Review by Tomsde

Nero 8 Ultra Edition is the next submission in a long line of upgrades to the venerable line of cd/dvd editing/authoring software. If you have a high def. video camcorder or other more recent hardware, the upgrade price may be worth your while to upgrade–for me I have found it not worth it. Perhaps it is worth it for more Vista compatibility though, even though I don’t use the special Vista features.

Pros: You can do a little of just about any type of DVD/CD/VIDEO editing with this software–but don’t expect Pinnacle Studio or Sony Vegas Studio features. Greater Vista compatibility with some Vista features. There is a slight improvement to the user interface. Directly upload to YouTube and other video sharing websites.

Cons: Requires you to buy more licenses for more than one PC even if not used concurrently. Jack of all trades, but master of none–lacks the high end features in most cases that advanced users crave. Downloading updates for the boxed version essentially turns it into the download version of Nero 8. The main drawback to this is that your documentation (which is poorly done at best) is whiped out rendering you help button and drop down useless. If you want to consult a manual you have to download each one and open them separately. There is no printed manual to speak of included in the boxed version, and for a $100 peice of software I find that unacceptable. I also was inelligible for upgrade prices because I’d previously purchased the download version.

Conclusion: I find the fact that updates whipe out my help menu totally unaccepatable. I doubt I will upgrade to the next version. If you’re running XP and have version 7 the price for an upgrade may not be worth the price of admission.