If you have a lot of HD content, this is a deal-killer. There's an even bigger drawback, however Power2Go can't create menus for Blu-ray disc projects, even in its expensive Platinum edition.

But I couldn't rotate or trim my clips, as I could in Ashampoo Burning Studio.

Three templates are included, but you can download loads of menu templates free from CyberLink's DirectorZone. I could preview the video clips, choose a playback mode (all clips or menu), and even customize the menu elements and its tree structure. Video Projects Power2Go has one of the better interfaces around for creating a video compilation complete with title and menu pages. It can even create a 'mixed mode' disc-one that contains both a standard audio CD alongside data files. In more audio news, Power2Go offers conversion of audio files among WMA, MP3, and WAV. Power2Go displayed elapsed and projected remaining time for the burn, which is reassuring. Burning the same 60-minute album to a blank CD took just 2:25 minutes. When I switched the format to MP3 at 192kbps, ripping the whole Buena Vista Social Club CD took just 2:03 minutes-nearly identical to the result I got with Ashampoo Burning Studio and NCH Express Burn. Music I could rip a CD, and the program helpfully and automatically filled in the album and track titles, but the default form was oddly WMA at 96kbps. Like Ashampoo Burning Studio, CyberLink also offers a desktop gadget for drag-and-drop burning. The app adds entries to the AutoPlay dialog that pops up whenever you insert media that it can perform operations on. Hovering your mouse cursor over any of these displays relevant choices in the lower section of the app's borderless gray window. Interface Power2Go's user interface is the class of the bunch: It's both clear and attractive, with seven large icons across the top to get you to each of the program's main functions: Data, Music, Video, Photo, System Recovery, Copy, and Utilities. Best Hosted Endpoint Protection and Security Software.

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