DVD Burning Software - Backing Up Your Data One Disc At A Time

Burning and DVD Software From Copy 6 to Nero

Burning and DVD software is a wild and wooly world filled with possibility and capabilities. From Nero 9 to MyDVD 10 by Roxio (of Toast fame) DVD burning software offers fast, easy ways to backup your personal data collection – whether it be compact discs, DVD movies, home movies, or your iTunes anthology – there is even software that lets you convert your outdated, decrepit (but certainly still treasured) VHS to DVD.

DVD burning software runs the gamut from free and easy to expensive and completely illegal, if used a certain way. Lawsuits abound: movie studios want to stop pirates, laws are conflicting, but judges continue to mostly rule in favor of the movie studios.

Burning Software on Which You Can Count

TopTenREVIEWS covers the best of the best. So keep in mind that even the 15th product on our list still qualifies as the best. We just offer the best products side-by-side so you may quickly find exactly what you need. Some of the great DVD burning software covered here includes:

• DVD Copy 6 by Corel
• Roxio MyDVD 10
• DVD Cloner 6

Each review of burning and DVD software on this site measures all the software against the same ‘stick.’ Criteria include:

Features
This section will document where the program stands with main features of the program and what file types with which it will work.

Copying Capabilities
This category covers ‘drag and drop’ capabilities, one-touch functionality, and just how easy it is to begin backing up all your data.

Other Features/Disc Types
Likewise, here you can see how each program stacks up when it comes to working with different formats and specific tasks within each program.

Help/Support
Having technical support when it counts is almost as important to us as having a functional, easy to use product so we examine this aspect in every review. We’ve also tried to accurately document how well the software manufacturer supports its clients and how.

Formats Supported
On our side-by-side comparison chart you can easily view which disc formats are handled in each program. The respective reviews will cover this subject even more in-depth.

Is DVD Burning Legal?

Through Fair Use doctrine, DVD owners already have the right to make a single copy of the DVDs they rightfully purchased. The Digital Millennium Recording Act of 1998 contains so-called anti-circumvention provisions that assert any person who attempts to circumvent encryption agents placed on DVDs are technically breaking the law.

The software reviewed here contains no circumvention decryptors or methods, though that hardly deters those who knowingly choose to circumvent protected materials. At TopTenREVIEWS we do not condone the illegal use of any software or services – however we understand there are plenty of scenarios out there regarding DVD copying that are legal, convenient and unrestricted. Obviously if you make a copy of anything with a copyright (music, movies or other software) and attempt to sell it, you will be found and most likely prosecuted. But if your kids regularly use DVDs as Frisbees, yet can’t live without the daily viewing of Star Wars: Clone Wars, ripping a copy to your hard drive is the best, completely harmless solution ever.

Any DVD burning software you purchase to this end will also come with other incredibly cool and hi-tech but user friendly DVD authoring and editing features. Some are also equipped with music mixing and format conversion elements. For example, if your DVD movie collection is extensive and unwieldy, look for a program (such as Roxio) that supports Blu-ray. The expansive nature of the Blu-ray format is such that you could feasibly store 10 DVD movies on just one Blu-ray disc.

And how about that entire season of Mad Men lurking in the memory of your tiny-screened, but 80-gig iPod? The range of software we reviewed will enable you to dump it onto a Blu-ray disc so it’s watchable on a bigger screen. So cool – seriously. The possibilities are also endless for storing/converting all your old home movies as well as planning a whole host of professional looking family productions.

Happy Burning and Ripping

Glance at the side-by-side, read the full reviews, then buy the best product for your situation. It’s just that easy! Be sure to visit our other review sites for in-depth, expert reviews on everything from iPhone apps to ACT/SAT software, the best Xbox game and more.

For even more education, consult our companion articles, Burning and Ripping, To Burn or Not To Burn, and The Truth About Blue Ray.

At TopTenREVIEWS We Do the Research So You Don't Have To.™