Roxio Easy Media Creator 10.0

Roxio has become something of a standard when it comes to basic multimedia authoring. With the latest release of its Easy Media Creator suite it's easy to see why. Just about anything that 95 per cent of the population want to do with media -- whether that's editing photos, creating movies and soundtracks or burning DVDs - is possible, and for just $169.

The breadth of the suite is little short of astonishing. At its heart is Roxio Central, a slick and easy-to-use interface that would put Apple to shame. The sheer number of utilities and applets could be overwhelming, but each is accessible with a couple of mouse clicks.

The redesigned interface makes EMC more consistent with Vista's look. You also get the ability to convert video and audio to different formats from the desktop via the Audio/Video Converter gadget, to send videos to YouTube with one click and to rip CDs from multiple drives simultaneously.

But it's the way that all the different components integrate that truly impresses. If you wish to record music from your old LPs, capture and edit high-definition video, create sophisticated menus and overlays for your DVDs, synchronise files or use an HD-DVD writer capable of storing 30GB, there's a tool or two here to suit your every need.

However, these features do come at a cost: performance. You'll need a powerful PC with plenty of RAM to use multiple tools simultaneously. And the installation process could try the patience of a saint.