I'm on a Mac running OSX 10.6.8. I've just received a special offer form Other World Computing to buy Toast 11 Pro for $49, but I have to decide by the end of April just a few days away. I was put off buying Toast last year when I purchased the Adobe Master Suite because of many poor reviews on Amazon, and because a cursory look at the Encore PDF suggested I would be able to burn Blu-rays from there. But, I've noticed a few comments in this forum saying that people don't use Encore's burning capabilities because the burn speed can't be varied.
I'm a complete novice to Premiere and Encore, working my way through the Premiere manual but not having touched Encore yet. So I need some guidance from experienced users. Given that as far as Blu-ray disks are concerned I will only be burning videos, not data, and that I'm using a Mac:
1. Is using the Blu-ray burning capabilites within Encore a reliable solution?
2. What are the pros of using Encore to burn a Blu-ray?
3. What are the cons of using Encore to burn a Blu-ray?
4. Does anyone using Encore use Toast, and what are the pros and cons?
5. Are there any other options for burning Blu-rays out of Premiere, other than Encore and Toast?