Milestones of Engelmann Software GmbH – Our History Since 1995 🕰️

Key Developments at a Glance

Since its founding in 1995, Engelmann Software GmbH has evolved from a small pioneer in burning software to an internationally active provider of modern software solutions. Over the last three decades, we have been able to set numerous significant milestones that have shaped our history.

Here we present to you the 10 most important developments in our company’s history – and afterwards, you can delve even deeper into our complete history.

The 10 Most Important Developments in Detail 🚀

1998 – Founding of Engelmann Media GmbH and Release of CDRWIN

With the introduction of CDRWIN, one of the first burning software for Windows 95, our company’s success story began. At the same time, Engelmann Media GmbH was officially founded in Dortmund – a milestone that laid the foundation for our further growth.

2000 – International Expansion and Launch of RecDev SDK

Our software crossed European borders for the first time: Initial sales in Japan marked the beginning of our international presence. With the RecDev SDK, we offered third-party providers an innovative solution for integrating burning functions into their own applications – an important technological expansion.

2001–2003 – Successful CeBIT Appearances and Introduction of Multi-Burner Support

At the world’s largest IT trade fair, CeBIT in Hanover, we presented ourselves with our own stand and revolutionized the market with multi-burner support: Our software made it possible for the first time to control multiple burners in parallel – a real breakthrough for professional CD and DVD duplication.

2002 – Wave of Success with MovieJack and GameJack and Mass Distribution through Aldi

Our products MovieJack and GameJack became international bestsellers. MovieJack in particular caused a sensation: In just three days, Aldi Germany sold 120,000 copies – a gigantic success that made our brand known to millions of customers.

2005 – Development of the HDX4 Video Codec

With the development of the HDX4 codec, then the world’s fastest MPEG-4 codec, we once again set technological standards. HDX4 was used by Lufthansa, in the medical field, and by renowned research institutions such as Fraunhofer IGD.

2012 – Introduction of Photomizer, Our AI-Supported Image Optimization Software

Photomizer established itself as the new standard for automatic image enhancement. After winning several tests in trade magazines, the software quickly became a crowd favorite – both among hobby photographers and professional users.

2016 – Launch of the SecuPerts Brand: Security and Data Protection Solutions

With the introduction of the SecuPerts brand, Engelmann Software began to specifically develop products for digital security, data protection, and anonymization. In doing so, we responded to the growing importance of cybersecurity and created a new, forward-looking business field.

2017 – Development of the Rescue Stick for Recovering Windows Systems

With the Rescue Stick, we brought a powerful emergency solution to the market: A bootable USB stick that could restore Windows systems after crashes or virus infections. It won multiple awards and set new standards in data recovery.

2020 – Technology Transfer to Avast: Driver Updater Acquired

A special highlight was the acquisition of our Driver Updater by the security giant Avast. Under the brands Avast, AVG, Norton, and CCleaner, the technology has since been successfully used worldwide – an impressive proof of the quality of our development.

2024 – Generational Change: Pit Engelmann Takes Over as CEO

With the change at the company’s helm, the next generation took over: Pit Engelmann is leading the company into a new era full of innovations, modern software solutions, and international perspectives.

Our Complete History:

The Beginnings: Pioneering Work in Burning Software

1995: Start of development of burning software for DOS – a step towards technical independence. Equipped with a business license and under the name “MPE – Multimedia Produkte Engelmann”. Our former company name can still be found as an abbreviation at yaas.de.
1996: Sale of the first software for copying PlayStation 1 games via the Internet – including the creation of one of the first commercial homepages in German-speaking countries.
1997: First mentions in trade magazines such as PC Shopping, PC Welt and c’t – an important step towards brand awareness.

Growth Innovation: The Path to Becoming a Software Company

1998: Release of the Windows 95-compatible burning software CDRWIN. → Establishment as Engelmann Media GmbH in Dortmund.
1999: Exceeding the mark of 25,000 customers. → Entry into brick-and-mortar retail through Media-Markt, Karstadt, Saturn, and others.

Internationalization Bestsellers

2000: Start of international expansion – first software sales in Japan.
2000: Release of the RecDev SDK. This Software Development Kit was specifically designed for integrating CD and DVD burning functions into applications. It allowed third-party developers to seamlessly integrate burning capabilities into their software products, thereby improving the functionality and user-friendliness of their applications.
2000: CDRWIN was relaunched under the label “Magix CD burnR deLuxe” and distributed through Magix. The program was technologically closely aligned with CDRWIN and found widespread use – among other things, it was given away in large quantities through McDonald’s as part of marketing campaigns. This unusual cooperation is one of the charming highlights of our company history.
2001: Introduction of the MovieJack product line for copying video DVDs.
2001: Development worldwide distribution of 99-minute CDs under the brand of our former subsidiary Disc4You. This technology was highly popular among power users but also placed special demands on burning software – Engelmann was the first provider to enable this, including compatibility with many burners of the time. Other burning programs stopped at 74 or 80 minutes.
2001: In the years 2001, 2002 and 2003 we were represented with a large own stand at CeBIT – the world’s most important IT trade fair at that time. The trade fair appearances in Hanover served to present new products, maintain OEM partnerships, and strengthen brand presence both domestically and internationally. At CeBIT 2002 and 2003, Engelmann Software established partnerships with more than 50 CD and DVD burner manufacturers worldwide – including renowned brands such as TEAC, Yamaha and numerous manufacturers from Japan and Taiwan. A technical highlight was the development of multi-burner support, which for the first time allowed multiple burners to be controlled in parallel – a crucial step for professional use in CD and DVD duplicating robots, automated publishing systems and industrial and archiving applications. This development enabled the integration of Engelmann software into robot-supported burning stations and laid the foundation for diverse OEM partnerships in the professional environment.
At CeBIT 2002, we also caused a sensation – not only with innovative burning software but also with an unusual idea: Matching the CDRWIN program, we gave away a specially designed schnapps – a bright green Absinthe, which was one of the first legally available varieties with authentic ingredients at the time. The bottle bore a special label: “CDRWIN – copies and burns like the devil.” This humorous action quickly became a cult among trade fair visitors and our partners and remains one of the unforgettable CeBIT anecdotes to this day.
2002: MovieJack was a significant product in the history of Engelmann Software. It was released in the early 2000s in collaboration with the partner company S.A.D. The software enabled copying of audio CDs and converting music files, which made it popular among many users. However, due to its functions, MovieJack came under scrutiny from the music industry. In 2002, for example, SPIEGEL reported on the legal disputes surrounding the product. The music industry viewed the software as a violation of copyright law, as it facilitated the copying of protected content.
2002: European market leader in the field of “video DVD copying solutions”. → Start of international sales in the USA, Benelux, France, England, Italy Spain. → MovieJack is sold 120,000 times in three days at Aldi Germany. → Launch of the GameJack product line for copying computer games.

Setback Reorientation

2003: Amendment to the German Copyright Act prohibits circumventing copy protection systems – over 90% of previous products must be discontinued after a lawsuit by the music industry against us in 2004. → Nevertheless: Over 5 million products sold up to this point. The legal challenges continued, and in 2004, for example, PC-Welt reported on a lawsuit by the music industry against Engelmann Software and S.A.D. The lawsuit concerned the functions of MovieJack and their compatibility with the copyright law at that time.
2003: Also in this year, our US partner 321 Studios, with whom we developed several copying solutions for the American market, was sued – including the product GamesXCopy, which allowed copying of PC and console games. In 2004, 321 Studios lost a case against several major Hollywood studios. In parallel, further lawsuits from game developers such as Atari, EA Sports and Vivendi followed due to GamesXCopy. The ongoing legal disputes eventually led to the closure of 321 Studios in August 2004 – a turbulent chapter in the history of our international partnerships.
2003: In this year, we also entered into a partnership with the Japanese internet company Livedoor to jointly develop and distribute software products for the Asian market. This collaboration opened up new opportunities and strengthened our international presence. However, Livedoor became embroiled in a severe financial scandal in early 2006. On January 16, 2006, Japanese investigators raided Livedoor’s offices on suspicion of securities fraud. The news led to a massive crash on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, which was so severe that trading had to be prematurely ended on January 18, 2006 for the first time – a historic event in the exchange’s history. As a result of the scandal, several Livedoor executives were arrested, including founder Takafumi Horie, who was later sentenced to prison. These events led to the termination of the partnership between Engelmann Software and Livedoor.

New Paths: Multimedia, Audio Modern Development

2003: In 2003, Engelmann Software, together with its partner company S.A.D., was appointed as the exclusive DivX Pro Partner in Europe and Japan. This partnership allowed Engelmann Software to integrate DivX Pro technology into their products and distribute them in the European and Japanese markets. Through this collaboration, Engelmann Software was able to strengthen its position in the field of video compression technology and expand its international presence. Among others, DivX pro was distributed in Japan with Holon, a subsidiary of Toyota.
2004: Introduction of the software AudioJack – even presented on ZDF Tagesthemen (a major German news program).
2004: In this year, we developed a special backup tool called “TuneUp Utilities E-Mail Backup” on behalf of TuneUp Software, which was planned as a supplement to the well-known optimization software “TuneUp Utilities.” The application was intended to enable convenient backup and restoration of emails, account settings, and attachments of common mail programs like Outlook or Thunderbird – fully integrated into the typical TuneUp interface. Despite the completed development, the product was never released, as the client ultimately decided against a market launch. A classic example of a “near-product” that was promising – but never saw the light of day.
2004: Another notable milestone in the history of Engelmann Software was the collaboration with Medion – the software AudioJack by Engelmann Software was pre-installed on Medion PCs – at a time when people were still queuing in front of Aldi stores when new computers were released. This partnership allowed us to make the software accessible to a wide audience and contributed to the popularity of AudioJack.
2005: Development of the HDX4 codec by Jomigo GmbH, a 100% subsidiary of Engelmann Software. The HDX4 video codec, which was recognized in independent tests (including at c’t and doom9.org) as the world’s fastest MPEG-4 codec, was and is fully compatible with formats such as DivX, Xvid and Nero Digital. The codec was used by renowned institutions such as Lufthansa and the Fraunhofer IGD. Simultaneously, the HDX4 Movie Creator Suite was released, which specialized in simple video production for mobile devices and professional applications. Later, HDX4 was expanded with H.264 support (AVC) and marketed as an SDK with comprehensive functions for video processing, streaming, and upscaling. Parts of the software were also distributed with DVD players, e.g., from Cyberhome. Even today, other Engelmann products such as MyFormatConverter or MovieJack still use HDX4 – for example, to convert videos for PSP or mobile phones in 3GPP format.
2005: Further development of burning technology with Blu-ray support.
2005: This year, we entered into a partnership with Sony to ensure support for the emerging MP4 format (MPEG-4 Part 14) in our own software solutions. As part of the cooperation, Sony provided the official specifications for the MP4 container format – a rare and exclusive collaboration that allowed us to equip our products early on with compatible export functions for portable Sony devices, e.g., for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) and MP4 players.
2006: Transition of the development environment to .NET Framework 3.0.
2007: One of the first providers worldwide with commercial .NET 3 applications in retail (e.g., Media Markt). Among other things, we developed the software Magix Total Media Converter for Magix in 2008 using .NET.
2009: Release of a proprietary copy protection system for software DVDs – in response to increasing piracy and security concerns. Publication of several games with the system in Eastern Europe and Russia. With the market shift towards online distribution and digital activation, physical copy protection increasingly lost its importance – especially in the gaming sector. The technology was therefore discontinued in 2013.

2010 to 2025 – The Transformation to Engelmann Software GmbH

Digital Realignment Innovative Software Solutions

2010: Start of distribution of the product line OnlineTV by Sven Schmidts – live streams media libraries under one interface, ideal for modern media consumption.
2011: Engelmann Software developed numerous white-label products for renowned software companies such as MAGIX, S.A.D., BHV, GData, Data Becker, and many others.
2012: Introduction of Photomizer, an AI-supported photo optimization software that replaces old image editing methods. With the launch of Photomizer in 2009, we achieved a real surprise success: Shortly after its release, the innovative image optimization software became a multiple test winner, including in trade magazines such as CHIP, PC Welt, and ComputerBild. Photomizer was also featured on WDR television and reached a wide target audience with its automatic image enhancement – from hobby photographers to professional users. The success came almost instantly and made Photomizer one of the best-known products in our portfolio.
2013: Photomizer, Engelmann Software’s successful image optimization software, was released as an app for the iPhone – one of the first steps towards mobile image editing. In parallel, a Software Development Kit (SDK) was developed, making it possible to integrate Photomizer technology into other applications. This SDK was used in the medical field (e.g., for optimizing X-ray images), by photo labs, and by online photo providers – a significant milestone for the technological versatility and reach of the software.
2014: Expansion of the portfolio with MyFormatConverter – a tool for converting video and audio formats for all devices.
2015: Over 10 million software licenses sold worldwide – the biggest success in the company’s history so far.

Focus on Security Data Recovery

2016: Launch of SecuPerts – software solutions for digital security, data protection, and anonymization.
2017: Development of the Rescue Stick (initially as First Aid Kit) – a bootable USB stick for rescuing Windows systems in case of virus infections or system crashes.
2018: Development of the Forensic System and Driver Updater.
2019: Rescue Stick becomes test winner in several computer magazines in Europe.
2020: Technology transfer to Avast: Engelmann Driver Updater is acquired. A significant milestone: Our self-developed software “Driver Updater” received such positive feedback that it was acquired by Avast, the company behind Avast, AVG, and TuneUp. The joint goal: to take the product to the next level. With the combined efforts of Engelmann and Avast, the Driver Updater was technically revised, functionally expanded, and introduced to new markets worldwide. For us, this deal not only meant commercial success but also a confirmation of the high innovation power and quality of our own software development. The Driver Updater is now available under the brands CCleaner, Norton, Avira, AVG, and Avast.

Strategic Realignment Brand Modernization

2020: Rebranding to Engelmann Software GmbH – stronger positioning as a modern, digital software provider with a clear product structure.
2021: Comprehensive relaunch of all main products – focus on user-friendliness, modern UI, and compatibility with Windows 10 11.
2022: Launch of the international social media strategy focusing on video tutorials, Instagram campaigns community building.
2023: First integration of AI functions in Photomizer and Rescue Stick

Engelmann Software Today

2024 – Generational Change: In May 2024, a very special change took place within Engelmann Software GmbH: Pit Engelmann, son of the founder, took over as the new Managing Director of the company.
2025: With fresh ideas, exciting projects, and a wealth of experience, we look forward to upcoming developments. Let’s see what the year has in store for us!