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Jan 05, 09 - 01:36 pm Comment from: LordRobin

I've always preferred Toast's disc-burning interface to the one built into OSX, but I don't need most of the extra stuff. I just want Toast's awesome disc-burner, but I can't justify dropping a C-note on it. Why the hell can't they offer a Toast Express or Toast Basic or something for $30?

------RM

Jan 05, 09 - 01:46 pm Comment from: It's About Time

Roxio's crapware continues - whether it's Toast 7, 8. 9 or 10, it's still Toast.

Jan 05, 09 - 01:50 pm Comment from: pocketRocket

@LordRobin, gotta agree with you there. The interface is very easy to use.

The only improvement I would like is a Menu creation step to burn my XVID TV episodes to disc for my DivX DVD player. Selecting episodes to watch from a text list is a little backwards for 2009. Anyone know of any utility that can create Menus for XVID AVIs?

Jan 05, 09 - 02:41 pm Comment from: Brau

Long ago I knew what Toast was for and very good at ... burning Cds and DVDs with a simple straight forward GUI, but today they're trying to include too much in one app. It's getting confusing.

@It's About Time.

Exactly what is it that makes Toast crapware? I've yet to experience any problems with versions 6, 7, or 8.

Jan 05, 09 - 03:05 pm Comment from: John E

Toast 9 was a major upgrade of Toast 8 that was worth the price. but Toast 10 is really just a modest update. why does Roxio think anyone should or will spend another $100 for that? for current Toast 9 owners $25 might be reasonable. but $100, forget it.

Toast is just disk copying software, and it doesn't do a very good job at it anyway. It's ridiculously overpriced crap and has been for the last few versions at least.

All it's functions are available for FREE from other products or in OS-X itself. Other programs that do the same thing are also much more intuitively designed and don't put artificial barriers like DRM in your way.

Back in the day, like ten years or more ago, it was the simplest most elegant solution to disk copying and every tech I knew or worked with used it as one of their main tools. For the last five years at least, you wouldn't find a single respectable computer tech that uses it or cares for it. That alone should tell you how "valuable" and "useful" the program is.

If you need an overpriced POS so your grandma can format a CD, Toast is a good bet. Otherwise, don't bother.

I too have never had any problems with Toast, but at this point see no reason to upgrade from version 9. If you want an earlier version that costs less, you can find it online.

Upps!!... watch this -> systems requirements: Mac OS X v10.5.x

My old Mac will keep with Toast 8 :(

Jan 05, 09 - 03:29 pm Comment from: MacintoshSoftwareList.com

uhm, cool. Anyone still have a Tivo?

@Jeremy.
"All it's functions are available for FREE from other products or in OS-X itself."

Really? Can you give some examples? Like how to burn an ISO 9660 XA, a Mac/PC or a multi-session CD natively in OS X? If these capabilities are available then they are deeply buried. Why should a user have to look that hard? That's a PC approach not Mac.

Is the SoundSoap a real legit, full app that will work stand alone, or as a plugin to GarageBand, or Logic Express? If so, I would pop for the $150 pro version. If it only works in Toast 10, not a chance. Does anyone know?

I use Burn http://burn-osx.sourceforge.net/

Unfortunately, Toast is following the example of StuffIt. They've run out of real disk-burning features, so now they are throwing in random, video-related features to try to get you to pay for the upgrade. And yet, they charge an extra $20 for a disc-burning related feature, namely, Blu-Ray burning (and it's not like there are extra royalties for burning Blu-Ray discs, so this is just a straight extra charge for Toast).

Jan 05, 09 - 06:01 pm Comment from: Predrag

In fact yes, there are royalties to Sony for burning Blu-ray formatted video content. That's precisely the reason they have to charge for it.

I am still hoping I'll get an Apple solution for authoring HD movies into Blu-ray (using iLife, via iMovie and iDVD/iBluray), instead of making HD video content in a disc-burning utility. That just doesn't sound right.

Jan 05, 09 - 09:02 pm Comment from: John E

obviously some folks here don't work much with video. Toast 9: (1) works great with TiVo to save CATV shows to your Mac, including all the channels EyeTV and the rest can't tune; (2) very easily edit clips and burn DVD's auto sized to fit with nicely done menus and labels (or adjusted any way you want); (3) burn small HD files in blu-ray onto a conventional DVD on your Mac; (4) stream any video from your Mac to your iPhone; and (5) lotsa other stuff.

yeah, many of its functions can be done with other programs. but definitely not (1) which is vital for all TiVo owners, nor as far as i know (3) and (4). and it makes (2) so easy i used it to make Xmas gift DVD's, compilations of music videos. (3) is a very neat and cheap trick for making 10 minute HD DVD's from your HD camcorder or other HD source.

now none of these may matter to some folks, but to many of us it's great stuff, not crap. overall for anyone working with a lot of different kinds of video and sources for different types of outcomes, it's a convenient, well integrated all-purpose program with an easy to use UI.

btw, i checked and their price to upgrade from Toast 9 to 10 is $60, still much too much.

Jan 05, 09 - 09:56 pm Comment from: Predrag

John E:

That's precisely my point; Toast is (was?) a disc-burning application for about 7 to 8 versions. Since you can upgrade a disc-burning tool only so much and so often, they started adding other features.

I would really prefer not to edit my video in a disk-burning utility (would you use 'Disk Utility' for that?). I'd rather do that in iMovie and burn in iDVD (iBluRay?).

As such, Toast is probably quite a nice weapon, but it clearly diverged from its original path. I guess Roxio had to figure out how to keep charging more from the existing user base...

Jan 05, 09 - 10:17 pm Comment from: TowerTone

I have always had good luck with Toast (8 and 9), but for those that don't need all that, doesn't Popcorn have you covered?

......the burning engine (which can be cheaply aquired in a "light version") is still top rated for its reliability,efficacy + intuitiveness in even the most pro-burning forums........

OH! I forgot you use MACS don't you? "Nero" isn't available for that version of PC. I wonder why? Oh Well!, not to worry, no-one uses MACS for serious burning anyway - the only 'once in a lifetime if you are lucky' mention "Toast" (and any other MAC "burning" software) gets in the gigantic infinite multi discipline PC burning forums is associated with manic laughter :D

@Jesus Christ...

and your point is...?

I wish Toast could burn audiofiles, automatically including the linked cover art.