Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1507 in Software
• Brand: Nero
• Model: 4030764060008
• Released on: 2003-08-22
• Platforms: Windows NT, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows Me, Windows XP

Amazon.co.uk Review
Nero 6 is the latest incarnation of Ahead Software's highly acclaimed CD and DVD burning package. Installation is straightforward and once everything is loaded it's clear that Nero 6 has moved forward considerably from earlier versions. For day-to-day burning duties there are Nero Burning ROM and Nero Express with the latter being aimed at beginners compared to the full control afforded by the former. There isn't much new here although the user interface has been tweaked and updated and now looks nice and contemporary.

The major change with Nero 6 is the vast number of extra tools provided. Everything is run via a configurable start screen. Nero Vision Express 2 is designed for movie authoring. While not as fully featured as Pinnacle Studio 8 it still provides all you need to get home movies edited and saved for posterity. Related to this is ShowTime, an excellent DVD player easily as good as other software-based ones you can buy separately. For backup duties there is BackItUp. Although basic, it does allow disk-spanning compression and scheduling even if the interface is a little frustrating at times. Other tools include a nice wave editor for sound files, a good cover designer for CD cases and Nero Mix for MP3 playing and ripping.

Nero 6 is a great set of tools and utilities and offers excellent value for money. Existing users will have to consider the worth of the latest extras but new users will find a rich set of applications for all their CD and DVD needs. And unlike many of its peers, Nero 6 doesn't keep connecting to the Internet, which is good for those who prefer more control of their privacy. --Iain Laskey

Manufacturer's Description
With Nero 6, Ahead Software presents the follow-up to the famous burning solution Nero Burning ROM 5.5. And what a follow-up! Nero 6 is now the name for a whole suite of applications wrapped around the ultimate project launcher Nero StartSmart.

Nero 6 is your All-in-One solution! With all the powerful and fun applications now included in Nero 6, all of your CD and DVD burning tasks can be managed in a breeze. Burning DVD-Video, Photo, Data, Audio or BackUp – just sit back and see Nero 6 handle it all with ease. But this is only one part of the new All-in-One solution. Nero 6 also includes applications edit audio, mix multiple audio tracks like recording studio professionals, watch VCD, SVCD and DVD movies, listen to music, design covers, optimize your drive´s performance and lots, lots more!

In addition to the very successful and now further improved Nero Burning ROM 6 and Nero Express 6, you now have complete audio and video processing functions as well as a complete backup function. NeroVision Express 2, Nero Wave Editor 2 and Nero SoundTrax are used for processing and generating video and audio contents on CD and DVDs. Nero BackItUp saves data (either on command or as a regular task). All these programs and functions can be reached via the new Nero StartSmart command center. You simply choose the task you would like to carry out and Nero StartSmart launches the appropriate application.

Customer Reviews

Nero No
I bought a DVD player recently and decided to convert all my movies to Video CD using Nero 6. This has not been very sucessfull. Nero keeps craching or hanging and the few times it does not crash it complaints that it can not decode the video even though I can play the movies with all my media players. You can use the Nero editing software sometimes to export the video into video cd format and then go back to the video cd creation application. This is very time consuming and only works in some cases. So far I have been only succesfull with three out of 20 movies. If you are looking for CD burining software to produce Video CDs or DVDs do NOT buy NERO.

Great updated GUI, some bloatware features
Out of preference I've always used Easy CD 5.5 for making music CDs and Nero 5.5 for data CDs. I needed a single software package for everything and opted for Nero because it seemed the new edition (version 6) promised many new features. The GUI has been significantly revamped, finally shaking off the old Windows 3.1 style graphics that always maded it look like Shareware. Some of the drop-down-menu items have been moved around, seemingly for the sake of it rather than for improved facility, but the familiar features such as "overburn" are thankfully still included. A lot of the new features seem a little like bloatware, but hey that's the way software goes these days, they never make things simpler, only shove in more options. A good range of disc-types is supported (more than Easy CD), but the music CD creation facilities are still a little behind the main competition from Roxio, you have to buy mp3 and wma converters as additional plug-ins, Easy CD provides them as standard. All in all an easier package to use than version 5.5, but still a little way to go to make it "the only CD writing software you'll ever need". Included is the Nero media player, a bit superfluous and probably not worth installing unless you want to go through your file associations switching them all back to the media player you used before. There's also a good suit of movie-making software, which seemed a little clunky and clumsy compared to more dedicated software suites, but it does a basic job without bells and whistles, so gets a dubious thumbs up from me. Easy CD 6 has auto-activation the moment you insert a blank disc, it can't be deactivated (unless there's a secret way?), Nero offers this as an option, so you don't get windows popping up all over, you can do things your own way. I'm no fan of software that takes over your computer without asking first, so Nero 6 just has the edge on Easy CD 6.

Reliable but a few minor headaches
The latest incarnation of Nero's CD burning software suite is as well-made as ever, and now has a much more user-friendly interface allowing quick and easy access to whatever type of CD burning you require. However, in such a competitive market, it is a wonder that Ahead haven't managed to iron out the minor glitches that, over time, add up to a bit of a headache.

My number one criterion for buying new CD burning software is the reliability with which it can burn CD's, and this has always been Nero's major advantage over it's competitors. Once installed, Nero performs like a well-oiled machine. I have never lost a single CD using Nero, and so far, Version 6.0 has maintained that proud tradition. The default setting for CD burning is optimised for maximum speed, depending on the type of media you are burning to, which is automatically detected. Typically, a full-length music CD using 160kbps MP3's lasting ~70 minutes will take about 10 minutes. I find this to be perfectly acceptable, given than other burning software packages are far more prone to crashing, adding horrible noise spikes and glitches, or simply ruining the CD and spitting it back out. These are problems that Nero 6.0 does NOT suffer from.

My main bone of contention with Nero 6.0, however, is with the playlist manager window, which allows you to select lists of music files to compile your own compilations. Sadly, the order in which the files are selected is reversed automatically, meaning that you have to manually re-order your files. So, it's a minor problem, but when time is of the essence, it is a real pain in the neck.

However, the rest of the functionality and useability of the software remains very good. It is not perfect, but it is better than the rest of the competition.