Digital Trends

Blaze Media Pro 6.1

This is a powerhouse, all-in-one audio and video suite. It contains everything you need for editing, conversion, DVD and CD recording and enjoyment. Normally, my reviews for this application are long-winded, but always deserved. I've said it multiple times: if there's an ultimate download list, whether it be a new computer or recently formatted machine, Blaze Media Pro is on it. As a reviewer, I have a list of roughly 10 applications I personally can't live without. Considering I deal with 40,000 applications on a daily basis, it's a definite accomplishment for any author to be on this list. What's new in 5.0? A great new GUI for starters. The majority of options are in menu and button form on the main interface. They are easier to read and definitely easier to find. It reminds me of the Microsoft campaign, "Where do you want to go today?" I've always been a fan of this type of approach when dealing with GUIs. Right away, you'll focus in on the new design and options. That's what an application is supposed to do, never intentionally make a user guess at where everything is. From there, the conversion list just gets longer with each new update. Supported conversions include: CD to WAV, MP3, WMA, and OGG; MP3, WMA, OGG, WAV, AIF, VOX, MP2, MPCG.72x, AU and RAW to MP3, WMA, OGG and WAV; WAV, MP3, WMA and OGG to CD; and WAV and MP3 compression. Two-way conversions are supported between MPEG-1, MPEG-2, AVI, WMV, Multi-Page TIFF, and FLIC formats. MPEG options are available for VCD, SVCD and DVD output. When converting from audio CD, track information can be dynamically downloaded from the CDDB and used to automatically name saved files. Video editing is available for compressed and uncompressed AVI, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, WMV and ASF. Editing operations include delete frame, delete selection, crop, resize, rotate, mirror, flip, trim, text overlay and adjust audio volume. In addition, an extensive list of more than 30 effects and color adjustment operations allow for powerful video enhancement and alternation. WAV, WMA and MP3 audio files can be inserted into the video or extracted from the video, and BMP, GIF, JPG, PCX, PNG, RAS, PPM, TGA and TIF are the supported image formats that can be inserted or extracted. Most video processing operations can also be performed in batch mode on a list of video files using the software's Batch Video Processor. The program also offers complete drag-and-drop capabilities, a fully skinnable interface, audio tag editing, CDDB support and versatile preferences. ~Calamity