SAN FRANCISCO -- With over 120 million users, Ahead Software's Nero Ultra 6 may be the most popular and powerful CD and DVD burning program in the world, but it can be tricky to master. "The Book of Nero 6 Ultra Edition" (No Starch Press, July 04, $19.95), by best-selling author Wallace Wang, is an easy to follow, step-by-step guide to getting the most out of Nero, developed with the help and support of Ahead Software.

Nero is a great tool for burning CDs and DVDs and it can do a whole lot more, but many users do not know how to access all of its powerful features. "Nero is a great little program that consistently wins high marks for its technical capabilities," explains author Wallace Wang, "but those same high-powered technical features can make it hard for less technically-savvy people to use. I wrote this book to help the average person tame the power of Nero."

"It's very frustrating to burn a CD, just to discover that the data didn't burn correctly and what you've got is about as good as a drink coaster," adds No Starch Press publisher William Pollock. "No one needs more drink coasters. Who uses those?"

Wang takes readers through the essentials of CD and DVD burning (preventing the coaster syndrome), then introduces readers to Nero's other impressive capabilities. Readers learn how to:

� Copy music onto a CD, whether to archive their favorites, or to make the ultimate mix CD
� Burn music with the highest sound quality, remove unnecessary pauses, and balance tracks like a pro
� Back up important data, freeing up space on the hard drive and saving files in the case of computer crashes
� Save vacation photos as a slide show to share with friends and family, or make that important work presentation really pop with photos accompanied by music
� Burn a DVD video disc of favorite video moments
� Design fantastic labels and disc covers for CDs and DVDs, so mix CDs make perfect gifts and home movies look store bought
� Edit sound, including how to remove the hisses and pops from songs recorded from tapes and vinyl LPs
� Use Nero as a full-featured audio and video player, to replace the other media players on their computer

Combining the best parts of a media player, a design program, a sound editor, and a video editor, Nero makes it possible to create CDs and DVDs that work and that do exactly what they're supposed to do. "The Book of Nero 6 Ultra Edition" shows how.