Pinnacle

[Hi Ho]

Is Pinnacle Studio 8 any good? All the magazine and internet reviews I have read say that, although it is slow at enconding, it is the best home video editing program you can buy. The user reviews, however, say that it is unstable and full of bugs. I hope this is not true because I really like the looks of this program. Does anyone have any experience with it? Any suggestions of other programs?

[RJ]

Well, yeah it is very easy to use, and yeah it is full of bugs. It seems to depend on the PC. For example, although Studio 8 does not render a DV AVI correctly on any PC I've installed it, it comes with DV cards so on other PCs it seems to work. . .
Download the trial version and experiment with it.

RJ

[Hi Ho]

They don't let you download the trial version. You have to give them your address so they can send you a CD.

[Doobie]

I have the trial version that came with my TV Tuner card and they disabled everything... Its not worth it... I mean the trial version...

But I have a friend that has the full version and thats the only thing he likes to use...

[Hi Ho]

Is there any difference in the software with the AV (analog) and the DV (digital) versions of studio 8? I have heard that the capture card that comes with the AV version works really good and I need analog capture to put all of my old video tapes on DVD. I also need digital capture for the digital video camera I will soon purchase.

[Kov-Ice]

Dunno about software difference, but the Studio Deluxe comes with both digital capture card and an external analog capture box.

[Hi Ho]

I don't need the digital capture card. I already have a firewire port. I wouldn't need a analog capture card if I could get the capture function to work on my graphics card without eliminating my network connection.

[SonicVanguard]

"Best"??? I wouldn't say that. I'd say that in it's price range, it's one of the few packages available. Competing programs would be ULead's Video Studio, MGI's Videowave, and Sonic Foudry's Screenblast Movie Studio. They all have their pluses and minuses. I'd say Pinnacle Studio has the best in-the-box codecs of the bunch, but Sonic Foundry's new Screenblast Movie Studio has pro-quality effects and transitions.

I'd say the best thing you can do is download as many demos as you can and use them. See what interface works best for you and what package offers the features you want. But don't expect the world...what you see on broadcast/cable television and on fild is done using packages costing thousands of dollars.

HTH.

[mystvearn]

Its very very useful and soo powerful when compared to movie maker. Even imovie 3.03 does not come that close. I have made lots of movies, AMV's and I still like it. I have use it like almost a year now. Even better, when you do a lot of work, it saves your projects in an image file, not like imovie, that once you upload a 40mb movie, it will take nearly half an hour for an imac to transalate the data-and for some weird reason make the video size big (40mb to 1gb). I have ask around, they do not know why is it so. Just make sure that all the files you use is in the same place when you use it for the second time (not the same folder)-cause if you move it around, studio 8 will ask you to upload the files.
You have problem in the transitions? I would suggest putting more RAM and a faster pc. I would strongly advice you not using it on a laptop-you will have lots of trouble. Even the fastest laptops are not that good. The problems in the programs comes from when its transalating/reading/doing jobs with your movies, and when the user is not patient, and clicks the program and it does not respond, the program will quit-but fortunately, what you did is still there when you start the program again. Thats why a fast pc is important.. Well there are two updates upgrading from 8.0 to 8.3 to 8.7 Only the 8.0 has few problems. The rest of the upgrades are more to supports for more formats.
Now on the subject, I have Studio 8, now there are some transitions that have the PRO sign in them. I want to use them. Can I buy a cd, or must I download it from the internet?Is it easy to find the CD? Download takes time. I just want the cool transitions

[Hi Ho]

I belive my system is more than fast enough. Is it not?

Here are my system specs

ASUS A7V333 Mother Board
AMD Athlon 1.8ghz CPU
512mb 333mhz DDR RAM
60 GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive
6GB 5200 RPM Hard Drive
GeForce 4 ti 4800se 128mb Graphics Card
Plextor 24/10/40x CDRW
Acer 40x CD-ROM
Windows XP Home Edition
Cable Modem

[mystvearn]

Great system, keep in mind that its all down to the RAM and processor. A 6gb hd is not enough. Usually bigger hd-better.

[Hi Ho]

I wouldn't use the 6gb hard drive for video. That is just my "Junk Drive" for miscelaneous files.

[mystvearn]

Sometimes the cool effect transitions, not the standard and alpha magic, may be a little slow when previewing. When you add it to a clp its ok.

[Hi Ho]

I will be getting a DVD burner soon after I buy the program. How long does it take to compile a movie and burn a DVD? I have heard people say it takes over 3 hours. That sounds a little steep.

[mystvearn]

Depends on what you do with the movie. How many effects you put into it. If it is just take and place it in I think you will get less than an hour. Also depends on the length of the movie.