to be everything to everyone,
Ulead’s DVD MovieFactory 5
instead focuses on just one
job—burning video and movies
to disc—and tries to make
it as painless as possible.
Getting started is easy. The
launcher’s interface is blissfully
uncluttered and clean,
offering quick access to features
that handily cover most
video-related burning chores
you might want to perform.
For the most part, we found
the software convenient to navigate
and use for the different
tasks. Creating a basic DVD videodisc
was a simple and pleasant
experience: You just choose
the files, and, if they aren’t
already MPEG-2 encoded, the
software will do the necessary
transcoding. It works with a
variety of formats and is ready
to output to high-definition
optical as well. Among the
other improvements: Ulead
has bolstered the video
editing tools and has introduced
an Ad-Zapper feature for
removing commercials from
TV content.
This application’s biggest
drawback is its limited
fl exibility. When we were creating
a videodisc, for example,
we were often frustrated
by the suite’s inability to
undo an action. Also, we
couldn’t rotate a background
image, nor could we fi nd any
way to change the imagequality
settings.
Though we found much
to like about MovieFactory,
we suspect this package will
be come merely one component
of our disc-burning arsenal—
a supplement to, but not
a re placement for, suites from
Nero or Roxio, which each cost
about twice the price.
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