Pinnacle Studio 7 Full Version for PC (210100113)

Pros: Very easy to use
Cons: Can't import MPEG files, screen resolution max up at XGA

Introduction
After purchasing a digital camcorder, I need a good video editing software. The Ulead Video 5.0 that came with my firewire card is ok, but it does not encode movie to MPEG2, which is what I need. When I see the "PC Magazine...

Pros: Easy to use, simple drag and drop functionality
Cons: None to speak of

It's About Time
Shortly before the birth of my second daughter, my mother in law offered to buy my Christmas present early. That present was the video camera of my choice, up to $700. I opted for the Panasonic PV-DV601 (check it out at

Pros: Very easy to set up and use even for beginners.
Cons: None, unless you want it to also balance your check book which it won't do.

May 2002 - After reading the reviews on this site I was unsure which video editing software to purchase. Pinnacle Studio 7 seemed to have most of the features I thought I wanted, but I was concerned about the set up and use problems reported by other...

Pros: Easy to use. Inexpensive. Good starter application. Bundled features.
Cons: Unstable. Poor support.

After using Pinnacle products for a while, the only consistent thing I'm finding is that their products (at least on the low end) aren't dependable.

I've written a review for the DC10+ and don't want to be redundant, so I'll keep this one...

Pros: Easy to use. Intuitive. Lot's of features
Cons: Win2K was quirky till patch loaded.

Summary
Searched high and low for a Capture/Edit solution that was affordable yet good quality. Picked the Studio with the Analog capture card. At first it was a bit quirky but after downloading the Win2K/XP patch, it seemed better. Tech...

Pros: Video editing made easy on your PC.
Cons: Too many bugs, poor support.

This program allows you to take pieces of video from your DV camcorder and mix the pieces into a video of highlights. You can add music and other sound to the edited video. If you are certain that your PC hardware has everything this program requires,...

Pros: Easy to use, intuitive, great background music
Cons: support is non-existent, real problems with Windows XP.

This program is very easy to use. You will be making great movies in no time at all, if you can get the program to work with the IEEE card. Works well under Windows 98 but XP proved to be a real problem. The background music add-in is fantastic. You...

Pros: easy to use User Interface, drap/drop
Cons: no mpeg support, locks occasionally, poor support, no dual monitor support

Other than having an easy to use UI and the drag/drop features, I have this product because I HAD to buy it.

My capture card did not support win2k and the only thing that would let me use my card with win2k was this software. I was forced...

Pros: Fun, easy to use
Cons: Buggy

This is one of those products that is thrilling the first time you use it. The new concept (to me) of editing my own footage was fun, easy, and I got great results. A big step forward from the 8mm days.

The Pinnacle software was reasonably...

Pros: Nice user interface - intuitive to use. Price is very reasonable.
Cons: Software is often unstable. Help is weak. Questionable support for analog video.

I have used Pinnacle Studio 7 to edit several movies. The user interface is very good and will lure you into a false sense of security. The truth is that this software is not stable at the core and that you are likely to run into all kinds of glitches. Most of the problems you can work around if you have the patience, expertise, and tolerance. You'll need a lot of that. My 10 and 16 year old sons have also used this software. It is easy to use, but when glitches arrive they call on me for technical support. Also, it doesn't support my "Dazzle Mojave" analog video capture device -- which has been a real nuisance. I recommend not upgrading past version 7.07.1. The later patches are supposed to fix bugs but the cure is worse than the disease.