Content area
Full text
in an industry with an ever-increasing tendency for program bloat, there is something to be said for a product that values simplicity and purity of purpose. Unlike its market competitors Nero and Roxio and their latest offerings, NTI NTI CD SI DVD-Maker 6.5 has made no attempt to expand its CD & DVD-Maker into a full-blown digital media studio. Instead, NTI CD & DVD-Maker 6.5 does just what the name implies-burns CDs and DVDs. This may be a welcome sight to users who already have an arsenal of third-party tools at their disposal, but it also may disappoint the consumer who is looking for all the necessary tools in a single package, especially when comparison-shopping with Roxio and Nero, not to mention Sonic's new MyDVD/RecordNow combo.
Although NTI has added the obligatory DVD recording ability, a tool absolutely necessary to remain competitive in this market, they unfortunately have limited this to data backup only. There is no support whatsoever for DVD movie making, a glaring omission when compared with competitive offerings that can capture video and offer at least rudimentary DVD menu creation. To their credit, NTI provides the ability to record VCD, Slideshow VCD, SVCD, and Slideshow SVCD, as well as support for a variety of data and audio formats. Their interface is clean and easy to use, and they deliver a balance between simplicity for the consumer and options for the power user. As a piece of software for pure recording purposes, you couldn't ask for more, but in a market where consumers may be looking for supplemental features, it's impossible to ignore their lack of support for DVD movie production.
This review takes a look at NTI CD & DVD-Maker Platinum 6,5 and how it defines itself in the current CD and DVD recording software marketplace.
Installation
Right off the bat, you have to like that NTI requires a mere 75MB of hard disk space. Compare that with the whopping 800MB you need to install Roxio or the 500MB recommended by Nero. After you put the installation disc into the CD player, you are presented with an installation front end, which is overkill, since all you can do is install, browse or go to NTI's Web site, Installation is a snap-not even...