German multimedia developer Ashampoo has unveiled the latest edition of its flagship disc mastering suite, Ashampoo Burning Studio 15.

The headline addition is new support for M-DISC, an optical media type which, in theory, can remain readable for 1,000 years.

Audio improvements start with support for recording from Windows audio devices, for example to add a narration to a slideshow.

If the normal skin looks too dramatic, no problem – you can now design one of your own

The suite can now work with OPUS audio files, and perhaps less usefully, there are optional sound effects for videos and slideshows.

An Autosave option automatically saves your projects at regular intervals, protecting you from disaster. Not by default, unfortunately, as it’s disabled, but clicking Settings > General Options > Enable Autosave will turn the feature on.

The major practical improvement is 10-15% faster video encoding, but the suite does also offer some extra content with new skins, styles and templates.

Ashampoo Burning Studio 15 is priced at $49.99 ($19.99 upgrade). A trial build runs for up to 30 days, and is compatible with Windows Vista and later.