Nero 8, the latest iteration of the Nero platform for digital media creation and playback, plays well with high definition content. But at the same time, the company producing the multimedia solute announced that it was kicking it up notch in order to deliver superior integration of high definition materials with the Nero 8 suite. In this context, Nero 8 will be getting Blu-ray Disc Video authoring and playback, along with support for Mini HD DVD-Video discs, as well as a boost in file encoding speed.

Back in August 2007, Nero 8 showed the first signs of life, delivering the promise of early availability by September. And in early September 2007, the first trial edition of Nero 8 Ultra indeed became widely available for download. But it was only on October 1st that Nero managed to deliver an official build of Nero 8 for test driving. The trial version of the Nero 8 Ultra Edition, certified for the Windows Vista operating system, can be grabbed right here on Softpedia.

And with the new enhancements introduced to the suite, Nero 8 deserves to be taken out for a spin, now more than ever. "Nero 8 now offers users the opportunity to create, edit, and play back their High Definition content in the same format as used on commercial Blu-ray Discs. From brilliant 3D menu templates to 5.1 surround sound audio, Nero 8 gives users innovative options for creating cutting-edge, professional-looking Blu-ray Discs", Charly Lippoth, Chief Technology Officer, Nero.

The update to Nero 8 comes on the heels of obtaining certification from Sony Corporation's Blu-ray Disc testing center, pointing to the streamlined compatibility of the suite with Blu-ray devices. At this point in time, the added features are not integrated with Nero 8, and users will need to integrate the Blu-ray / HD DVD Plug-in with the suite, in order to enjoy the High Definition audio and video functionality, on top of the ability to author and playback writable Blu-ray Disc Video materials.

"The latest update of Nero 8 also includes play back of Mini HD DVD-Video discs, and burning of HD DVD-Video onto DVD-R/RW media. Smart Encoding, a feature that detects compliant incoming data formats from AVCHD camcorders, avoids time-consuming re-encoding by skipping the recoding step for AVCHD content when the destination format is also AVCHD. Advancements in the Nero 8 home entertainment features offer even more flexibility by letting users fast forward, and pause content streamed throughout the digital home via Nero's home media server application", Nero added.