this one will be worth a try. Be sure to check a few of the other Mac Products as well. Like VHS to DVD, Popcorn 4 for TV to DVD, CD Spin Doctor, and the Blu-ray plugin. You can see all the packages at Roxio's Site. 

Crunch

This is Roxio's offering for converting apple device related file types. Roxio Crunch is new and I haven't tried it, but it's worth a mention just because this is one of the most aggravating areas of dealing with video that I've run up against. So it's new and worth looking into.