Cyberlink Power2Go 3

If you have a recordable CD or DVD drive in your computer, using a decent disc-writing application is essential. CyberLink Power2Go 3 has some good ideas, but it doesn't really stand out from similar products.

It can be used with any format of writable disc. After installation, a selection of Power2Go icons appears on the desktop. Depending on what kind of disc you want to create (audio, data or video), you drag-and-drop files onto the relevant icon.

When creating music CDs, Power2Go will automatically convert MP3 or WMA files into a format that can be read by ordinary CD players. The conversion process can take some time and it's not always apparent what the software is doing, so patience will definitely be a virtue here. You can drag and drop video files in the same way, and Power2Go will add them as separate chapters in a Video CD or DVD.

The main Power2Go program offers far more control when creating discs. Select the option to produce a movie disc, and CyberLink PowerProducer Express is launched. This program can create DVDs, VCDs and SVCDs. Help is provided at every stage and it is easy to use.

The software can also create photo slideshows with background music. A handy option allows you to back up the photos on the disc as well, which doesn't take up much space and means you have a digital copy of your snaps archived.

When creating movie discs, you can choose to include the PowerDVD Auto-Player. This is used to play the disc's video contents, even if the recipient doesn't have a suitable media player installed. The video-editing capabilities are rather basic, though, and it lacks any transitions or effects.

There are tools for creating disc images and erasing rewritable discs, which are less exciting but just as useful. Making an image of an entire CD or DVD on your hard disk means you can quickly write further discs without needing the original.

Older computers with slower processors will still be able to make use of the basic features of this software but if you want to convert music files, a faster processor will be needed. For converting video, the makers recommend a PC with at least a Pentium 4 or an Athlon 2200+ processor. You also need a reasonable amount of hard disk space available, at least 5Gb for creating DVDs.

CyberLink Power2Go is an able disc-creation application, but is quite limited when compared with other programs of a similar nature.

Contact: CyberLink
www.gocyberlink.com

See also:

Roxio Easy DVD Copy

Copy your home movies and other discs quickly and simply.  13 Sep 2004

InterVideo DVD Copy 2

Backing up your DVDs has never been this straightforward - honest.  08 Jun 2004

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