Conclusion
I was pleasantly surprised when this version landed on my desk. First thing I noticed was the name change. The previous name was DivXToDVD and that title suggested that it was aimed to convert DivX movies to DVD, while it could do so much more. So you see the name change is very much so justified.
After having spoken to someone at VSO, they have confirmed the encoding engine is new, completely rewritten. In practice you don't notice any negative results from that, in fact you only notice the benefits from it. The encoding engine supports more formats then before, you can set the priority on the encoding process and select the encoding speed. I see this as an enormous pro, being able to rewrite a core element and retain the old functionality and add functionality upon it.
Another thing I like is that they have turned a con of the previous version into a pro in this version. The menu flexibility is increased; you can now customize the complete menu to your liking. A small con is that you don't have a chapter menu, yet.
One minor con I encountered is the ability to glue together two separate parts of one movie. This version doesn't have any options to facilitate this function. Though after speaking to VSO, they mentioned this option is implemented for the next major release.
I think that if they tweak the encoding engine for dual core processors and 64-bit (operating) systems, that there will be even more gain then. People with those kinds of systems have all that power waiting to be released, which can still be harnessed by VSO.
All in all, VSO has re-invented their own product with release and I for one like that very much. A major release should add something the previous release didn't have and that's just with this release does. Looking at the some of the features that's on the unofficial to-do list, I'd say the future is only brighter. Did I mention existing DivXToDVD users can get a free upgrade to this version and future versions?
Pros and Cons:
I’d like to point out the pros and cons I found whilst reviewing VSO ConvertXToDVD:
Pros:
- Easy installation.
- Level and excellence of support.
- Windows XP x64 compatible.
- Quality of encoding.
- Speed of the conversion.
- The simplicity of this program.
- Audio/Video Sync up.
- Fully automated (add, convert, burn and ready).
- Flexible menu control.
- New encoding engine, no negative impact.
- Thinking ahead, including new features in new major releases.
Cons:
- No ability to glue two movies together as one.
- No chapter menu, aside the root menu.
Pricing and Availability:
- € 39,99 Download a trial or buy the software here.
| Review system specifications |
| Processor: | AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ |
| Memory: | 2048 MB DDR 400MHz |
| Hard drives: |
2x 250 GB DiamondMax 10 SATA disks (Mirrored RAID) |
| Motherboard: | Asus A8N Sli |
| Operating System: | Windows XP Professional |
| Recording devices used in review: | Sony DRU 700A and NEC ND-4550A |
| Recording media used in review: | Traxdata DVD+R/+R DL |
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