Nero 8

Nero 8 shows off a new interface for getting started that makes the many tools easier to find from the get-go. Some welcome new features include HD support.

In addition to the disc-ripping and -burning capabilities with which Nero first made its mark, the digital-media suite also offers a bevy of options for managing movies, music, and photos. Nero helps you create and edit videos and music files, share that content online, turn your PC into a media center, and back up and recover data in case of disaster. Nero 8 includes a revamped entry page in addition to new support for burning and creating HD and Blu-ray CDs and DVDs

Features
Nero 8’s new features include converting DVD files for an iPod, PSP, or other mobile gadgets; playing AVCHD and Blu-ray video; and backing up files to CD, Blu-ray, and both regular and high-definition DVDs. SecurDisc lets you digitally sign and recover data, and it can make bootable Linux discs–no more DOS. There’s also a free one-month trial of Nero Mobile. And you can import and share videos via YouTube, MySpace, and MyNero. Nero can convert files to MPEG-4 and other formats you prefer.

Setup
Nero 8 requires a Windows 2000 SP4 or later, XP, or Vista computer with a DVD-ROM and a recommended 512MB of RAN for Vista, or 256MB for earlier versions of Windows. You should have 1.5GB of disk space free and another 9GB to squeeze in DVD files. If you want to record or author high-definition content or record TV shows, you’ll need a system beefier than the basic requirements.

Interface
Once everything is installed and you reboot, there will be no fewer than 16 items listed in the Nero 8 folder within Windows’ Programs menu. This is a complicated package that can be confusing to navigate. The StartSmart screen is the best place to start. The ketchup-color interface of older versions of Nero is gone, replaced by more subtle bluish and gray tones with a list of topics that feels better organized than the sliding bar from Nero 7.

Options along the top now include Rip and Burn, Create and Edit, Home Entertainment and Back Up. The left-hand navigation lists Data Burning, Audio Burning, Audio Ripping, and Copy Disc functions. The organization is helpful, as each of these menu items takes you to collections of applications whose names you may not understand. RSS feeds near the bottom of the screen will show updates from Nero, but we wish it were easier to add our own feeds there, for instance, to display the latest videos shared through MyNero. Instead, you must visit the Options menu (under File) and add XML URLs. The flame icon in the lower-left corner connects to other Nero 8 applications.