CDR-Zone.com review CopyToDVD 3

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• Key Features
• Installation
• The Hub
• The Manager
• VSO Player
• VSO Show
• Scheduler
• CD\DVD Copy
• File Depot
• The recording engine
• Conclusion
• Pros and Cons

" This latest module is versatile as it introduces a starting point from which a large number of possibilities are available. Users can decide which external applications to use for specific tasks such as personal DVD movie backup. This new “recording hub” simplifies burning for beginners as well as advanced users.

An added advantage is that the flexible burning engine works with all available drives. Therefore it is compatible with new drives without requiring updates. The new version will support the following formats: CD-R, CD-RW, HD-Burn, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-RAM, DVD+R, DVD+RW, and DVD+R9 which is the long awaited brand new double layer format. VSO-Software is among the first to redesign its software to support the double layer format. DVD-9 can store 8.5GB which is the exact size of an original DVD movie, therefore avoiding the need to compress. This latest version of CopyToDVD supports a wide range of third party software. With improved SDK options, it is much easier to add the CopyToDVD recording facilities to existing software."

• New interface and graphics, user friendly Windows XP layout
• Central recording hub
• Optimal burning engine; added hardware support; all formats accepted Plug-in support ( delivered with SlideShow and Media player plugins )
• New media player
• New backup scheduler
• New copy media mode (CD and DVD)
• Improved voice prompts
• Improved log support for better assistance
• Improved internal SmartEngine
• Improved project builder (CopyToDVD Manager)
• Updated SDK functions

Installation is in the form of the very familiar VSO installer, and all that is needed is one reboot for the installation of the patin coufin engine.

All actions are now performed from within a central recording 'Hub' where the user is presented with the 6 following categories:

• Data: Here you may choose to make either a data CD\DVD compilation or schedule a backup
• Audio: Here you may make either an Audio CD, play supported audio files stored on either CD\DVD or the hard drive, or choose an external software to manage your music files such as K-MP3.
• Movies & Pictures: Here you can either record an ISO or DVD video files stored on your hard drive with the built in patin couffin engine or choose an external software to make a copy of your original Video DVD such as 1ClickDVDCopy, DVDXCopy, CloneDVD, and Nero Recode.
• Copy: Here you can use a lite version of Blindwrite to make a 1:1 copy of your inserted media.
• Tools: You have the choice of erasing your re-writable medium and easy access to all of the CopyToDVD settings.
• Help: Here you have access to the CopyToDVD manual and Technical Support details

All Data and Audio CD\DVD recording is done using the familiar yet much improved CopyToDVD Manager. VSO have put a lot of effort into adding new features to the manager, as well as increasing its ease of use and still keeping in an easy to understand interface. The options tab contains new features such as ' remember last used writer ', and the plugins tab allows selection of the new VSO media player of VSO show for previewing the selected music\pictures before recording to your desired media. As always you can drag and drop from windows explorer directly into the manager to add material for recording. Another new feature is the selection of media size and writer or ISO image, which is now placed conviently on the bottom bar of the manager, and if the wrong media size is selected for the project, then a visual prompt is shown to remind you to select the right size, again keeping it really easy to understand and minimizing the chances of any mistake being made.

The VSO player is a simple and effective way to either preview your selected tracks before recording in the CopyToDVD Manager, or for playing any of the many supported audio formats such as MP3\PCM\APE etc It is skinnable and very low on system resources. Don't expect it to be a full blown media player and you will be pleasantly suprised by how often you might use it for the job it was designed for, again it is here that you see how VSO make effectively simple to use software that you actually need.

VSO Show was designed to let the user have a slideshow preview of any picture files that have been recorded onto a data compilation once inserted into a PC or Standalone DVD player.

As the title suggests, this option allows the user to schedule a backup of important PC files on a regular, predifined basis.

The CD Copy category consists of two options:

• Copy a CD\DVD: this is a 'lite' version of VSOs pioneering 1:1 backup software, and allows for 1:1 backups of your original media.Anyone who has used Blindwrite will be familiar with this interface, but for anyone new to this software, it is a very simple yet extremely powerful backup software, and full details on its abilities and fuctions can be found Here. VSO have informed us that it does not support the direct copying of protected DVD Video discs due to the laws on these protections, though it was interesting to notice that if such drivers as AnyDVD or DVD43 where installed on the review system, then this option could be enabled.
• Copy DVD Video: Again the option to launch an external software for making a backup of DVD Videos is placed here as the Copy CD option does not allow for compression from DVD-9 to DVD-5. Did I mention how many other companies software can be launched from within this feature if installed? VSO have shown commitment to having the best software for the job available to the user, and how many other software companies allow you this option and I can only compliment VSO on this approach they have taken.

The file depot was one of the first options implemented into CopyToDVD, and is similar to the built in Windows XP recording engine. It allows the user to simply right click on the desired source data and record directly via windows explorer, or you can use the file depot to store all information and add to it before importing it into the Manager for recording.