Description:
Direct from Germany to you, Ahead Software's Nero Burning ROM 5.5 is an exceedingly capable compact disc-burning program that supports most every facet of the CD-creation process. It handles audio, data, and mixed-format recording, and sports several new perks not available in previous versions. Unfortunately, it is not particularly intuitive. Rookies and those who aren't accustomed to fully immersing themselves in their software may initially have difficulty coming to terms with Nero's many complexities and puzzling documentation. Like most high-end CD-burning packages, Nero 5.5 allows users to perform a variety of tasks, including copying CDs, creating bootable CDs, and assembling "best of" audio CDs. It quickly compiles MP3 audio, MPEG and AVI video, mixed audio/data, and hybrid PC- and Mac-readable CDs. The program features integrated BURN-Proof technology to help prevent buffer under run errors and the useless CD "coasters" such errors create. Yet Nero is far more than just a CD burner. The package also includes an upgradeable pre-burn virus scanner, rudimentary media player, and new and improved paint program for designing CD artwork and labels. Budding audio engineers will appreciate Nero Wave Editor, a vast suite of standard and exotic sound-altering amenities such as reverb, delay, chorus, volume normalization, and the very cool time correction, all with real-time auditioning and non-destructive editing. New for version 5.5 is the Toolkit, a two-part component consisting of a CD-speed benchmark utility and nifty drive speed tool that adjusts the speed of supporting drives to reduce noise, spin-up/down times, and mechanical wear when reading bad discs. In testing, Nero 5.5 certainly performed as advertised. Its slick step-by-step wizard handled the basics of CD creation, and its drag-and-drop Explorer-type interface made custom compilations easy. Each and every disc emerged as expected whether burned on the fly, through a hard drive image file, or via disc-at-once or track-at-once methodology. Afterward, the program successfully ejected or withheld discs or automatically deactivated the computer as instructed. Its hard-drive backup options are restrictive, its audio CD enhancement a bit clunky, and its obligatory $15 fee for MP3 and MP3PRO encoder plug-ins annoying, yet virtually every other element of Nero 5.5 is of near-professional quality. If you know how to use them, that is. The program's help file and electronic manual are poorly translated from their Germanic origin and sometime appear incomplete or erroneous. In fact, users are compelled to investigate and experiment just to fully understand many of the program's more advanced features. Telephone technical assistance is unavailable, and fax and e-mail correspondence must be directed to Europe. On a more positive note, Ahead offers extensive online documentation and a constant stream of free downloadable patches and upgrades. The latest such upgrade, v. 5.5.4.0, supports a host of the latest hardware burners and several new formats, including DVD. Perfect for advanced users and those who burn more than the occasional bare-bones audio disc, Nero Burning ROM 5.5 is a program of unlimited potential. Just make sure you're willing to take the time to examine and comprehend its unlimited potential or it may frustrate before it satisfies. --Gordon Goble
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