Customer Reviews

Roxio Creator 2009 [OLD VERSION]

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(92)

 

 

I've come across some awful and expensive software (like Cakewalk 6~9), but this one takes the cake. It's an intrusive, clunky, resource hog which wouldn't work correctly if the hand of god glided over it.

Right now, it's 12:41AM and I've been trying for the past 8 hours to get MyDVD (Part of this Roxio package) to make a DVD of a vacation I recently took. I'm an IT professional, and I was absolutely baffled on GUI on these interfaces. The only consistency here is that every interface has it's own flavor of 'clunk' to it.

INTERFACE BUGS...
For instance, I'm trying to setup the menu and sub-menus; And, while I'm working it's actually flaking out and moving the graphical elements all over the page. I've had to work on the same menu now 20 times. Not to mention, you must click on the sub-menu icon to navigate to it. But when you attempt to click on it, it moves out of position in the page. Which means if you don't like the new position...too bad...because you're going to have to move the sub-menu graphic back to your original strategic location.

Some of the setup menu's for the objects in MyDVD don't work, or have bugs. For instance, there's a color palette fill in one of the sub-menu's which doesn't work.

I can go on and on about all the interface bugs throughout Roxio 2009, but I'm going to spare that chapter and go to the next.

RESOURCE HOG AND CUMBERSOME...
This software is 2gigs+ out of the box. Which means when you install it, you'll probably be left with 2kb of hard drive space left. They could have saved SOME real space had they used the DIALOG boxes that comes with Windows XP & Vista. But no, Roxio had to be different and create new, cumbersome, confusing, over elaborate dialog boxes. This obviously means that whatever you're doing in the new dialog boxes will take 3 times longer. My experience has been that they're clunky, taking sometimes 5~10 seconds to perform a refresh or task in the Roxio dialogs.

UPON INSTALLATION...
Roxio must have designed this software with the idea that you'll never need to have or install other software. Because the installation package loads up many large programs, WHICH MANY after installation LOAD WITH WINDOWS. I'm baffled, as I look at the list of all the new Roxio related programs in Windows Task Manager. Not to mention, ZoneAlarm is prompting me every 10 seconds with some resource it's trying to mess with...or the FACT THAT IT'S TRYING TO ACCESS THE INTERNET constantly. Here's a another snare in the Roxio sucker net...it would be nice if I could choose the Roxio programs I WANT TO INSTALL, versus Roxio INSTALLING EVERYTHING ON MY COMPUTER!!

As you can see in my review... I'm furious. I'm going to make a recommendation here... DON'T BUY THIS SOFTWARE!!! Treat the positive ratings with a grain of salt...because they're probably from the Roxio Sales and Programming staff.

I bought Roxio 2009 Ultimate, but I figured I'd tell you guys who wanted to spend $49 instead of $99.

DON'T BUY THIS SOFTWARE!!!

Had Creator 8 and it worked well enough. Like many programs there are advancements and I had to decide when to upgrade. Got Vista now so it was the right time to get the latest Creator version. I haven't had it long but here are some observations.

- Version 8 didn't always work with Vista. Creator 2009 is stable with everything I've tried. The interface is a lot better. I have accidently closed the whole program in 8 but with 2009 the program menu remains on the side while a new window opens up for the current program. A clunky explanation but in short the menu arrangement is more efficient. The apps are working faster too. Maybe that's because Vista has been around long enough for programmers to utilize the OS better than in the beginning.

- It can handle HD video. This should now be required for any video program since digital standards are changing. That takes care of my recordings and camcorder.

- Making music cds & dvds with stereo sound takes a lot of time. Using 2009 there is a noticeable speed up time in burning the disks. I thought the burning speed limit was mostly due to the burner speed, but 2009 proved me wrong. Somehow the program can speed up the process. That alone is worth getting.

- There's an audio book ipod converter which wasn't even in ver. 8. It has bookmarks and chapters. Makes sense since no one finishes a book in one session. I don't have many audio books but I think I'll get more since I won't have to lug my cd player around.

I have Vista Home Premium (64bit version) and I have spent hours trying to install this product. I am an IT helpdesk tech -- this shouldn't be hard. I spent the entire day following instructions sent to me by Roxio support, and the program still will not run. If you want phone support it is $1.89 a minute. The install and uninstall processes take over 15 minutes each time. I rue the day I bought this product. I should not have to pay to get proper support in order to install a program that cost $80.00. I used to be a Roxio fan. Never again.

My experience with version 9 was very good on a Vista PC. I didn't feel the need the get version 10 so I can't compare them. The 2009 version (why not name it Ver. 11??) has enough to make it worth it. The bluray plugin is extra, but I found out that it is free for a certain time and I could download it. It allows for HD and bluray video editing for bluray disks. Even if you don't have the hardware its a good thing to have, especially if its free. We already know that movie dvds will be using bluray and HD is being phased out.
Of course not all video is high end, in fact internet vids are mainly low resolution. Creator will turn vids into flv files and even send them to YouTube. There is now a roxio site for storing/sharing but I haven't tried it yet. I did use the video authoring tools a lot in ver. 9 and I'm glad to see a lot of improvement. Soundtracks are much easier to manipulate. The music tools let me control the beat and rhythm. I can also mix songs since a new tool merges the beats so the transition is smooth.
I'm still going through the new programs but what I've used I've liked. The menu system has kept most of the same categories but now makes access a lot easier. If I were a new user I could learn the program much faster than I did using 9.

Mac Popcorn and Toast have been my go-to programs for portable device and disc management. Since my Mac couldn't be upgraded I opted for a Windows Vista PC instead. Since I'm already familiar with Roxio programs Creator 2009 was a natural for me. It has a lot more than what the Mac versions have. Photosuite is fairly advanced for a suite program. I like the panoramic tool which can fit together several photos. It made lugging a tripod around worthwhile. There is layering editing so I can keep or delete changes without having to touch the finished layers. This makes it worth the time to try more complex editing changes.
There is a sound capture tool which I'm finding more and more useful. Its great for making sound bytes and sound effects, especially in an election year. There are also the debates and interviews I recorded from the internet to listen to on my ipod. Now I have no excuse for foregoing my civic duty and studying the candidates positions. Of course I can also transfer music and entertainment shows. For most of the voice files I think the maximum compression for the iPod is good quality. Even programs & movies are of high enough quality for my taste. I'm experimenting with football games and it looks a lot better with less comrpession. I'm currently learning the video program so I can cut out segments and minimize hard space use.
I'm in the middle of researching HD programming from satellite, cable, and telecomm providers. In a few months I know that I'll be dealing more with HD video. I tried burning HD video from my friend's camcorder. I could use a standard dvd disc so I know I'll have that option. I hope HD/bluray burners come down in price though. At least I know I can always use the regular dvds with this program until I do.

I have been using the product in one form or another for a long time. I have never been disappointed with an upgrade until this one. The problem is not with the features it is with the instability of the program and how slow it is. To date I have had problems ripping CD's and Creating audiobooks. Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not. The support from Roxio is awful. You have to email them and wait. Then you get the standard reply which is to run msconfig and test the reboot until you find the program giving you problems. I started a trouble ticket almost a month ago and it is still not resolved. Meanwhile I have been using Windows media player to rip my discs and a freeware program to create the audiobook files. It is a sad day when two free programs kick the stuffing out of a mature product like Creator.

Roxio 2009 should be improving, only it's not. This year, in addition to the same activation woes that have plagued other editions, the interface remains completely boring and overly difficult. Still, on the plus side, the individual aps that make up this suite seem to have been tweaked a bit. Still, the real bummer is a kick in the teeth to previous Roxio owners. No update pricing.

Although Nero is nothing to write home about, it remains a better deal, with a superior interface and less activation woes. Nero's also much easier to write DVD files to, especially when you want to add data.

Roxio won't start seriously getting their product right until people start buying other products. And while aps seem to work okay, they are slow switching between when using the main interface. Oh, and writing to Blu-Ray disks requires an add-on. If you need to write to BR, go ahead and spring for Roxio and get the add-on. But in my opinion, it ought to be free. If you don't need to write to BR, go with Nero.

Its good to see a program that didn't just add new formats or cosmetic changes to its upgrade. I found creator 2009 to be a big overhaul from version 8. I did use 10 on my roommates pc and the changes are not as big from 10 to 2009 though. Still right away I could see how much the menu system changed and how much beter it is. It's easier to see what you want in a glance and also to flip from one program to another. Its a good way to make multimedia projects that combines photo, video, and music together or separately. Although creator is criticized for not having pro level apps they aren't very far. Photosuite is not as good as say PhotoShop, but it does have multilayer editing. I can make all the changes I've needed but then I'm not a graphic artist. I haven't used a program that is any better for handling multiple portable devices either. It is clever that they added HD burning on non-HD dvds.

Having bought Creator 10 I didn't know whether or not to get the latest. I looked at the new features and thought it was worth the upgrade. I also took advantage of the rebate and got a good deal so all things considered it was the right way to go.
- New burning mode for HD and BD on regular disks and drives is a unique and needed feature. It won't take long before I make up the cost just by using non bluray disks. The cost can be as much as 20 times, even having to use a lot more regular disks. Since Roxio spans files too I don't see a problem using the cheaper disks. I hope the cost of BD disks comes down soon but this is a good temporary solution.
- Online storage and some slide show creation only available online. This is an extra, not a must have.
- Program clean up, meaning although it worked before I can see how much faster the programs load, almost instaneous. Much better menus too.
- Audio book chapter creation is not something I owuld have thought of but once I used it I saw how much better it was to listen to novels. Again, not something I would buy the product for but certainly nice to have.
Although I found the upgrade worth it not everyone will probably agree. It's worth the time to explore the newer version at the very least.

While I must agree with the one-star rating of many other reviewers based upon my experience of trying to use Roxio Creator 2009 as a tool to work with audio and video files, I must take exception to the sourpuss tenor of their posts. I cannot help but believe that their lives would be happier, if not more interesting, if they would simply treat the Roxio installation/user experience as nothing more than an elaborate puzzle-type game for which there may or may not be a solution.

For those who have ever enjoyed the maddeningly arcane puzzles in the various iterations of the Myst series, the labyrinthine experience of trying to use Roxio Creator 2009 should inspire a masochistic wave of nostalgia as you work late, night after night, driven by an ever-increasing obsession to get this buggy piece of software to work properly. Unlike the Myst gaming experience that involves running back and forth across a virtual island pressing buttons, spinning wheels, and flipping levers in order to unravel the frustratingly arbitrary puzzles of the game, the puzzles you will try and solve with Roxio take place in the real world. This immediacy of experience adds an element of thrill to the Roxio game that is missing in the fantasy world of Myst. The carrot at the end of the stick that keeps me playing the Roxio game is the prospect of actually being able to do something useful with it.

From the moment you pop the DVD into your computer you will be magically transported to puzzle-solving Nirvana where you will encounter endless challenges to your patience and sanity. You will scratch your head in wonder as the installation appears to go perfectly smoothly only to result in an error every time you launch the program. You will feel a sense of accomplishment and exhilaration when, after manually deleting the several-hundred registry entries having to do with anything "Roxio" or "Sonic" as per the instructions of tech support, you are able to finally launch the software. And, if you patient enough to make it this far, you will be gripped in maniacal laughter when seemingly random errors occur as you try and accomplish even the most basic tasks.

If you, like me, crave the cranial-expanding experience of problem-solving games such as Myst, you just might be the sort of person who could really appreciate an application like Roxio Creator 2009. However, if you are the sort of lazy spoilsport who expects software to function upon installation without having to spend untold hours away from family and REM sleep, I respectfully suggest that you look elsewhere.