Software Review of:
Nero 
5.0.3.8 

Nero works with most CD-Burners, but you can make sure it is compatible with yours before you buy by checking www.nero.com. As CD-Burner users go, I am not the most advanced, but I have had good success making CD’s and have found Nero easy to use. It comes with a basic manual (33 pages) that will show you how to install the program and do basic burning. Also included is the Nero Wizard that guides the new user through the process of burning CD’s. On my first try at making a music CD, I did not have the manual handy. Thankfully, the Wizard guided me through each step, so that I was able to make a CD successfully. My only problem was that I tried to do it in 6X speed, which my CD-Burner is supposed to support (but doesn’t). I soon found that it only works at 2X. This, of course, is not Nero’s fault. Once I ironed out that problem, it worked just fine. All this is to say that if you are looking for software that takes the heartburn out of burning your CD’s, Nero is a good choice. Below I will highlight the ease of making a CD.

When you first fire it up, the Nero Wizard comes out and gives the following choices: Compile a new CD or Copy a CD. I selected the first option and then chose to make an audio CD (the other two choices were: Data CD and Other CD formats. If you choose “Other CD formats,” there will be three additional options: “Audio + Data mixed,” “Video CD,” and “Create CD from an image file.” If “Data CD” is chosen, you have the option of starting a brand-new CD or adding to an existing one. The “Audio CD” option brings up a window that takes you into a copying session. Once there, you simply drag-and-drop the audio files you want and then click on the “burn” icon. Then you choose from “Test,” “Test and Burn,” and “Burn.” Since testing takes a long time, and CDs are so cheap, I chose “Burn” and all went well. Once the CD is done, you can save the file and burn another later. I’m sorry to say that I did not get to make a CD label, although Nero has that feature.

For the advanced reader, be advised that there is a lot more to Nero than just a pretty face! As amazing as it may sound, with Nero 5 you can actually burn 7 recorders simultaneously! As you might expect, super users such as these are encouraged to employ SCSI recorders because of their superior bus protocol, but IDE recorders will work. The video is also improved with SVCD (Super Video CD) which is a step above VCD because it uses MPEG-2 compression with variable bit rate encoding. The SVCD’s bitrate is also twice that of VCD, providing a better image quality. It even lets you add still images to a Super Video CD compilation.

Version 5 also has improved and added to its audio filters. There is now a Karaoke filter and a Split function, allowing for multiple splitting of a sound file. Also, Nero now supports the M3U playlists that contain lists of audio files in ascii text format and can be edited by Windows “Notepad.” Another helpful audio feature is Nero 5's support of Twin VQ audio compression. Sound VQ files contain compressed audio data similar to MP3 files. The advantage of sound VQ files is that they give comparable sound quality while taking up 20-30% less space on the hard drive. Nero also provides unlimited Encoding and Decoding. You can even drag Twin VQ files beside MP3 file in the same audio compilation and burn on-the-fly. Nero also comes with its very own media player that plays back CD-DA, WAV, TwinVQ, and MP3 files. It encodes on-the-fly audio files to MP3 (up to 30), TwinVQ, or Wave format and records directly from any type of device to your hard disk. 

I have not been able to find Nero locally or from any vendor on the Internet. So far as I know, it is only available from the vendor itself. You can purchase Nero 5.0.3.8 direct from Ahead Software. The boxed package (with manual and CD disc) is $69 + $9 shipping. Or, perhaps better, you can download a demo copy and if you like it, just pay $49 (no shipping) for the serial number that lets you keep the product. One of the benefits to this product is that they give free or cheap upgrades to future versions. All the 5+ versions have been free to those who bought Nero 5.0. Registered 4.0 users can upgrade to 5.0 by downloading it for $19.  And anyone who bought 4.0 after January 1, 2000 gets a free upgrade to version 5. This is a company that supports its customers! I highly recommend downloading a demo copy and giving Nero 5.0.3.8 a try.