Review: Roxio Creator Suite 9 multimedia package

The Disk Copier utility has a lot more to it than the name suggests. As well as copying discs and burning ISO images, it can be used to convert video for a variety of devices, including Video iPods and PSPs.

At times the Disk Copier feels like a dumping ground for features that didn’t fit anywhere else. A renaming of the section might make it clearer. For example, you wouldn’t expect to find video conversion tools in the Disk Copier section.

Some of the projects defaulted to the Roxio format when saving a disc image, rather than the standard ISO. This might be a problem when sharing projects, so it’s something to watch out for.

One improvement to the MyDVD section is the greatly increased number of menu styles. Previous versions were rather limited and the extra styles give you far more to choose from. Should you want more, Roxio sell extra themes in batches of five for about £25.

Roxio Creator Suite also comes with Media Manager for organising all kinds of media on a computer.

It can import images from compatible mobile phones, which is ideal for anyone who values the pictures taken with their camera-phone, and there is also a tool for creating panoramas.

Tagging Mp3 files can be a frustrating task, especially if there was incomplete data when the files were ripped.

The Media Manager can be used to update these tags; the latest service from Gracenote uses audio footprints to identify music tracks, which is particularly useful for tracks recorded from tape or LP.

Being such a huge suite of tools, it’s impossible to cover every aspect of Roxio Creator 9 in a single review. But, if you’re looking for something to handle all your digital media needs, you’d be hard pushed to find anything as easy to use and comprehensive as Creator 9.

Also consider:
Pinnacle Mobile Media Converter
A video conversion tool aimed at iPod and PSP users

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