Customer Reviews

Roxio Toast 7 Titanium (Mac) [Old Version]

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I've used Toast since the early 90's, and this is by far the best version yet. I've always upgraded before to get nice little interface and usability upgrades, but this upgrade really is revolutionary for Toast. It takes a fantastic CD/DVD burner and adds some great totally new features:

1) Really good backup. Finally, I can backup chunks of data larger than 4.7 GB. The capacity of a standard DVD is about 4.7 GB, and I've always had to pick and choose which data to backup to fit it within that limit. But with the new Toast, they've added the ability to span a single backup across multiple DVDs. So, I can backup 10 GB, 20 GB, whatever. That's a great upgrade.

2) Easy movie DVD backup. They've added an easy, slick way to backup my movie DVDs to 4.7 GB DVD-+R. I've used the other conversion programs and they are very cumbersome. Toast makes it easy to do the conversion, and the quality is great. They worked with DivX to get the newest version of DivX that isn't even released yet for Mac.

CONCLUSION: There are many, many new reasons to upgrade to Toast 7. Overall, it's one of the best upgrades yet. I only wish they offered a better deal to upgraders. Other software let's upgraders pay about 30-40% of the full price, but Toast has recently done away with upgrades, and instead does a small mail-in rebate. Oh, well, they still get my money. :-)

Mac OS X has some satisfactory burning tools built into the operating system, so why spend $75 on Toast 7? Well, Toast 7 does everything you wish your Mac could.

First, DVD burning. Toast allows you to import all sorts of video files, and burn them onto a video DVD, for viewing in your set-top DVD player. This is a great feature, if you have some Divx video files, on your hard drive. Drag them into the video folder in toast, and burn a video DVD.

Furthermore, do you have some un-encrypted DVDs, perhaps ones made in your set-top DVD recorder with video camera footage of your family? With toast, you can import titles from those unencrypted DVDs, and put them onto a DVD, with fun and easy to navigate menus.

New to Toast 7 is a great new feature that allows you to compress an unencrypted video DVD image into a size that will fit onto a single-layer disk. This basically gives you the functionality of popcorn built right into Toast 7.

Data Backup - Toast works fantastic as a backup utility. There is even an application included to schedule backups on a regular basis. Toast 7 allows for disk-spanning backups, which allows you to backup many gigabytes of data over multiple DVDs or CDs.

Audio - Toast 7 will obviously allow you to burn music CDs, but you can also burn a DVD. The DVD will load on a set-top DVD player, with menus, to select music, and a shuffle feature. You can get gigabytes of music onto these disks, and then play them in your DVD player.

Pictures - Toast 7 includes an application called Motion Pictures HD, which allows the importing of photos to make great slideshows. They can be in beautiful widescreen, or even high-definition, if you make a Divx DVD (note that Divx DVDs can only be played in special DVD players).

Import Analog Audio - CD Spin Doctor is included with Toast 7, so you can easily import analog audio via your computer's audio input. You might input audio, from a VHS tape, cassette tape, or record.

Discus RE - Discus RE is a simple, but convenient way to create labels, for your DVDs. It includes the templates, for dozens of the most popular DVD labels, so then all you have to do is design your label and print it. Easy.

[...]

Overall, I have only had Toast 7, for a few days now. However, it might be the most useful application I have ever purchased, for my Macintosh. Toast 7 allows you to do just about anything you would want to do, when it comes to burning DVDs and CDs. Furthermore, it is easy to use. I was taking advantage of Toast 7's many features within just minutes of installing the software. Give Toast 7 a try, for it will quickly become one of the most used applications on your Mac.

Roxio Toast 7
Company: Roxio
Price: $99
http://www.Roxio.com

We here at MyMac.com have been reviewing Roxio Toast for years. The problem, then, is how do you review a new version that, for all intents and purposes, does not add many new real features to the software, looks the same as it did a full version ago, and is just as easy to use as it ever was? Well, perhaps it's a bit easier for me, as I did not write either of the reviews for version 5 or 6. (That would be Owen Rubin and David Weeks.) Nonetheless, let's give a look a Toast 7 for the uninitiated among you.

For Mac users wondering why they would need to purchase a $99 program to burn CD's and DVD's when they get those functions with a free program (iTunes for CD's, as well as data burning within the finder) or as part of a larger software package (iLife, more specifically iDVD for DVD creation) the answer is simple: where iTunes and iDVD falls short in their simplicity, Toast gives users much more control and options. This is not always a good thing; most Mac users enjoy the simplicity in the OS and iLife. But more serious or hardcore users will find, many times, that they need more options.

Toast can be used to create data back-ups, create and burn audio CD's and video DVD's, create other media discs (DivX, Super Video CDs, Video CD's, DVD's from Video-TS files) and much more. Toast plays nicely with the Mac OS, including giving the user access to iTunes libraries and playlists, the user movie library, and iPhoto, including all the photo albums therein. We will get more into the media features of Toast later in the review.

The newest feature I was most looking forward to is Data Spanning. This alone, in my opinion, is the sole reason to purchase Roxio Toast 7. Archiving large files, such as the video projects I work on, is now very simple with Data Spanning. For instance, I recently worked on remastering an old wedding video for a client, converting a VHS tape to DVD, as well as creating a "highlight" DVD in the process. The finished iMovie file was 25.98GB in size. While I could simply create a copy of the finished DVD's, I also wanted to keep on hand the iMovie archive of the project, in case the client came back later wanting to do something different with the footage. But how to archive almost 26GB of data? Sure, external FireWire drives would work, but I don't want to take up valuable hard disk space for a file I may never need again. Much more convenient to simply archive it to data CDs or DVDs. But the file is too large to fit onto either of those media.

Data Spanning solves this easily. I simply drag the file in question to the open Toast window, and the program will tell me how many discs I need, depending upon what media I will be using. In this instance, Toast informs me that I will need 6 blank DVDs, or 38 blank CD's, to archive the project. A ten pack of blank DVD's will only set me back five bucks, which is much cheaper than taking up storage space on an external hard drive. Data Spanning, however, only works with Mac discs, not Mac and PC, so keep that in mind.




Toast has the ability to copy home brewed DVD's with ease. While the program will not allow you to copy copy-protected discs, such as movies you rent, you can copy those you made in iDVD. This came in handy for me a short time ago, as I had lost all my iAtariMac MacMOD files. Just gone. My only option was to grab the low quality files from the Internet. But thanks to Chad Perry, who had MacMOD on DVD, I simply copied his DVD.

As I said, Toast is unable to make copies of any DVD with Macrovision encryption, meaning commercial movie DVDs. So what's a person to do if they want to copy their own DVDs? For me, I used MacTheRipper, a free program, to copy an entire DVD to my hard drive, stripping out the encryption at the same time. Then I used Toast to burn a regular DVD from that file, and viola! - an instant copy of my movie. While you could also do the same thing with rented DVDs, that would be stealing, and we don't condone that here at MyMac.com, of course.

The interface of Toast 7 is the same as the previous version, which is a good thing. If something is not broken, there's no need to fix it. Toast uses a tabbed interface, which includes Data (data backups, copying data, etc.), Audio (to create music CD's, with many more options than you get from iTunes), Video (see above), and Copy (self explanatory). Each tab will bring up different options with a slide-out left preference pane, so that you can adjust or tweak different options as needed. For instance, the Data pane will show different types of disc you can burn, such as a Mac-only disc or a Mac and PC disc. The preference pane also links to the iLife media on your Mac, giving you quick and easy drag and drop access to your files.

You can author your own DVD menus using Toast 7, although I haven't spent much time doing so. It seems fairly straightforward, but after a cursory playing with this feature, I simply found iDVD much easier and intuitive to use.

With Toast 7, you can download DivX video files, drag them into Toast, and create DVDs playable on your home entertainments DVD player. As Roxio touts on their website, this lets you watch videos where you really want to; on your coach, watching the television, not on your computer monitor.

All in all, I am very impressed with this new version of Roxio Toast. It has become my disc burning solution of choice. Well worth the money for those needing to create easy backups, archiving, and much more.

MyMac.com Rating: 5 out of 5

I've read all of the glowing reviews of Toast Titanium 7 - "makes music DVDs, multi-DVD spanning backups, cures cancer, raises the dead, etc." And having used previous versions of Toast, I thought I'd spring for the upgrade. Big mistake.

Although I've been using computers for 20 years now (mostly Macs), I've had nothing but problems with this new version of Toast. I haven't had a single successful burn yet, on any kind of media, recording any kind of format. I thought updating to the latest version might be helpful, but Roxio won't let you download it unless you're a registered user on their website.

Understandable - but I AM a registered user, and their system wouldn't recognize me. So I tried to open a new account, and it wouldn't let me. Okay, I clicked their "forgot my password" button, and they say they'll send me a link via email. I've played that little game for about 3 days now, and never a message/link from Roxio.

Trying to solve my tech problems online hasn't helped; Toast keeps giving me error codes which aren't defined anywhere on Roxio's help pages.

Maybe, some bright and glorious day, I'll actually get the program to work and it will merit more than 1 star. But my old version (5.2.3) worked fine, and I dropped a lot of money for a few glittery features...and instead lost all the previous functionality and raised my blood pressure in the bargain. Shame on you, Roxio!

UPDATE: Okay, three hair-pulling days later I STILL haven't had a successful burn. It's amazing what new "features" Roxio has added this time around. For instance, Toast will tell you that you have more than enough room on your disk for the burn, then grind away for an hour or so, then pop up a message saying "Ooh, sorry, there's not enough space after all." Or it's fun to ask it to burn a VCD - at which point it suddenly can't find my disc burner anymore (funny, it was there a moment ago). Want to compress a long movie the way you can in Popcorn? Well, there's probably a way - but [CENSORED] if I can find it by steering through Toast's incredibly unintuitive interface.

And, oh yes, Roxio's website still won't admit that I'm a customer. If you log on with a new email address and password (as a new user), you'll be able to download the latest update. And you'd better do it during that session, because next time you try to log on, Roxio will have no recollection of your sign-in information (well nearly none - they recognize your email address, but deny your password so you CAN'T log in. Ask them to send you a password reminder, and nothing ever ever ever comes.)

I've used Toast for years, and thought it was a great program. I'm NOT an idiot - honest. But Toast Titanium 7 has so far been a complete and frustrating waste of my money. ZERO STARS!!!!!!!!!!! (Roxio - I loathe you!)

UPDATE #2 - After a month of trying, I've finally been able to burn a single disk! Wow! Of course, I could have done this with iDVD, any earlier version of Toast, or simply the Mac's OS...but where would the challenge (or expense) be in that? Currently I'm trying to make one of the much-touted "Music DVD" disks - but for some reason, even though all of my music files are ALREADY compressed to the MP3 specs that Roxio wants, it's re-encoding every freakin' song. On a G4 Mac with dual processors, it seems like it will take about 8 hours to create a single disk. And really, all Toast is doing is adding a menu structure to an MP3 disk that should have taken about 10 minutes to burn. To quote Monty Python: "RUN AWAY!! RUN AWAY!!"

After using Toast 5 & 6 for a while I received version 7 with great anticipation. Installation is as easy as it gets, and the interface (while hardly changed form v6) is intuitive. One of the best enhancements I've encountered so far is the use of hybrid discs. In the past, the only option was "Custom Hybrid", which didn't always work. This option still exists, but the new, simpler hybrid Mac/PC format (while giving slightly less custom options on the Mac side) is finally dead simple - choose the files you want and designate if they should be burned for Mac, PC or both by using checkboxes.
Other new features include improved DVD burning and backing up many files or one large file over several discs, while still being able to acess them one by one.
The price is not too bad and a $20 rebate is available for previous owners. I recommend it.

This is a great product, but Sonic Solutions (Roxio) bought this product a few years ago from Adaptec and does not seem to care anything about customer service. Good luck getting your rebate money, I have read many reports of this theft. It does not matter how many versions you have purchased over the years, they do not care about you. I was even locked off their forum when I complained. There is no email, it's automatic and you get a no reply address, the phone contact is on your dime to Canada, and about as useful as ants at a picnic.
I come away feeling this company doesn't care about Mac products and Mac customers, why don't they sell to someone who does? It's a shame a good product must be so badly represented. Sonic, you guys are horrible!

DivX 6 is just incredible. H.264 has no chance in my opinion when it comes to the quality/compression ratio.

The HD (high-definition) content is as easy to produce as hitting a checkbox. And does it look beautiful on an LCD TV! :)

Third, I would like to congratulate Roxio for an incredibly easy and intuitive workflow for managing all those video formats. Just select your favorite, be it H.264, DivX, mov, etc.. from a drop-down menu and burn or just save it. Definitely my favorite converter. Much easier than quicktime.

I read here a complaint regarding disk spanning. Disk spanning works only for Mac CDs/DVDs, not ISO or Windows compatible CDs.

Overall, I can recommend this version highly. It's too cool not to have it.

Hi people,

I know "high tech" related companies frequently have the worst customer service/relations but Roxio, as far as I am concerned, really takes the prize for their exasperating "Customer No Service". I am beginning to wonder if it isn't Roxio corporate policy to be intentionally exasperating and screwed up so you won't [can't] bother them. Twice this last year have I been stiffed by this sorry company.

The first time was when I went to register their Easy CD Creator (Windows). Their website would not accept the serial number they gave me so I couldn't register therefore I couldn't download any Roxio software updates or even log in to there tech support forums or contact them in any way except telephone. The bad thing was later I when I tried to download virus software from another company, that installer said it detected a version of "Easy CD Creator' that would cause problems with the the virus software and I should go and download the fix for Easy CD Creator before the virus software installer would run. So I couldn't use that virus software because I couldn't download the Easy CD update because Roxio didn't like the serial number that they themselves put on their product.

The second episode was in December when I bought Toast 7 for Mac and mailed in the $20 rebate forms and stuff. Today I received a postcard from them saying my UPC barcode didn't qualify. What the h%#&!? When I tried to contact them, I had to register but their new user registration page was totally blank. Finally I tried to register with them as a user on a different part of the website but that one told me I was already registered (somehow). When I I clicked on "forgot my password" It asks me what email address I used to register. How am I suppose to know... because I never registered! Then to get any kind of help whatsoever, guess what... you need to log in. But I can't because I'm not registered! So I try to register under a different name and an alternate email address. It somehow also thinks I'm already registered and asks me to just log in. But when I try to log in with my new name it says I'm not registered. What the f###! This whole rigamarole seems to be specifically designed to drive people crazy! Roxio's specialty seems to be catch 22's and do-loops.

Customers can not even send Roxio an email so all I can do is write a review here at Amazon. Sorry... Roxio is not the kind of company I want to have anything to do with. I don't care how "good" their software is or is not.

Quite simply, there's no other single program out there that will do so much.
Here's just one example to add to those mentioned by other customers.
It's great to be able to combine movie titles from DVD backups( from saved TS folders on my harddrive ), multiple iMovie projects, DivX and original DV footage on one disc. Then, I saved the whole as an oversized disc image and use DVD compression to fit it onto a single DVD! The program offers a choice of several menu themes that are artistic and easy to navigate.

Then, I used the disc spanning feature to backup some (huge!) DV source files to multiple DVDs.

When I first got OS X, I saw that CD and DVD burning is part of the system. After having most of my disks fail verification at all but the slowest speeds, I knew that I had to have a better and more reliable way. Toast 4 provided that way.

Three versions later, Toast 7 again fixed the problem with my new iMac. No Toast DVD has failed verification since I've used it. Every single feature has worked as stated. However, you need to carefully read the manual, because not every feature is supported for every burner or setup.

Still, it performs all sorts of saves, conversions, burns, and transfers. Forget OS X DVD burning. Toast is THE indespensible and reliable tool for all of your burning needs.