Group test: what's the best CD/DVD authoring software?

5. NTI Media Maker 9 Ultimate HD Edition

• Reviewed on: 16 September 11
• RRP: $100 (around £63)
• Rating:

At a lower price, I'd see a niche for NTI Media Maker 9 Ultimate. At $100, though, it bumps up against some pretty capable competition. Its ease of use is compelling; but unless your needs are truly basic, you'll find it restricting. I'd also like to see more professional-looking templates for the DVD and BD menus.

4. CyberLink PowerDVD 10 Ultra

• Reviewed on: 12 May 10
• RRP: £79 inc. VAT
• Rating:

The addition of 3D makes CyberLink PowerDVD 10 Ultra a worthy upgrade, and other enhancements round out the application nicely. Don't expect to see a dramatic improvement in performance, however, unless you require support for the new media formats or the image-stabilisation technology for your camcorder video files.

3. Nero Multimedia Suite 10

• Reviewed on: 14 April 10
• RRP: £59 inc. VAT
• Rating:

Nero's exceedingly powerful burning suite Nero Multimedia Suite 10 continues to offer innovations, like its MediaHub for organizing, editing, and playing content; but it continues to be slightly hampered by interface challenges.

2. Astroburn Pro

• Reviewed on: 23 June 10
• RRP: €19
• Rating:

Astroburn Pro is a tad on the high end of the price scale, but may well be worth it if you regularly burn data or copy disks. The trial is time-limited but not feature-limited, and does not have constant annoying popups and reminders, so it's well worth checking out to see if you'll get your money's worth.

1. Magix PhotoStory on CD & DVD 9

• Reviewed on: 30 December 10
• RRP: £26 inc. VAT
• Rating:

I found Magix PhotoStory on CD & DVD a bit slow to load, and the app seemed to slow down even more when loading photos or switching between features. Its drab gray interface could use some colour, or at least some larger-sized text. But if you're interested in creating slide shows for offline sharing, Magix PhotoStory on CD & DVD will easily meet your needs.