DVD X Copy Gold

Straight away, DVD X Copy presents us with a problem - copying commercial DVD movies for any reason is illegal. 321 Studios attempts to get around this by suggesting users only employ the product to create 'backup' copies of their own discs. A brief disclaimer on the packaging and a pop-up dialogue box are the only other discouragements to would-be pirates.

The package is made up of two programs - DVD X Copy and DVD X Copy Xpress. Both do the same job but have unique features. The main program can make 1:1 copies of DVD movies on DVD-R/RW or DVD+R/RW discs. Commentaries, Dolby soundtracks, multiple languages and any special features can also be included, spanning the movie over several discs if necessary. Xpress is capable of compressing longer movies so that they fit onto a single 4.3GB DVD.

The programs can work around any copy protection, region coding and NTSC/PAL video standards. We tested out DVD X Copy on a number of machines with various different titles, playing back the results on several set-top DVD players, and not all of them worked. This could be for a few reasons, mainly compatibility with the range of DVD recordable standards. Our conclusion is that DVD copying in general is still a hit and miss affair, so be prepared for the occasional coaster.

The UK copyright laws could do with a shake-up, but when it will occur and whether it will help or hinder products like DVD X Copy remains to be seen.

Contact: Koch Media 01256 707 767
www.321studios.com

System Requirements:

• Windows 98, ME, 2000 or XP
• Pentium III 500MHz processor
• 128MB Ram
• 10GB free hard disk space
• Recordable DVD drive (DVD-RW or DVD+RW)