LAUG 2.0

Toast already is known for being able to burn CDs and DVDs (as well as MP3 discs, audio CDs, cross-platform and hybrid discs), and these capabilities remain intact in the latest version. Even if you just use Toast for disc burning, it is worth the purchase because it is significantly more flexible and powerful then the built-in disc-burning included in the MacOS. Toast also makes backups easy by allowing you to span backups across multiple discs automatically.

TiVo users will find Toast to be their absolute best friend, as Toast 10 is the first version that allows you to move data from your computer and put it on the TiVo.  Previous versions only allowed you to move data off the TiVo.  Now, we can take a show off the TiVo to free up space as well as to back it up. If you want to watch them again, just transfer back.  Transferring is slow and takes, on average, about an hour for an hour-long show.  Now, our TiVo gets along perfectly with our Apple TV and content moves effortless between the two.    Toast takes your TV shows anywhere.  With its Streamer app, you can even watch your TV shows on the Internet via your iPhone or a laptop.  If you have video on your computer, Toast will move it to practically any device under the sun.  If all you are doing is working with digital video content, your functions might be better served by Roxio’s other product, Popcorn.  The differences are very confusing!  For example, while both programs allow you to move content off your TiVo, Popcorn doesn’t allow you to put content back on your TiVo.  Additionally, Popcorn does not include the Streamer app.  In the past, Roxio has included new video features first in Toast and then later into Popcorn, so the next version of Popcorn will probably include more Toast 10 features.

A bit deceptive is Toast’s DVD capability.  It will NOT work with commercial DVDs and Toast makes that pretty clear in its ads.  Toast is designed to complement iDVD and iMovie for some digital content.  Toast, similar to iLife, has a suite of video editing and DVD authoring apps.   If you already have iLife (and who doesn’t?), you’ll find much of this repetitive.  Comparing the two suites, Toast tended to be a bit simpler when it came to video and DVD options. iLife can be overwhelming when all you want is a simple way to show a few pictures on a DVD player.   However,  if you are looking for video editing and DVD authoring, and can only choose one program, iLife would be the better option.

Toast’s audio editing capabilities, via its built in CD Spin Doctor application, was much easier to use than Garage Band.  Built into Spin Doctor are step by step tutorials on how to convert LPs to MP3s.  Additionally, Spin Doctor makes it extremely easy to capture streaming audio from websites.  Of course, other programs do this as well, but similar to iLife, these functions are integrated right into to the program. 

Conversions are Toast’s middle name.  OK, it’s not, but it could be.  As mentioned earlier, if it’s on your computer, Toast can put it somewhere else.  New in this version is the moving of audiobooks into MP3 format.  You can do this by hand, but you loose chapters in the book and have one, long, unmanageable MP3 file.  Toast preserves the chapter divisions.  

And if that wasn’t enough (but wait…there’s more) , Toast throws in some additional features just to round off the package.  Disc Cover RE let’s you make custom CD labels, Disc Catalog RE Maker catalogs your digital media for you, and Get Backup RE is a backup and file comparison utility.  These are all RE (Roxio Edition) versions, which means they are slightly crippled versions of the full programs.  However, the companies will allow you to upgrade to the non-Roxio versions for a reduced price.  For example, Get Backup is normally $39.95, but its RE upgrade price is $19.95. 

Whew, that’s an exhausting feature set and I’ve only scratched the surface!  Most every function in Toast can be found in another product (even Roxio’s own Popcorn), but Toast packages it all together and makes it as easy to use as….wait for it…wait for it…a toaster!

Pros:  Practically every audio and video feature packaged together.  An absolute must for TiVo owners. Still does a great job burning discs.
Cons:  A bit pricey and duplicates other products already on the market.

Four out of Five dogcows