Express Burn is a lightweight software utility that offers you the complete set of tools that both standard and advanced users may require to burn all kinds of discs. Whether you need to create a data, video or audio disc - or create/burn ISO image files, Express Burn surely has a simple and practical solution to offer you.
The program is characterized by a modest and functional user interface where simplicity is probably the most valuable advantage. All the operations you can perform using this tool are available through several tabs located at the top side of its main window, namely Audio, Video, Data, ISO, and Tools. Each one, in turn, offers you the specific tools and parameters you may need to create the selected type of disc. For example, within the Audio tab, you can select to create an audio CD, an MP3 CD or an MP3 DVD, add your source audio files and/or folders, and select the audio normalization level (or disable it). Besides, if you are creating an audio CD, you can enable and configure the CD-Text details while, if you are creating an MP3 CD or DVD, you can optionally configure the encoder's internal parameters according to your needs.
Undoubtedly, one of the program's biggest assets is its video authoring capability. If you are creating a video DVD or Blu-ray disc, you can add your source video files in any of the most popular formats, and the program will automatically reformat and re-code them to create a standard DVD or Blu-ray movie which is compatible with any commercial player. Besides, if you are an advanced user, you can create a customized menu, configure the output quality, TV system (PAL/NTSC) and aspect ratio to be used, and create/manage your custom chapters. Unfortunately, the program doesn't create video CDs (e.g. VCDs or SVCDs), although they are rarely used nowadays.
As for the ISO section of the program, it allows you to both create ISO image files and burn them to blank discs. However, the program can only create an ISO file from an existing disc but not directly from your filesystem, which is a common feature in other disc burners. Besides, ISO is the only image file format supported.
Summing it all up, I would say that Express Burn offers you a very good set of features for burning all kinds of discs, especially if you don't have too advanced needs in this sense. The program seems expensive if we compare it to other disc-burning suites that offer the same and even more features and tools for much less, but the truth is that Express Burn can be indefinitely used for free for home and non-commercial purposes. However, many of the features Express Burn offers require the download and installation of additional tools, a process that starts automatically, without even a warning for the user.
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