You still get a lot for your money, but HD optical burning only extends to data discs

Some substantial new abilities, including support for the new wave of high definition optical discs.

Refocusing on disc-related features makes Nero the top choice for optical disc authoring.

A convenient all-in-one media package, but many of the applications can be had for nothing elsewhere

Easy CD Creator (ECD) 6 is a complete CD-R and DVD recorder that allows you to create audio CDs, video CDs (VCD and SVCD format) and data and movie DVDs.

Identified during installation by the operating system as a Pioneer DVR-A06P, this unit was later confirmed to be an OEM version of the same drive. Both feature a circular air vent on the rear of the chassis, designed to allow for optimum airflow while in operation.

Blu-ray takes another tentative step towards the mass market, but is now the time to buy?

Hallmark has opted to take advantage of Intel’s Extreme Graphics 2 integrated shared graphics, taking up to 64MB of video memory from the on-board 512MB of PC2700 DDR to power the display. While not designed for gaming, it did manage to churn out almost 3000 points in 3DMark01SE with some help from its Pentium M 1.6GHz CPU.

Locating the sweet spot in the market for well kitted out machines on a budget, Pioneer has come to the party by introducing it's Power PC model, featuring all the tech goodies without the sour aftertaste of a high price ticket. This black futuristic PC looks quite schmick with its front mounted LCD readout displaying up to date temperature information on the system, so you know exactly what's happening with your cooling.

The Logitech QuickCam Pro 4000 is a CCD webcam with some grunt – it's capable of capturing video at 640x480, images at 1280x960.

As well as being the first company to launch EIDE DVD burners into the mainstream IT marketplace, Pioneer is the company behind DVD-R and DVD-RW recordable media formats. In the last couple of years, it has fought hard to stave off competition from Philips' rival standard, DVD+RW, and until recently buying a DVD recorder meant locking yourself into one standard over the other.

Like its direct competitor Ulead DVD MovieFactory, Pinnacle Express can be used to create VideoCD and SVCD discs as well as DVD titles. Unlike Ulead's program, however, it supports slide shows as well as video...

A high end DVD-based camcorder for quick and clean shooting.