Review: Roxio Easy DVD Copy 2 Premier media management software

Roxio is no stranger to the recordable CD and DVD market and its latest package, Easy DVD Copy 2 Premier, houses a range of disc copying tools along with some added extras.

It's worth pointing out from the start that copying encrypted DVDs, such as Hollywood movies, breaches copyright. Indeed, if Easy DVD Copy 2 Premier comes across such a title it will refuse to deal with it.

Considering its low price tag, Easy DVD Copy 2 Premier has more than its fair share of features. The interface is very Roxio - clean and simple and a 'Copy Now' button lets you duplicate a DVD with just one click of a mouse button.

Besides copying DVDs, it will also compress long movies to fit on one 4.7Gb blank DVD. If the DVD you're copying is loaded with extras, you can elect to cut these out of the copying process to save space and time.

Roxio Easy DVD Copy 2 will also convert movies to the popular and highly efficient DivX format. This will typically compress two-hours worth of footage down to around 700Mb (the same size as a CD), while maintaining decent video-quality.

Unsurprisingly, Roxio has decided to join the likes of Intervideo iVideo to Go  and  X-oom Movies on PSP in adding a feature to create video especially for Video iPods and Sony PSPs.

However, it will only convert standard DVDs to these formats. If you want to make an AVI or MPEG video file compatible with an iPod or PSP, you'll first need to convert it to DVD format. Easy DVD Copy 2 Premier has the ability to do this, but it's a shame it can't do it in one step.

Those thinking of buying Roxio Easy DVD 2 Copy Premier purely for the iPod and PSP video conversion tools, might want to take a look at the freeware alternatives first - eRightSoft SUPER is a popular choice and has plenty of advanced options.
In its favour, Roxio's alternative is easy to use, has a clean interface and houses a good range of basic features.

Also consider
Intervideo iVideoToGo for iPod 
Verdict: At £20, Intervideo's iVideoToGo for iPod is a versatile video conversation tool, but be prepared to wait for the results
Rating: 3/5
Price: £20