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. 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.

3. Nero 11

• Reviewed on: 18 November 11
• RRP: £69 inc VAT for the standard version; £89 inc VAT for the Platinum edition
• Rating:

The Nero 11 multimedia burning suite is as powerful as they come, and friendlier than its predecessors by far, but the new look isn't pervasive.

2. CyberLink Media Suite 10 Ultra

• Reviewed on: 22 June 12
• RRP: £99 inc VAT for new users; Pro version (no Blu-ray support): £74 inc VAT
• Rating:

Appellations aside, Media Suite 10 Ultra's only real competition these days is Roxio Creator 2012, a slightly cheaper suite. But Roxio has nothing to rival PowerDVD 12's playback capabilities, a difference that puts Media Suite 10 Ultra in a class of its own. As CyberLink alternatively describes it, this suite is an "11-in-1 Digital Media Value Pack." Now if the company would only add that darn DirectShow support.

1. CyberLink PowerDVD 12 Ultra

• Reviewed on: 12 March 12
• RRP: £98 inc. VAT
• Rating:

The best DVD/Blu-ray player software available is morphing into an organizer/player for all types of media. It's not cheap, and it utilises a lot of your PC's resource, but there is no better media software out there.