bit-tech Shopping: Sonic Solutions Easy Media Creator 9 Deluxe Suite

• Audio Editing/Capture
• CD/DVD Recording
• Video Editing/Capture

• Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
• Microsoft Windows XP
• Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64

Rating: 8

Time with product: 5 Weeks

Strengths: Changes tapes to digital

Weaknesses: Real time playing is unavoidable, no high speed short cuts to converting

Summary: Tapes tend to wear out and even stick in players. I'm glad I have a way to dump them forever but keep the stuff I want. Warning, video tape conversion takes at least as long as the tape playing time. However it isn't difficult, especially if you use this Deluxe package. It also saves on converter fees which can add up quickly. The package cost is about the same a paying a service for 5-8 hours. You can also edit the video on your pc with the roxio program. If you run out of tapes to convert there are media and music programs too. The usfulness doesn't end with the tape conversion tasks.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 2 Weeks

Strengths: Numerous programs plus the Dazzle video converter

Weaknesses: Requires XP Pack 2 or Vista. Both require updated resources.

Summary: I'll admit that I was taking tapes to a camera store to be converted on dvd disks. I ddin't have the time nor inclination to learn the process myself. When I saw Deluxe Suite I thought I'd give it a try since I've used EMC 7.5 and really like the software. I don't know why anyone didn't tell me that video conversion is very simple. There are utilities which fix sound glitches too.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 1 Month

Strengths: Enough programs to do almost any media related task

Weaknesses: Large suite which takes Office type of space and resources

Summary: I'm used to the same brands of programs so that I don't have to relearn how to do things in a new program. I made an exception with Roxio since I needed a new Vista program and it had a converter. This saved me from looking for 2 new products. The video conversion task is done very well. It's very much like plug and play, except the video is converting to digital while it is playing. Disk authoring, digital media editing programs, audio widget are also here. It manages my mp3 player, cell phone player, and digital camera too.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 3 Months

Strengths: The ultimate digital media suite and more

Weaknesses: works best with fast processor for video editing

Summary: If you got this pack I'm assuming you'll want tape conversion. This pack makes it easy as pie. Good video programs are a must too. It's unusual to have 2 fully featured video programs in one pack, but they are here. Both hare their pros and cons. I prefer Cinemagic because it is the easier of the 2. For casual users I expect you'll also use the burning, slide show maker, and mp3 converter programs. There's a lot more to discover though.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 3 Months

Strengths: Even though this is touted as a video converter solution it has unrelated programs, though they are digital media programs.

Weaknesses: A few Vista related problems.

Summary: There are converters with software selling for less but this package offers a lot more. The main feature of video conversion is handled very well. It is virtually a plug and convert solution. The program will cover any disk format to transfer the digital files to, either directly or after putting it on the hard drive. There are codecs and converters to put video, photo, and audio on portable players. The video player can also take photos of the running video. A must for iPod, PSP, mp3 player users. There is great depth in the compression tools.