The DRW-1814BLT's software bundle is very similar to what ASUS included with the DRW-1612BL. The CD that comes with the drive contains a number of different applications from Nero including Nero Express 6, Nero Media Player, and InCD as well as ASUSTeK ASUSDVD 6.0. Unfortunately, it does not include any software to edit and burn videos.
Nero Express 6 - With Nero Express, Nero has taken the features and performance people have come to expect from Nero Burning Rom and combined them with a user friendly interface. While the interface has been simplified, Nero Express still supports more advanced features like VCD and DVD creation, CD/DVD duplication, overburning, CD-Text and realtime audio filters.
The version of Nero Express that ASUS included with their new DVD±RW drive is 6.6.1.6f. You can download the latest version of the software from Nero's website.
Nero Media Player - Nero Media Player features on-the-fly encoding of audio CD's to MP3, HE-AAC, TwinVQ, WMA, and WAV format.The MP3 encoder uses the latest audio codec technology from Fraunhofer.While most of the plugins are unrestricted, the MP3 encoder included with this version of the program is limited to only 30 audio tracks.If you need to encode more you will probably want to upgrade to Nero's NeroMIX.
InCD 4 - InCD is Nero's packet writing software. Like Roxio's Drag-to-Disc or Sonic's DLA, it allows a person to use their CD-RW drive as a big floppy disk. The person can then drag and drop files onto a CD-RW or DVD±RW disc. Many people consider InCD to be one of the best packet writing tools because of its simplicity and performance.
ASUSTeK ASUSDVD 6.0 - The DRW-1814BLT also comes with ASUS's own DVD playback software, ASUSDVD. Based on CyberLink's PowerDVD, ASUSDVD offers a complete set of navigation commands, including advanced features like multi-angle viewing, dual subtitle display, digital zoom and parental controls.
Along with DVD movies, ASUSDVD can be used to play back your VCD's, SVCD's or whatever video files you might have on your hard drive. Unfortunately, the version of ASUSDVD included with the DRW-1814BLT only supports 2 speaker output. If you want to take advantage of DVD's encoded with DTS or use Dolby Pro Logic II, you'll probably want to pick up a retail copy of PowerDVD or WinDVD.
With the DRW-1814BLT, ASUS has delivered one of their most feature packed DVD writers to date. While the drive's biggest feature is its Serial ATA interface, it also boasts some pretty impressive specs. The DRW-1814BLT is capable of 18x DVD±R, 8x DVD±R DL, 8x DVD+RW and 6x DVD-RW writing speeds and a maximum DVD read speed of 16x. On top of that, it's the first drive with the ability to write to DVD-RAM media at 14x. The DRW-1814BLT also supports LightScribe and includes many of the features we've come to expect from ASUS like their FlextraLink, FlextraSpeed and QuieTrack technologies. My only real complaint is that bundled version of Nero does not include the components needed to edit and burn videos. Even then, the ASUS DRW-1814BLT scores a solid 9 out of 10 for its features.
