I think Avia and the S&V disc are easier to use than Video Essentials. S&V produced its disc in cooperation with Ovation Software, which is the company behind Avia. (S&V's technical editor had worked with Ovation on the Avia disc originally, so there's a lot of commonality.) Of the two, the Avia disc has more advanced stuff on it, whereas the S&V disc is easier to use.