Review: Roxio Easy Media Creator 9 Deluxe creation suite

Roxio's latest version of its media suite, Easy Media Creator 9, is an impressive package.

This new Deluxe version adds yet another range of tools to an already comprehensive set.

Most are based around the supplied Dazzle Video Capture Device from Pinnacle, which allows easy transfer and editing of audio or video content, including VHS tapes and analogue camcorder footage.

You’ll find a range of new tools to complement the Dazzle, including a full version of Roxio's Videowave 9 software for advanced video editing techniques and creating your own home movies.

To help out those with an extensive DVD library, Roxio's new Disc Gallery tools lets you index the contents of your discs, including the Blu-ray media, on your hard drive, so tracking down files is quick and easy.

Also included is DivX Pro, which lets you quickly encode high-quality, compressed video. And if you’re looking to get into video conferencing a year’s subscription to Sightspeed Pro allows you to conduct unlimited multi-party conferencing, video mail, voice calls and text messaging.

If you’re more into music, Soundsoap package will help you remove unwanted crackle, hiss and other redundant noise from audio tracks and recordings.

Going into detail on the intricacies of each package could fill a book - check out our original review of Creator 9 to learn about the standard features - but suffice to say the ease of use, attention to detail and intuitive nature we’ve come to expect from Roxio are all still here.

The potential Easy Media Creator 9 suite has to help you manage, create and distribute all forms of multimedia content is staggering. Considering this Deluxe version is available for just £30 more, you’re getting good value for money.

If we have any gripes with the software it’s that media processing can sometimes be a little slow, particularly in the case of video, and with all the features enabled the suite tends to hog system resources. But this is a small price to pay for such a comprehensive set of tools.