For the PX-Q840U's software bundle, Plextor has turned to Roxio. Along with the aforementioned Venue and CinemaNow software, the DVD contains Roxio Central, BackOnTrack, MyDVD, CinePlayer and Roxio Creator 10 CE which includes Creator Classic, Music Disc Creator and PhotoSuite.
Roxio Central gives users access to all of the applications in the Roxio Creator 10 CE with Venue suite. From the main menu, they can create their own CD's and DVD's, make copies of existing discs, backup their computer and organize their photos, videos and music.
The suite also includes what Roxio calls "Creator Classic" and "Music Disc Creator." While not as robust as disc mastering applications like Nero, these two programs will have you creating your own custom data and audio discs in no time.
MyDVD is Roxio's DVD authoring application. With this program you can easily edit and then burn your favorite videos to CD or DVD. MyDVD will also allow users to add video effects, transitions and background music, create animated menus, and organize clips and photos into custom slide shows.
Roxio's PhotoSuite software gives you the ability to repair, enhance and share your digital photos. It also includes a number of automated and advanced photo editing tools that will let you easily crop and rotate your pictures, remove things like red-eye and add text and special effects.
The suite also includes Roxio's backup software, BackOnTrack. This easy to use program lets you backup your files to CD, DVD or another hard drive. Backup jobs can be launched manually or scheduled to run at regular intervals so the data is always protected. BackOnTrack also supports compression and encryption and can instantly restore your system to a previous state.
Last but not least, you have Sonic's DVD playback software, CinePlayer. Along with DVD movies, CinePlayer can be used to play back your VCD's, SVCD's or whatever video files you might have on your hard drive.
While lacking a number of Plextor's more advanced technologies, the PX-Q840U still delivers a good number of features. Their new external drive supports all major DVD formats and sports some pretty impressive specs. The PX-Q840U is capable of 20x DVD±R, 8x DVD±R DL, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds and a maximum DVD read speed of 16x. The drive also supports Sonic's Qflix recording technology as well as Plextor's new PlexUTILITIES advanced application and diagnostic tool. With all of this, it's easy to see why the Plextor PX-Q840U gets a solid 9 out of 10 for its features.
