CyberLink PowerProducer v5: High Definition Disc Production Made Easy
Written: Apr 13 '08 (Updated Apr 13 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: BluRay compatible, easy to use, fast renderin/burning time
Cons: Somewhat limited in customizations
The Bottom Line: PowerProducer v5 is excellent software for beginner to intermediate disc authors. It makes the process of creating a video disc fun, easy and fast.
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| Gr8ful's Full Review: CyberLink PowerProducer 5 for PC |
CyberLink has long been known for their easy to use software and PowerProducer v5 is no exception. With PowerProducer you can go from importing video to creating a DVD or movie file without ever having to use any other software. In fact, it is so easy to use that my 15 year old niece was able to import the Christmas video from our camcorder and make a DVD from it along with the Christmas photos from out digital camera. If you have no experience with making movies or DVDs you can do both in a very short amount of time with a minimal learning curve with PowerProducer v5.
PowerDirector v5
PowerDirector v5 is software that enables the user import, capture, edit and create DVD video discs, BluRay discs and AVCHD discs. I is compatible with the current video standards for HD content and digital audio. PowerDirector v5 is designed for beginner to intermediate video editors and DVD authors to make the process from capture to disc production as easy and fast as possible. If you have never captured video onto a computer or burned a disc before, this software will have you up to par in no time.
There are some limitations that may concern more seasoned editors but the software is designed for simplicity. Some of the limitations include not being able to import images and video for menu creation, you are limited to the included templates and styles. The templates are well designed and can be customized to an extent by changing fonts and moving the placement of text and active text in the menu.
PowerProducer includes PowerDirector Express which allows you to edit your videos and slideshows with precision quality. You can also add effects and transitions between segments. For more information on PowerDirector see my review.
Some points of interest
PowerProducer v5 has quite a few things that are unique to this release. Most important is the compatibility for authoring and burning BluRay disc content. Another is the ability to import and capture AVCHD content. What this means for the user is an easy way to create high definition video discs.
Another really cool thing about PowerProducer v5 is Right-to-disc. This was included in previous versions but now it includes the use of BluRay drives. You can import your video directly from the camcorder to DVD, VCD or BluRay without having to edit the content or even know anything about editing. If you have a TV tuner installed in your computer you can even capture directly from television as well.
My Experience
I did try to burn an AVCHD video to an AVCHD content DVD+R (which I am supposed to be able to do) that did not work for some reason. It was not copyrighted video so there is no reason it shouldn’t have worked but the disc would not burn properly. I reset the settings to burn to DVD video and it worked fine.
Converting the video this way the content is no longer HD but to my amazement the clarity and sharpness was still there. Using Sony Vegas Pro 9 to convert AVCHD to DVD video was less than impressive as the quality and sharpness of the HD content was lost.
I also created a standard video DVD from several family videos, of which some I stitched together with transitions using PowerDirector. The editing process took a little time but the end result was very satisfactory. The disc creation process took about five minutes to design and about 20 minutes to burn (mind you this was a full 4.7GB DVD-R).
Overall I am happy with the outcome. My niece likes the program and will probably use it more than I but I am glad she is taking an interest in it. PowerProducer does make it fun for young people to get creative with their videos.
Installation
Installation is a breeze. You insert the CD and follow the instructions. The software automatically installs and all you have to do is click ok a couple times and you can register online when you’re done. During installation you have the option of installing PowerDirector Express, which you will want if you do not have any other video editing software installed. Total installation time is about 10 minutes and that includes installing PowerDirector Express.
System Requirements
* CPU: DVD authoring - Intel Pentium II 450 MHz or AMD Athlon 500 MHz; HD authoring and direct DV/HDV recording -Intel Pentium 4 3.0 GHz or AMD Athlon XP 3000+ and above
* Memory: 512 MB for DVD authoring 2 GB or above recommended for high-definition authoring
* Operating System: Windows Vista / XP / 2000 (Home or Professional editions)
* Hard Disk Space: 1 GB for making VCDs; 5 GB for making DVDs; 25 GB for making Blu-ray Discs
* DV/HDV: OHCI IEEE 1394 compliant device
* Capture: Analog video capture - USB or PCI capture devices compliant to WDM standards; DV Camcorder video capture - IEEE 1394 I/O devices compliant with OHCI standards; DSC photo import - USB interface
* Burning: A burning device is required for burning CDs, VCDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray Discs.
Conclusion
PowerProducer v5 is excellent software for beginner to intermediate disc authors. It takes the process of creating a video disc and makes it fun, easy and fast. Professionals and serious enthusiasts may want a more powerful program with more customization available but for the price this is very good software.
Thanks for reading,
Gr8ful :-)
Recommended:
Yes
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