This latest package from Roxio offers a vast array of audio, video, DVD-authoring, and data backup and archiving functions, with good interapplication integration and a consistent interface—all at a great price. Function-specific applets let you perform tasks such as copying, and the beefier Creator Classic handles more complex operations. The program proved stable on two different test beds; that doesn't guarantee error-free operation on your computer, but it marks a welcome change from the buggy releases of the past. During testing, I successfully burned DVDs to DVD-R/DVD+R drives and to Pioneer's BDR-101A internal Blu-ray drive, using both Verbatim and TDK media. In short, for all-around disc operations, this package is tough to beat.

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Creator's VideoWave 9 video capture and DVD production tool has some feature gaps—weak color-correction, backlight-compensation, and chromakey capabilities, for example—but it should meet the needs of most novice moviemakers. You'll find some cool special effects, such as a binocular view overlay and sepia and film effects. Better yet, VideoWave successfully loaded files captured on a Media Center PC (DVR-MS format), and Roxio claims TiVo compatibility for MyDVD, though I didn't test this function.

Creator does a fine job with slide shows. You can create them in a SlideShow Assistant, which presents a white table where you arrange, rotate, and crop images; perform red-eye reduction; and adjust brightness, contrast, and color saturation. You can add text to any image, and add transitions and multipoint pan-and-zoom style to any slide or the entire show. Afterward, you can customize the show even further in VideoWave 9.

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