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Product summary
Nero 8 shows off a new interface for getting started that makes the many tools easier to find from the get-go. Some welcome new features include HD support, although this rich suite can still confuse.
Specifications: License qty: 1 user ; License type: Complete package ; Min Operating system: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic , Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition , Microsoft Windows XP SP1 , Microsoft Windows Vista Business , Microsoft Windows Server 2003 SP1 , Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate , Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition , Microsoft Windows Vista (64-bit versions) , Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4 or later ; ; See full specs
Price range: $67.79
CNET editors' take
- Reviewed on: 09/28/2007
In addition to the disc-ripping and -burning capabilities with which Nero first made its mark, the digital-media suite also offers a bevy of options for managing movies, music, and photos. Nero helps you create and edit videos and music files, share that content online, turn your PC into a media center, and back up and recover data in case of disaster. Nero 8 includes a revamped entry page in addition to new support for burning and creating HD and Blu-ray CDs and DVDs.
Nero 8 costs $79 to download, $99 for the box, and $49 to upgrade from Nero 7 Ultra Edition. In the past, Nero has not issued a new version of its software every year, unlike so many other brands. Instead, a new package would come onto the market every other year or so. Peppered between each release were significant updates that Nero's 50 million or so active users could download for free. Now, however, Nero will follow an annual version update schedule.
Setup
We had to let an early download of Nero 8 run all night long (the estimate early in the evening was 9 hours), which was maddening. From the disc, luckily, the 30-minute process on our Windows XP test bed was far less arduous. PhotoShow Express and SecurDisc Viewer took about another 10 minutes to install separately. But beware; Nero will install the Ask search toolbar in your Internet browser unless you step through the process slowly and decline, if it's not what you want.
You'll also have to clear or check lots of boxes to tell Nero whether you want its apps to open your photos, videos, and music files by default or not. You'll have to clear five check boxes to prevent Nero from adding that many desktop shortcuts to your computer.
Nero 8 requires a Windows 2000 SP4 or later, XP, or Vista computer with a DVD-ROM and a recommended 512MB of RAN for Vista, or 256MB for earlier versions of Windows. You should have 1.5GB of disk space free and another 9GB to squeeze in DVD files. If you want to record or author high-definition content or record TV shows, you'll need a system beefier than the basic requirements. HD DVD playback requires a plug-in from Nero's Web site, for instance.
Interface
Once everything is installed and you reboot, there will be no fewer than 16 items listed in the Nero 8 folder within Windows' Programs menu. This is a complicated package that can be confusing to navigate. The StartSmart screen is the best place to start. The ketchup-color interface of older versions of Nero is gone, replaced by more subtle bluish and gray tones with a list of topics that feels better organized than the sliding bar from Nero 7.
Options along the top now include Rip and Burn, Create and Edit, Home Entertainment and Back Up. The left-hand navigation lists Data Burning, Audio Burning, Audio Ripping, and Copy Disc functions. The organization is helpful, as each of these menu items takes you to collections of applications whose names you may not understand. RSS feeds near the bottom of the screen will show updates from Nero, but we wish it were easier to add our own feeds there, for instance, to display the latest videos shared through MyNero. Instead, you must visit the Options menu (under File) and add XML URLs. The flame icon in the lower-left corner connects to other Nero 8 applications.
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- Average user rating: 2.0 stars out of 26 reviews
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Nero 8:
