One thing that I miss about the DRW 4410 was that AOpen included a selection of writeable media with the drive. The 8800 AAN does not come with any free media, which means that you have to purchase DVD+RW DVD-RW or other media to use the drive to burn DVDs or CDRs and CDRWs to burn CDs. Otherwise the retail box comes with a Bonus CD and an Audio cable which makes this a rather skimpy bundle hardware wise.

The software bundle is rather well put together for a DVD+-RW drive. It includes everything one could possibly need to burn DVDs, play back DVDs, and even includes a video editing software which allows you to edit videos. Also included is a software to turn VHS tapes into DVDs. This is as comprehensive a bundle as you’ll ever see for a DVD drive.

Nero is one of the most popular burning software available. I’ve used it ever since the first CDRW drives came out and I got my first CD burning drive. The included Nero is version 5.5, while the latest version on Nero’s webpage is 6. If you want to upgrade to version 6, from the included 5.5 you need to pay for the upgrade price. However, 5.5 is just fine for most every user that needs burning software.

Using Nero to burn DVDs/CDs is very easy and intuitive. Upon launching Nero Burning ROM it will ask you what type of media will be used to burn, DVD or CD. The program will then ask you whether you want to compile a new DVD or CD or copy an existing CD or DVD. The next question it asks is whether you want to burn a Data or other DVD format. From here it’s easy to figure out and should be self-explanatory. The other program Nero includes is Nero Express. This program will show you several choices of what type of program you want to burn: Data disc/Bootable data disc, Music (MP3, WMV disc), DVD Video files (allows you to copy DVD file structures from your hard drive) and Disc image or saved file image (allows you to copy a disc image previously burned on the hard drive). Nero Express is excellent for those that need a program that is fast.

PowerDVD 5 is the latest version of an extremely popular standalone DVD player. For those that don’t have a DVD player on their computer it can be useful. Personally I prefer WinDVD, but this is a personal choice. To play DVDs either launch PowerDVD from the Start menu or select PowerDVD when the DVD movie is inserted and Windows asks what program to use.

Ulead VideoStudio 7 is Ulead’s latest video editing software. You can use this program to edit various types of videos including from a digital camera, a .avi downloaded off the Internet or a TV program recorded on a TV tuner like the AIW 9600XT that I use in my main home computer. Video Studio allows you to add transitions, a title, add effects like a rotating box, and adding audio to your video.

Neo DVD is a program that allows the user to attach a VCR to a Video In connector on the PC and change VHS tapes to DVDs. This is extremely useful for those that still have old VHS tapes of their family’s birthday parties or for a wedding captured on a VHS tape. VHS tapes are rather fragile and degrade over time. Transferring them can save the video and prolong the life of the memories.