01/05/2009, 12:00am, EST
Monday, January 5th
Toast 10: web video capture, TiVo, iPhone app
Sonic Solutions' Roxio has updated its stalwart Toast Titanium and Titanium Pro disc burning and media conversion software, adding enhanced iPhone streaming, TIVo support, an audiobook creation tool and archiving support for AVCHD video. The Pro version comes bundled with a plug-in for Blu-ray support, SmartSound Sonicfire Pro, BIAS SoundSoap, LightZone and FotoMagico. Both versions of Toast are available now.
The standard version, Toast 10 Titanium, is intended to complement Apple's iLife suite, providing additional ways to create and share digital content. New features include a utility that allows users to capture and convert web-based video, including content from YouTube and other sites that distribute copyrighted material. The company says it encourages users to respect copyright laws, but does not believe the software poses any legal problems.
Toast 10 also includes enhanced support for iPhone and TiVo users. Roxio is releasing a new, native iPhone/iPod Touch application allowing Toast users to stream video directly to their devices using Wi-Fi. Mac2TiVo allows users to send standard and HD video directly to a TiVo DVR.
Amateur videographers with AVCHD format camcorders can use Toast to archive video on disc, instead of taking up space on hard drives or memory cards. Another video tool allows users to extract clips from DVDs and convert the video to any of a variety of formats.
Roxio says it has improved Toast's CD Spin Doctor, allowing users to capture streaming audio. The Automatic Music Capture feature indentifies and tags individual music tracks before sending them to ITunes. Another new Toast feature allows users to convert audiobook CDs into a single file for playback on iPods and other mobile devices, complete with individual chapter bookmarks.
One feature that is not included in the basic version of Toast 10 is a plug-in allowing support for Blu-ray discs. The company says it wanted to keep costs down so it left out the $20 plug-in. However, the HD/BD plug-in is free for those who buy Toast 10 online from Roxio before February 5.
Toast 10 Titanium Pro is aimed at the more advanced user providing a bundle of third-party applications for enhanced photo and audio editing and music creation. SmartSound Sonicfire Pro 5 allows users to create soundtracks for videos and slideshows with a "Mood Mapping" feature that uses an included library of music tracks. The classic audio cleanup app BIAS SoundSoap 2 is included to remove wind noise, scratches and cassette tape hiss from sound recordings. LightZone 3 Basic photo-editing software is also included along with a special version of the slideshow creator FotoMagico Express that includes support for HD video. Toast Titanium Pro costs an additional $50, but the company says the additional apps are worth $300.
Both versions of Toast require Mac OS X 10.5 or higher and work with both PowerPC and Intel-based Macs. Toast 10 Titanium costs $100. Users of Toast 9 can upgrade for $80. Toast 10 Titanium Pro sells for $150.
Filed under: iPhone, software, digital imaging, audio
Other story tags: blu-ray, video, tivo, Roxio
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Bleh...
I've supported Roxio for a long time, since they have usually been proactive about supporting new technologies like OS X and Intel Macs. Their past few updates have been incrementally useful at full-priced "upgrade" pricing. I think I'll stay this one out.
How old is Toast 9?
Seems like just yesterday it was released.
Same old Roxio...
just like them to release a new version of Toast so quickly and not give legacy users a decent upgrade price. I'm still on Toast 8. Toast 9 seems like it was just released (has it been a year, at least?), and here they go again. Oh well...I might just sit this one out myself. I'm still getting plenty of good use from Toast 8 and I think I've learned my lesson going from Toast 5 to Toast w/Jam, toToast 6, 7 and 8. They have ENOUGH of my money for now. And all Roxio does with dedicated users like us is throw us a bone of $20 bucks off. Not this time, Roxio.
too soon too expensive
The MacNN mini review does nothing for me. I'll pass on this version as well. $80 upgrade is off the planet.
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Seriously?!
Toast 9 just came out in March 08, this isn't even a year. I've bought all the previous versions since 3 (I think adaptec owned it then). I hesitated on 9 because it hadn't been that long since 8 and 9 didn't add a whole lot I needed but I bit on it. Now after 9 months they want another 60 bucks for the upgrade. And what is with two separate versions now. I hate software that does that. In some cases it's ok, but Disk burning software doesn't need multiple versions.
Roxio you better send previous owners some sort of 20 dollar upgrade. Or better yet. Don't release software upgrades be for a year is up.
Seems like in the old days companies were on more like 2 to 3 year cycles not 1 year or less.
OMG!
Man, you people just can't be made happy. If they waited 2-3 years to release an update, you'd be whining about how long it took to get something out. You'd think upgrades were more or less mandatory the way you all talk, and that not buying it was some sort of major psychological issue.
Maybe they keep updating the software because they know there are people who don't buy every release (because, really, once you've got disk burning software, do you really need to get the update?), so they keep adding new features and updating it to hope that, at some point, all the additional features added will be worth it to someone running Toast 6, say.
Ugh! 10.5 only is a pain
I have 10.5 installed on one of my machines, but I don't intend to upgrade all of them to Leopard just yet. I'll continue to stick with my earlier version of Toast since I don't require the extra features of this newest version.
AVCHD support
There seems to be a significant benefit of the new Toast in the way it handles AVCHD. Everyone who bought an AVCHD camcorder knows how cumbersome it is to create Blu-ray content on a Mac. Toast 9 was helpful, but clunky. If 10 makes it less clunky, $80 will be well worth it.
Re: Seriously?!
And what is with two separate versions now. I hate software that does that. In some cases it's ok, but Disk burning software doesn't need multiple versions.
I guess you would just prefer it that they just sold the "pro" version and charged everyone $50 more, when a good majority of users would never use the extra bloat they're paying for?
I actually would prefer if more companies sold multiple versions of software, so I could get some software at affordable prices when I know my needs are limited. (Gee, just like how some people don't want to buy a MBP or MacPro because they don't need all those features).