HP includes two CD's full of software with the dvd640i. These discs contain a number of applications including Sonic RecordNow 7.22, ArcSoft ShowBiz DVD 2, SureThing CD/DVD Labeler 4 SE and PowerDVD from CyberLink
Sonic RecordNow 7.22 -RecordNow is the main CD/DVD mastering program included with the dvd640i. With this software, users can create various types of CD's and DVD's or make backups of existing discs. RecordNow also has the ability to create "Jukebox CD's" full of MP3, WMA, or WAV files.
RecordNow's task-based interface is fairly straightforward. Simply select the project type and then the job you want to perform. If you can't figure out what project type to use, just drag the files you want to record onto the "bit budget" and RecordNow's intelligent drag and drop feature will select the project for you.
ArcSoft ShowBiz DVD 2 - With ArcSoft ShowBiz DVD 2 you can capture and edit your videos quickly and easily. Right from the start, ShowBiz gives you a number of options. From here you can record video directly to DVD, capture and edit videos or create your own VCD or DVD disc.
ShowBiz features a simple storyboard view for basic video sequencing and a more advanced timeline view giving you greater control over your movie clips, audio tracks and transitional effects. Once you're done you can export your video to a number of different formats or use ShowBiz's built in DVD authoring tools.
ArcSoft's software will also let you transfer video from your camcorder or TV tuner directly to DVD. Just choose the video quality and a menu style and ShowBiz will automatically capture the video and burn it to disc.
SureThing CD/DVD Labeler 4 SE - With SureThing's CD/DVD Labeler software, you'll be producing great looking labels in no time. This easy to use label design software includes an impressive number of templates, backgrounds and text effects. Adding playlists is also a simple task, thanks to its ability to pull artist, track and album information directly from your CD's and MP3 files or via the internet.
SureThing's CD/DVD Labeler software also supports HP's LightScribe technology. When you're done creating your label design, you can print it directly to disc. If you find that your LightScribe media is not supported, a newer version of SureThing's host software can be downloaded here.
CyberLink PowerDVD 4.0 XP - CyberLink's PowerDVD is one of the more popular software DVD players on the market right now. PowerDVD offers a complete set of navigation commands, including advanced features like multi-angle viewing, multi-language and subtitle selection, digital zoom and even parental control.
Unfortunately, the version of PowerDVD bundled with the dvd640i 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 need to buy an upgrade first.
It should be pretty clear that HP's new DVD writer isn't lacking in the features department. Like the BenQ drive its based on, the dvd640i supports most CD and DVD formats has specs like 16x DVD+R, 8x DVD-R, 4x DVD±RW and 2.4x DVD+R DL writing speeds and a maximum DVD read speed of 16x. Along with support for LightScribe, the drive also incorporates a number of useful features like buffer underrun protection and bitsetting. Last but not least, HP tops all of this off with an odd, but interesting mix of software from Sonic, ArcSoft, SureThing and CyberLink. With all things considered, the dvd640i gets a solid 9 out of 10 for its features.
