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MillimeterIntegrate Tools
Dec 1, 2004 12:00 PM
Featured this month:
NEC: ND-3500A
CyberLink: Power Producer 3
InterVideo: WinDVD DVD
Maxell: DVD-R Plus, DVD-R Broadcast Quality
Sony's: DRU-710A, DRX-710UL
Zootech: DVD-Extra Studio 1.5
Sonic Solutions: MyDVD Studio Deluxe
CMS: ABSplus
Speedy DVD burner
While products from Sony and Plextor were among the first to offer double-layer 16X DVD±R/RW burning, other manufacturers have lagged in introducing such a useful speedup. Now, NEC's new ND-3500A drive not only equals those others, but it also bundles in a competent software suite from Ulead Systems. The kicker? The combo runs less than three figures, a price point low enough to convince even penny-pinching producers. Besides the double-layer 16X speed, the ND-3500A is ecumenical, supporting all of the major brands of CD, DVD±R/RW, and double-layer media. Ulead's DVD MovieFactory 3.5 Suite Deluxe edition handles DVD creation, video editing, burning, and DVD playback. NovaStor's Nova Backup 7.1 software enables easy backup of vital files.
Price: $99
Rancho Cordova, Calif.; (916) 463-7000;
www.necsam.com
Fast DVD creation
Although it's great to have the power that top DVD-authoring programs deliver, sometimes all you need to do is to quickly pull together a few elements without traversing screen after screen of options. CyberLink's Power Producer 3 deserves a look; it offers a number of features to help automate the process. SmartFit Technology, for example, optimizes the video quality setting based on available disc space and video length. PhotoNow offers one-click photo retouching. Other features include SVRT (Smart Video Rendering Technology), PowerDirector Express (advanced video editing), alpha blending, and support for 16X DVD burning and double-layer discs.
Price: $79.95
Fremont, Calif.
(510) 668-0118
www.gocyberlink.com
DVD playback versatility
While the basic media software from Microsoft and RealNetworks handles DVD playback, it's useful to look over more capable apps that allow control over the growing capabilities today's media can deliver. InterVideo, for example, claims its WinDVD DVD playback software has more than 100 million installations worldwide because it offers enhanced control over both video and audio surround sound. The company says its app is currently the first and only software to support the DVD-Audio and High Definition Audio formats. The latest version, WinDVD 6 Platinum, adds features that also support the Windows Media Video High Definition (WMV-HD) format. Meanwhile, InterVideo's Trimension DNM (Digital Natural Motion) analyzes action sequences, smoothing out playback.
Price: $70
Fremont, Calif.; (510) 651-0888
www.intervideo.com
Use the right media
Keeping up with the latest production and post gear is a given for most producers, but it's also important to know the state-of-the-art in less sexy product areas, such as recording media. Maxell, for example, is always worth watching. The company continues to pour significant amounts of R&D money and resources into tape and optical media development. One example of the payoff: Maxell's Professional Media Products Division has extended and improved its lines of DVD-R Plus and DVD-R Broadcast Quality optical media. Start with a proprietary formula of organic dyes — they're the basis of both CD and DVD recording media — and Maxell not only aids compatibility with a large range of burners and players, but also delivers a claimed archival life of more than 50 years. The DVD-R Broadcast Quality line features a lower error rate; it's designed for storing media that can be directly broadcast.
Price: $6 and up
Fairlawn, N.J.; (800) 533-2836;
www.maxell.com
Faster DVD burning
When Sony's first-generation DVD+R Double Layer (DL) burner came out, users liked the drive's basic chops, but many reviews pointed out the rather plodding recording speed, something that becomes an increasing concern when you're laying down up to 8.5GB on a dual-layer disc. Well, that's all changed. Sony's internal DRU-710A and external DRX-710UL drives now support 16X DVD+R recording, burning a full write-once, single-layer disc in approximately six minutes. Want numbers? There's support for 16X DVD+R, 8X DVD-R, 4X DVD±RW, 48X CD-R, and 24X CD-RW recording speeds. The DRX-710UL features FireWire and USB 2.0 connectivity. There's also a burning and authoring software suite from Nero.
Price: $120 (internal DRU-710A); $170 (external DRX-710UL)
San Diego; (877) 865-7669;
www.sonystyle.com
Add DVD interactivity
Even though DVD authoring apps continue to pile on new capabilities, the resulting DVDs pretty much just play video when you click on an icon. Boring. At least according to Zootech, which released DVD-Extra Studio 1.5 at IBC 2004. The software lets developers quickly add interactivity to their DVDs. This is a breakthrough, especially with the low software price: Although interactive CD-ROMs have been out for a few years, not many DVD-authoring programs have yet added such chops. New features include Adobe After Effects 6.5 and Adobe Photoshop CS integration, subtitle automation, support for Type 3 DVD instructions (allows greater DVD control), and Macrovision Analog Protect System (APS) for copyright protection.
Price: $69.95 for unlimited use
(plus royalty fees of 5 to 50 cents per disc)
Sheffield, UK; (925) 472-6790;
www.zoo-tech.com
Make DVDs do more
While the number of DVD authoring programs proliferates, integrating all the new chops sometimes leads to a hard-to-figure-out interface. With a long track record in DVD software creation, Sonic Solutions recently launched version 6 of MyDVD Studio Deluxe, showing how all those capabilities can be smoothly integrated. New features include video editing, Dolby Digital audio encoding, freeform button placement, “state-of-the-art” encoding for up to four hours of video on a single-layer DVD, anamorphic widescreen support, up to 1,000 photos per slideshow, enhanced audio control, and a new interface that integrates all DVD- and CD-creation tasks.
Price: $99.99
Novato, Calif.
(415) 893-8000
www.sonic.com/products/mydvd
Small, portable backup
Recovering from a crashed drive gets easier with the new CMS ABSplus ultra-portable backup and restore system. The removable hard drive is only 2.5in. in diameter, but it packs up to a whopping 100GB. The whole unit weighs in at 7oz. and offers USB2.0, PCMCIA, or FireWire interfaces for Mac and PC users. The bundled-in BounceBack software can create a fully bootable backup of a notebook, desktop, or tablet PC's entire hard drive. Bus power means that the petite drive needs only a powered USB or FireWire port to get to work.
Price: $199 (20GB); $249 (40GB); $319 (60GB);
$399 ($80GB); $419 (100GB)
Costa Mesa, Calif.; (714) 424-5520
www.cmsproducts.com
