Roxio, £69.99, www.roxio.co.uk

By Derek Uchman

If you are the sort of bloke/bird who uses your PC primarily for dealing with photos, MP3s and DVDs, you’ll know how cluttered a computer can become with pieces of software to do this, and other bits to do that.

You might have separate utilities for converting video files, burning discs or manipulating MP3s. Well, Roxio’s Easy Media Creator 9 makes an amazing fist of tackling the whole shebang within a single co-ordinated suite.

Of course, EMC has been around for quite a while, but the ninth incarnation takes it much further forward, with 100 new features and capabilities.

The suite consists of 35 integrated programs — far too many to deal with here, but we will say one thing: within reason, if you’re looking for a media program, it’ll be here in some shape or form.

Top of the list (well, as far as we are concerned anyway) is support for mobile gadgets. EMC allows you to convert movies or organise photos for a whole raft of devices including the iPod, the PSP, most Windows-based media players and mobile phones.

Furthermore, it is future-proofed, not just in having support for Blu-Ray recording, but it also promises compatibility with the new Windows operating system, Vista.

Less cutting-edge, but equally important, is the ability to burn CDs and DVDs. A drag-and-drop function allows for simple backing-up of data as well as the creation of movie and music discs. You can also print off personalised labels, case inserts and booklets.

Of course, as well as being a burner, EMC is also a player, and 12 different video file formats are supported, including high definition.

It’s a similar story with music. Here nine types of file are supported, including MP3.

EMC supplies you with almost unlimited possibilities — including the creation of playlists and mixes, and, of course, it’ll give you a hand transferring it onto your MP3 player. Furthermore, old LPs and tapes can go digital (providing you have the right hardware) and dropped onto your iPod.

It’s straightforward to manipulate and crop photos, and exposure, sharpness and colour saturation are instantly fixed using a feature called AutoFix. From there, images can be shared, either on the PC, with a mobile device or even using peer-to-peer software over the Net.

VERDICT: A stunning suite which should be a compulsory purchase for anyone with a family PC.

Philips, £599, www.philips.com

By Derek Uchman

MP3s are revolutionising the way we listen to music. Of that, there is no doubt. Quickly glance along any busy street and you’ll see solitary individuals shuffling along, listening to their portable music players.

But there are other uses for your downloaded collections. Streaming them around the house from room to room is one, but it hasn’t taken off (yet) because it’s seen as being too techie. Most systems revolve around installing a network — wired or wireless — which is a daunting prospect.

Philips, though, has developed the WACS700 to take the strain out of the whole process. Not only can you forego the home network, but you don’t even need a PC. The process is simple — stick a CD into the discreet slot at the top of the machine, and it will automatically be ripped on to the 40GB hard drive. From there, you can play the MP3s directly through the built-in speakers or better still stream them wirelessly to one of Philips’ satellite units (the WAS700, which costs £199).

Set-up was smoother than Action Man’s nether regions. In fact, you don’t really need to configure it all — everything is preset.

The WACS700 can stream MP3s to four satellite units at one time, so everyone in the house should be happy. We were particularly impressed with the “music follow me” function allowing you to continue listening to the same track as you move from room to room.

Sound quality is satisfactory, rather than outstanding, and the ample bass makes the WACS700 more suited to rock and pop than classical, which failed to fill the room no matter how much you tweaked the settings.

VERDICT: The WACS700 is a genius piece of kit, and is the sort of thing we’ll all own before the end of the decade.