If the addition of BackItUp and Nero Vision Express 2 wasn't enough, Nero 6 Ultra Edition also includes ShowTime, a DVD/Movie file player that rapidly won us over despite numerous minor bugs. We'd also like a Run Now option for scheduled backups. For example, unless you define your backup as a job or actually execute a backup, you can't save specific options, such as which files to back up and whether to use compression. Our only beef: BackItUp can be a bit clunky to use.
It even throws in straight file copying for quick, everyday backups of your most important files. BackItUp isn't as mature as Stomp's BackUp MyPC, but it offers everything most users need: compression, disc spanning and scheduling. Nero's new BackItUp backup utility works like a charm you can back up and restore, as well as schedule backups at specific intervals. We'd like to see some shortcuts here and there. For example, you can't preview your creation except by advancing screen by screen to the preview pane. Like other modules in the suite, however, Vision Express 2 relies solely on a step-by-step, wizard-style interface, which quickly becomes tedious and constricting when you know what you're doing. The program supports motion menu buttons (small snippets of movies that play within the scene-selection button), and even the background of your menu screen can be a movie. Nero Vision Express 2, unlike its difficult-to-use and underpowered predecessor, is one of the most competent movie-authoring programs we've seen, rivalling Pinnacle Studio 8 in capabilities and beating it handily in performance.
Both are extremely powerful, considering that they're just parts of an inexpensive software suite. On top of the old standbys, Nero 6 Ultra Edition adds its new Nero Vision Express 2 movie-authoring application and the BackItUp backup utility. All three are stable, mature programs and remain our favourites. In this new incarnation, Nero Burning ROM gets a mild facelift with larger icons, more comprehensive pop-up tool tips and other tweaks Nero Express remains the easy-to-use program it has always been and InCD 4.0 has new features under the surface, such as better support. We're also still waiting for the single-pane, tunnelling browser and disc layout windows in Nero Burning ROM that we put on our wish list in our review of Nero 5.5.Īt the heart of the Nero 6 Ultra Edition suite is the old-school, power-user mastering program Nero Burning ROM, the friendlier-to-beginners Nero Express mastering program, and the InCD 4.0 packet-writing program, for using your CD or DVD rewritable discs like floppies. Although both are easy to use and highly capable, they force you through a step-by-step process, which could annoy or frustrate experienced users. One of our few complaints concerns the BackItUp backup utility and NeroVision Express 2.0.
Nero 6 Ultra's interface is both pleasing to the eye and easy to use, although we did notice that text messages and labels were truncated when we set our Windows display driver to large fonts (125 percent or 120dpi).
StartSmart will also let you know when an update for any of the suite's modules is available and direct you to the Web site for downloading.
You can even configure it to show you only the programs you commonly use, which is more than Easy CD Creator allows. Taking a page out of Easy CD Creator's book, Nero 6 Ultra Edition includes StartSmart, a window that offers access to all of the suite's numerous components.
We'd prefer a set-it-and-forget-it install routine for everything in the suite. Unfortunately, you must wade through separate installation routines for three programs: NeroVision Express 2.0 (movie authoring), Nero Mix MP3 (an MP3 ripper), and InCD 4.0 (a packet-writing program). Installing Nero 6 Ultra Edition takes about 10 minutes (plus reboot time) and requires about 220MB of disk space. Still, if you've been thinking about Easy CD Creator, think Nero instead. In fact, Nero 6 Ultra Edition would have been a landslide winner if it were not for a few minor bugs in our pre-release version and some quibbles with the interface in some modules. Toss in a slick, completely configurable launch applet, numerous helpful utilities and a responsive bug-fix policy, and you get a hands-down Editors' Choice.
In fact, calling it a disc-authoring application is a disservice, because the suite also offers a very capable backup program, a DVD-authoring tool that compares favourably with all but its professional-level competitors, and even a VCD/DVD movie playback program that includes support for MPEG-4 (the compression scheme that gives you near-DVD quality on a CD). Nero 6 Ultra Edition is the most comprehensive, versatile CD- and DVD-mastering and packet-writing suite on the market today.