This year, not too long ago, I needed something to master VCDs, DVDs & BDs. I also needed something that was capable of of viewing Blu-ray Discs, DVDs, photos, graphics and video. Something that I could use for simple edits if I was using my official copy of Creative Suite on a different computer if I so needed to.
I went out and bought the current version of Roxio Creator NXT. But I had so many problems with it, as it crashed on me (no commercial software should crash, ever, certainly not on the Windows platform). So I went and grabbed CyberLink's Media Suite 11 Ultimate. What an ultimate mistake.
As far as mastering Blu-ray discs and DVDs with PowerProducer 6, it is a poor excuse. You have to save your work at every opportunity, because it also crashes, a lot. You don't have the opportunity to do audio/voice/music over video, ever. The customer can't edit photos or video from the program, even though I have their software, CyberLink PhotoDirector 4 and CyberLink PowerDirector 11 installed as a part of the Media Suite 11 Ultimate bundle package. I also can't seem to import projects such as slideshows from PowerDirector.
The only time Adobe CS or Microsoft Office crashes is if my computer has been on for a weeks and I am running out of memory from running too many programs. Since I reboot one a day, that is not a problem. Hell, I have freeware that doesn't crash.
So, not only do these programs not work together, but they don't even work well as stand alone programs.
As far as PowerProducer goes, if you save often enough and reload your work with each program reboot, you do have very basic controls over producing a CD-R, DVD-R or BD-R. But these are basic controls on the level of iDVD, perhaps simpler. It is a very rudimentary program. I haven't gotten my produced VideoCD to play in any CD/DVD player. The DVDs I have burned do work, but they don't sit at the main menu at all. Instead, the DVD starts after the main menu animates one time. I find that strange, very strange, and I do not care for it at all, I am always fiddling with remotes trying to get the TV to the right input on time, before the "movie" starts playing automatically.
Now, when I insert a new Bluray or DVD, I expect it to simply play the disc movies or take me to the main menu without even asking. But it doesn't. Not even close. I have to say, use PowerDVD and play the file. But then PowerDVD comes up, and it just shows me a play button. What?! So, I not only have to click play, I have to make it full screen. Once I am part the menu and the movie is playing, playback is herky-jerky at best.
This never had happened before. But I did a fresh install of Windows 7 and my old Intervideo player that comes with my laptop doesn't install into Windows 7, only Windows Vista.
Obviously, the BD/DVD/CD playback and mastering is the main reason I purchased this suite. But I whole heartedly regret it.
The rest of the programs are kind of useless to me. I have Photoshop, Premier, After Effects and Soundbooth. So I don't use them. I wanted complete BD/DVD/CD control from flawless payback to complete mastery of the movie disc. All I wound-up with, is crap.
I thought having the bonus program of CyberLink PowerBackup 2.6 would prove useful, but no. I paused a backup because it was taking forever and I needed to get some things done. Once I was ready for the program to finish the backup I hit the 'Resume' button and nothing happened. After a few seconds, the 'Resume' button unghosted and I could select it again (over and over).
Does anyone have a program they can recomend that will playback Blu-ray discs flawlessly like mine used to? I have an Intel Core2 Duo P8400 @ 2.26 & 2.27 GHz, 4GB RAM, a fresh 64 bit Windows 7 Ultimate install with Service Pack 1 (and it is set for automatic updates). I can not upgrade to Windows 10 because of my NVIDIA graphics driver (NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT is proprietary, by Sony). My LCD display is 1080 HD and I often use it with my Smart TV as a monitor through the HDMI output.
The only other problem the computer has is that the bluetooth drivers have warnings on them in device manager, but I usually keep the wireless off since I have gigabit ethernet (as opposed to wireless N). I'll resolve the Bluetooth issue seperately.
I bought this laptop (or "notebook", since it does get too hot to hold in my lap) PC with the idea that it would last. As far as I am concerned, the only thing it doesn't have that I would like is USB 3 and more RAM. But it has been a work horse and although I do want to upgrade one day, I just want to get this thing working for now because I am currently inbetween jobs and need this thing working flawlessly again so that I can rely on it again. But I do not want to reinstall Vista and start all over from there.
I had upgraded to Windows 8 at one point, but I couldn't stand it. Funny that Windows 10 won't go.
Nevertheless, shoot me an email, holler at me in hangouts, or just reply to this blog if you have a better solution than what I have. I need something flawless, something that just works, that I can count on. This is my PC, movie machine and sometimes TV. I need it everywhere I go, and right now it needs a few last pieces to work right, all the time, for sure.
But only give me a recommendation if you have had experience with a program that works. Not an idea that you heard about something. This just has to work, all the time.
