Ashampoo Burning Studio 22 adds H.265 support, improves metadata search and retrieval

Ashampoo Technology GmbH has released Ashampoo Burning Studio 22, a major new version of its disc-burning suite for Windows users.

Burning Studio supports the creation of video, audio, and data discs, including DVDs and Blu-rays. There’s also built-in support for ripping CDs to hard drive and creating disc image files such as ISO and BIN. Version 22 adds several new features, including support for H.265-encoded video, an improved metadata search and retrieval tool, and support for customizable desktop shortcuts.

A brand new search engine has been added to improve the metadata retrieval process when tagging ripped discs. It’s also capable of locating and adding disc artwork automatically.

Version 22 also adds support for the H.265 video decoder, an increasingly popular video decoder that comes into its own with higher-resolution content such as 4K video. It means users can now include H.265-encoded media in their video DVDs or Blu-rays.

Users can now pin desktop shortcuts to their favorite parts of the program, while the user interface has been tweaked to make it more user-friendly, helped by the addition of new presets and templates for generating artwork for CDs, DVDs and Blu-rays.

The new release signs off with the promise of overhauled "technical underpinnings", designed to future-proof burning, backup and conversion features going forward.

Ashampoo Burning Studio 22 is available now as a 30-day trial for all non-ARM PCs running Windows 7 or alter. Users may need to reserve up to 100 GB free hard drive space to house temporary Blu-ray XL files during use (DVD projects are less demanding - around 10GB should suffice). The full program retails for $49.99/£44.99/€49.99, but is currently available at a discount.