Alcohol 120% is a CD / DVD emulator. It makes a pseudo-CD/DVD drive on your computer and it also makes copies of your favorite CD/DVD into image files on your hard drive. The resulting image files can then be inserted into the pseudo-CD/DVD drive and run as if it was a real CD/DVD.
Hehe the only development ive seen from nero is:
1. Encoder is slightly less unpredictable (i.e., less upside down video ... but performance and quality still dismal)
2. They went and made the damn thing cute
3. Made installation and configuration a pain in the ass and expanded on that bad idea of smart start by adding another bad idea: Nero Scout