German utilities developer Ashampoo has announced the release of Ashampoo Burning Studio 14, the latest incarnation of its disc burning suite.

Top of the new features list is support for AES-256 encryption. The “Crypted disc” project type will encrypt whatever files you burn to CD, DVD or Blu-ray, and only someone who knows the password you’ve chosen will be able to access your data.

There’s easy backup of mobile devices. Connect a phone or tablet to your PC and you can use the “Backup external device” function to copy its music, pictures, videos or documents.

New encryption and backup options mean Burning Studio 2014 is more powerful than ever

Rip a CD and the program now tries to find the best cover art for you. This generally works well, too, but if there are problems then you can also run a manual web search from within the program, or simply use a local file.

The interface has been tweaked here and there to speed up operations and generally make it easier to use.

And of course there’s still the lengthy list of features available in the previous edition. The program can burn data, audio or music discs; supports creating slideshows and auto-start discs (complete with a menu designer); and includes a backup module, cover designer, disc image creation and burning tools (ISO, IMG, CUE/BIN, ASHDISC formats are supported), and more.

The program can be yours for $39.99, a saving of 20% from MRSP. A 10-day trial version (which may be extended to 30 days if you register) is available now.