Online Backup Guide

Roxio Toast 10 Titanum

Roxio Toast 10 Professional

Toast 10 Titanium and Toast 10 Titanium Pro are CD/DVD burning “must have” mature applications that are offered to Mac users. Both members of the Toast 10 Titanium family do not completely overhaul the earlier versions of the already robust application, but they just add a few useful new features and enhance old ones. While the Toast 10 Titanium software is for those who want minimum Media creation functionality, the Pro version of the product is designed for use of professionals and hobbyists who look for greater control over video based discs.

Additional improvements

Toast 10 Titanium will be attractive to users who are looking for AVCHD support, internet audio capture; audiobook CD conversion; a video clip extractor and a streaming web video capture features. The ability to watch recorded TiVo shows on the Internet-connected computer or iPhone anywhere will certainly be a bonus. Toast standbys for digitizing LP and tapes and copying dual-layer DVDs onto affordable single-layer discs will be an icing on the cake. Titanium Pro that builds on Titanium and has five additional applications on offer, will certainly be more attractive to professional users!

So what is in the box? The Box contains a program disc which features Toast 10 Titanium disc burning software, CD Spin Doctor Audio recording software, Disc Cover 2 RE labeling software, GetBackup 2 RE backup software and DiscCatalogMaker Disc cataloging software and a quick start guide.

Features

Accessibility and user-friendliness

The ethos of the application seems to be simplification of media authoring and conversion. Users will find that the interface and menu strive to incorporate user friendly features and ease of navigation. While the main components are easily accessible from the Media manager, the different components within a package still require a lot of click through.

Thumbnail Views and drag and drop project initiation

If you are looking for new features that distinguish the product—the Media browser is the new functionality that allows users view files as thumbnails or lists and drag and drop content for initiating projects. Unfortunately, the interface still requires some tweaking as most users complain about their inability to delete files from the media browser once they have been added to it.

Roxio Toast 10 Data

Audio functionality

For those who are looking for audio functionality, the CD spin Doctor provides user interface for audio capture. It also provides for automatic recording and streaming music or tagging video; combining multiple audiobook CDs into one chaptered file; converting audio books for playback on mobile devices or working with iLife and backward compatibility with older hardware. The music library can be expanded by setting the application to automatically capture streaming music and to add title, artist, album information and to then send the MP3 tracks to the iTunes library.

Roxio Toast CD Spin Doctor

Video Streaming and DVD facilities

Toast 10 Titanium has also evolved as a multi format optical disc converter that occupies a space between TiVo and iPod users.

• It provides for a streaming solution that allows videos of almost any kind to be spooled from the computer to portable devices or to the TV.
• It also allows the extraction of video clips from any DVD-Video disc for conversion into formats for playback from any device of choice.
• The AVCHD video from the camcorder can be archived to disc and automatically previewed on the Mac.
• Web video can be saved for offline viewing or burnt on to a DVD or converted to other video formats.
• The Stream EyeTV and Copy dual layer features have been improved.
• Users can now stream video to iPhone or iPod touch or copy dual layer DVD to a single layer DVD disc or discs.
• High def DVD discs can be created for playback on Blu-ray players including PlayStation 3.

Digitization of LPs and tapes

It is now possible to digitize LPs and tapes and restore to LPs and tapes without pops, clicks and hisses.

DVD and Blu-ray disc menus

Users can now present DVD and Blu-Ray disc menus in stunning styles using the 20+ menu templates.

Bi directional synchronization of folders

Users can synchronize folders bi-directionally between computers, folders or external drives.

Soundtrack functions and photo-editing

Titanium Pro’s SmartSound SonicFire Pro helps orchestrate sophisticated music tracks and to create perfect sound tracks. The automatic “Mood mapping” or the library of music tracks is ideal for those who frequently create videos and slideshows and would love to incorporate music in their shows. Unwanted noise can be removed with BIAS SoundSoap. LightZone, with its zone mapping and relight features provides tools that make photo editing a breeze. FotoMagic can then integrate the pictures into a story board and present the whole on high definition TV with innovative text, transitions and precise alignment.

The Verdict

On the whole Toast 10 Titanium has reached a point where it has matured completely and any further development can at best be described as an enhancement.