Home Video editing - The Next Killer App?
Written: Jan 07 '03 (Updated Apr 22 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A full functioned video capture, editing and authoring solution.
Cons: Very slow rendering/conversion, unstable, freezes up.
The Bottom Line: At the end of the day/weekend, Studio ver 8 will produce a decent customized home video. But you might be just too tired to enjoy it.
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| aashok's Full Review: Pinnacle Studio 8.0 Full Version for PC (210100182... |
My Adventures in Home Video Editing
I have been searching for a stable, reliable and efficient solution for my digital video needs. But every product I have tried so far has been disappointing. I have found Pinnacle Studio version 8 and Cyberlink Power Director Pro, closest to my needs. My aim is to take video captured on my MiniDV camcorder and convert it to DVD/VCDs to share with my family. I have not been able to do this to my satisfaction, with any software. I blame this squarely on the Software companies who have failed to produce a stable and reliable home video solution.
My Hardware
Dual Pentium 3 700mhz with 1GB RAM and 60GB HDD.
Pentium 4, 2.2Ghz with 512MB RAM and 40GB HDD.
Sony DCR-PC120BT MiniDV camcorder.
Pioneer DVR-A05 burner.
My Software
Win XP Pro
Pinnacle Studio version 8
Cyberlink Power Director Pro 2.5
The Workflow
This should normally be very simple.
Capture the video.
Edit scenes and frames.
Add titles and transition effects.
Output finished product to file(AVI/MPEG), VCD, DVD, Tape or for streaming.
Video Capture
The software immediately recognized the video camera when connected and went to the capture tab. Studio ver8 can control the camcorder and capture video thru the software. The software can be set to automatically detect scenes by content. Many times the camcorder kept playing but the software hung up capture. I had to go back to that scene and restart capture. This can be very annoying and tedious if you are capturing a 60 minute video. My computer immediately crashed after I turned on 'Render as a background task' and 'Use hardware Acceleration' options. Since I also have a Pinnacle PCTV card on my system, I had the additional option to capture video from my TV source.
Editing Features
The scenes can be rearranged by drag and drop, bad or embarrassing frames can be cut out and audio can be manipulated. The Hollywood FX functions are great and really bring out your creativity to customize your home videos. There are many transition effects that can be dragged and dropped between scenes. Titles with different fonts and designs, sound effects, narration and background music can be inserted anywhere in the timeline. This part was the easiest and most fun to do.
Rendering / Format Conversion
This is where Pinnacle dropped the ball. When you choose the output format (DVD, VCD, AVI, MPEG, Tape, Streaming) the software starts the rendering process. This means converting the captured and edited digital video into the appropriate format. It took my computer over 12 hours to convert a 60 minute video into DVD format. ***TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE*** I have tried to run it on 4 different systems that get rebooted every night. The rendering was extremely slow on every system. That, to me is not a hardware related issue! And then it crashed when it tried to burn to the DVD. My hardware far exceeds minimum system requirements. Why then, does it take so long to render? Well, Pinnacle customer support didn't think this question important enough to reply. I do like the various functions and features of the program, but feel that Pinnacle Systems drops the ball where it comes to customer service and response to customer queries. Some time back, they were just as unresponsive to queries about updated drivers for another Pinnacle product.
Output to DVD or VCD
Studio automatically calculates the required space for the project and the used/free space on the target disk. When I put a blank CDR to record in VCD format, the software kept registering only 700MB free space, for a 850MB disk. At this stage if you need to modify video and audio quality to fit on the disk, the whole file will have to be rendered again. (that's another 12 hours) This is when I gave up and started over again.
After two days, 3 destroyed CDRs and an overworked panting computer, I took my finished VCD to my home DVD/VCD player. I proudly inserted the fruits of my labor in the CD tray and hit PLAY.
The Result
The menu I had created was useless. I couldn't select the chapters. When I did get the disc to start playing, I was very surprised with the video quality. There was some deterioration compared to the original MiniDV tape. The transition effects and titles were very clear. I was enjoying my creation until my DVD player froze. It wouldn't react to any button on the remote or front panel. I had to turn it on/off to reset it.
The Verdict
Home Video software and technology still have a long way to go, to become user friendly to the average user. Until then most people will be happy to plug their camcorders directly into the TV or have a professional convert it to DVD/VCD.
PS: Pinnacle should change the picture on the box, from a bubbly cheery girl to a guy with a day and a half old stubble, passed out in front of his computer.
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Recommended:
Yes
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