Easy DVD Copy 2.0 Premier

If there's been a theme running through the major IT innovations of recent years, it's that you should be able to access your data from any location and at any time.

The sheer convenience of the iPod and the PlayStation Portable (PSP) makes them obvious targets for any software company trying to tap into the portability push. The next two months will see Roxio and Pinnacle unveil remarkably similar products.

Roxio's Easy DVD Copy 2.0 Premier is an update to the popular Easy DVD Copy 2.0 Deluxe. The Premier edition can copy DVD movies directly onto a PlayStation Portable (PSP) or iPod with video support. We found this feature worked quite well and, while there aren't an awful lot of options, the results were more than adequate.

But your money will buy you a lot more than this. The DVD copying is fairly swift and reasonably easy to operate, though you can't copy encrypted or copy-protected DVDs - if you're looking to back up your film collection, this product isn't going to satisfy your needs. But for home movies, it's a good option.

The straightforward menu system makes transferring multiple movie files to a DVD simple - and you can compress the contents of an 8.5GB double-layer disk on to a 4.7GB one.

The Label Creator program is well executed and should prove useful for anyone with a LightScribe drive. You get a good DVD player in the form of CinePlayer, while the Disc Image Loader is an intriguing app that lets you make virtual copies of a disc, allowing you to use the contents without needing to carry the original.

This software provides a lot of impressive features for a very modest price. However, note the fact that you can't get around copy encryption with this product. And anyone looking to enjoy the special iPod and PSP features would be well advised to wait and see exactly how the Pinnacle product compares.