Pinnacle Studio 8 vs Ulead VideoStudio 7

[donpedro]

I just downloaded Ulead VideoStudio 7 just to see what it can or can't do. Both programs are in same price category so I would like to start discussion about them. I will be updating this post as my experiment goes.... More important features for me are in bold.

This post is my subjective view on these two programs as I use quite some time Pinnacle Studio 8. Any productive comments are welcome.

What is better in Ulead VideoStudio 7

• Information about source media (nice properties with details)
• Video overlay (can be used as PIP)
• Nice Video filters
• Nice animations that can be add to titles
• Variable Bitrate for encoding
• Does support Type1 and Type2 DV AVI
• Smart rendering (I need to test this first)

• (PS8 from v8.10 has this too)
• Preview output to DV whan camcorder is turned on. This enables preview on TV without rendering first.
• Adds automaticaly transitions between clips
• Large preview window (it is kind of bad becaouse of whole layout)

What is better in Pinnacle Studio 8

• Ability to create custom DVD menu, link them as you wish and edit.
• Sound volume can be modified as a polygon line throughout scene
• Smart sound (predefined bacround music that changes based on length)
• Motion DVD menu with motion backround
• Preview with effect is smooth and almost instant (US7 is jerky)
• Time in scenes is scene related (in US7 they are whole AVI with different Mark-IN, Mark-OUT). This is important especialy in big files.
• Scenes are more easy idetified from file (in US7 it is hard to distinguish scenes from file)
• Editing layout is easier for editing (I like 3 window layout: mark-in, mark-out, current-frame)

[Will Hay]

My testing is by no means as extensive as yours Don, but put simply I found Studio 8 far more user-friendly that VideoStudio 7.
After using Studio 8 for thirty minutes I'd accomplished everything I needed to know (my requirements are rather simple - fading in/out, clipping, lightening, adding titles - that's about it).
The Studio 8 transitions were an absolute doddle to use, whereas I couldn't find a fade in-out transition in VideoStudio and even when I added one of the 3d transitions (just for the sake of it) I had difficulty playing all clips and transitions at once to see how the overall clip would look.
(Please bear in mind I'm not a big fan of user manuals I didn't use either initially other than a quick glance so with this in mind feel both tests were fair!).
I encoded the same clip at 8000kb/sec from a Virtualdub capture using the PicVideo MJPEG codec, authored using Ulead MovieFactory 1.0 and burnt using RecordNowMax. Having watched both clips on my television I found the Studio clip better quality than the VideoStudio one.
Of course more experienced users of editing packages will scoff at my lack of ability with VideoStudio as after all, it is aimed at those of us who want the simplest interface for editing/authoring etc. but my opinion is Studio 8 is by far the easiest to use.
It would be unfair not to mention that as of today I've used Studio 8 far more than Ulead, and have had a couple of minor problems.
There are major video/audio sound sync issues when capturing with Pinancle Studio 8 if your input source (in my case anologue footage from a vhs-c camcorder) is unreliable.
I had portions of the tape without film and at this point Studio 8 went screwy! (the same tape captured with Virtualdub lost frames where there was no film, but there were no audio/video sync issues when the footage resumed, unlike Studio 8 where at this point the audio/video sync issues occured).
Also, capturing with a 3rd party software and editing and then encoding to mpeg2 with Studio 8 gave me motion issues, I had to save as an avi and encode with TMPGEnc (which is my encoder of choice, anyway).
There is also a limited choice of codec's when capturing with Studio 8.
For instance, you can import an avi captured with Virtualdub/PicVideo MJPEG codec, edit in Studio 8 and then save with the same codec you used in Virtualdub, but you can't capture in Studio 8 with this same codec!
Very strange!
Also, I had issues editing footage captured with huffyuv but this was solved by changing a setting in the huffyuv settings (from the brief tests I've done since works fine).
In my opinion, Studio 8 is not worth the money if you need to capture a lot of anologue, edit and encode with the same program. If you're happy to use other programs in conjunction with Studio 8 then it's great, but that's not what you're paying your money for.
There's a few too many bugs but as I'm a fan of Virtualdub and TMPGEnc it's not a problem for me, and the editing part of the package is fantastic.
One thing I should add is that the brief thirty minutes I've had capturing DV was absolutely superb and by far the easiest package I've ever worked with so, if you mainly want to convert DV via firewire I can't fault it.
I don't intend to experiment with Ulead VideoStudio 7 anymore, despite the workarounds I've had to do to convert my old anologue footage to dvd I'm sticking with it, it does exactly what I need.
Will Hay

[jsnkc]

They are both Junk, Get Vegas Video 4

[donpedro]

As always jsnkc, you are just talking nonsense....

Pinnacle Studio 8 is around $100
Ulead VideoStudio 7 is around $100

Sonic Vegas Video is around $500
you would have to compare it to Pinnacle Edition or Ulead MediaStudio PRO.

[jsnkc]

Well, I always say, you get what you pay for, and I'm soon you will soon realise like everyone else on these boards that Ulead and Pinnacle are full of bugs and will caue you nothing but problems. Just look at how many posts are here from people having problems with Ulead and Pinnacle products, then compare that with how many posts you see from people having problems with Sonic Foundry Software. I have yet to see one for Vegas video. I have been a professional video editor for about 10 years now and I have seen and tried pretty much every piece of software out there. In the professional world, Pinnacle and Ulead products are a joke.

[donpedro]

How many of members of this site can afford profesional editing software ? Majority of members on this web are amateurs not profesional. So don't try to force amateurs to spend profesionals money. Of course you get what you pay for. That doesn't mean that you have to write your off topic comments in every post. I don't go to Ford site to write about quality of Porche. If they pay you for posting cheap advertisement by highjacking others posts, ask admin for permission.

[jsnkc]

I don't have to ask anyone for permission, if I want to post about a quality product then I will. I just get sick of everyone having all these problems with crappy software, when will people get a clue. Since most people on this site just steal software anyways I'm sure that price isn't a problem for them. And that is the reason I have to pay $600 for my software instead of $200, so I think I have a right to post my opinions on this topic. If you don't like it, or don't agree with it, then don't read it, I don't care.

[MOVIEGEEK]

jsnkc,
Most visitors to this website(including myself) are amateur video enthusiasts and video production is a hobby.Spending $500+ on software is far beyond my disposible income and I would rather spend that kind of money on hardware or peripherals.

donpedro,
I personally like VideoStudio 7 because of the picture quality using my AIW 7500,the stabilty of the program and smart-render.I do have to agree with Silky31 that VideoStudio is lacking in transition effects.

[donpedro]

jsnkc, Your posts have nothing to do with "Pinnacle Studio 8 vs Ulead VideoStudio 7". So just stop posting your nonsese....

"I just get sick of everyone"... posting about what they think is best in the world in topics that are not about that at all... again and again and again... like broken record.

[donpedro]

MOVIEGEEK, it seems that Pinnacle Studio 8 have problems with analog (other than DV AVI) captures. I guess that might be one of the reasons that I didn't have major problems with it so far since all my captures are DV. Ulead Video Studio 7 looks very promising. Too bad that DVD Menu editing is almost none.... As for transitions .... I saw on their site that they sell some kind of plug-in's. But that makes it more expensive. Actualy I found that fancy transitions just take away attantion from movie content. I use rearly anything else than simple fade-in, fade-out.

[marisag427]

Since most people on this site just steal software anyways I'm sure that price isn't a problem for them.

I don't think this is true. If most people stole software then why wouldn't they steal a more expensive app? The reason these cheaper apps are around and discussions like these take place is because people DO pay for them. And most of us who are doing amateur video editing prefer not to spend 500 bucks for a product.

[VinnySem]

I just get sick of everyone having all these problems with crappy software, when will people get a clue. Since most people on this site just steal software anyways I'm sure that price isn't a problem for them.

Now there is an intelligent statement . I just get sick of "10 year professional" knowitalls that get up on their high horse at amateur users instead of providing useful knowledge and guidance. I'm sure you were born with all your supposed knowledge, rather than years of experience and education like the rest of us mere mortals.

Why would an amateur user, even if the software were available for FREE (as you allegate), use a professional-level capturing-editing-production application, if one that costs $90 suits them fine?

Anyway, my $.02 contribution to the topic at hand, I liked Video Studio 6 for its ease of use. However, I found it's DVD authoring to be lacking, which is to be expected in an entry-level application. I am going to try Video Studio 7 for capturing and editing, and then do my final DVD authoring in another more robust tool. I also want to give VirutalDub the once-over, although I am unfamiliar with its editing features.

[Will Hay]

....I have been a professional video editor for about 10 years now and I have seen and tried pretty much every piece of software out there. In the professional world, Pinnacle and Ulead products are a joke.

If you were the professional you speak then you would back up your argument with some foundation, not the utter shite you continue to post.
You make no contribution to this forum and if you are such the professional video editor then you aren't here to gain knowledge so this begs the question...
....why are you here?
Take your useless posts and stick them up your arse.

Since most people on this site just steal software anyways I'm sure that price isn't a problem for them. And that is the reason I have to pay $600 for my software instead of $200

Considering your utter failure to grasp the English language, coupled with your childish avitar and unhelpful, ignorant posts I doubt you've ever paid for a piece of software in your life.
You don't seem the sort.
Will

[marisag427]

my take on Pinnacle Studio 8 - I have not used Ulead so I can only comment on Studio 8.

I have been using Studio 7 for over a year now. I like it alot - it's easy to use, I can bang out a video in no time to be used in another authoring program. (which is a must because I regularly have alot of footage of my son which needs to get sent to his grandparents across the country in a short time!) I was using MyDVD (which I hate) to author and RecordNowMax to burn.

The transitions, adding music, titles, etc. are very easy to use. I recently upgraded to Studio 8 and have captured, but nothing else yet. I'm hoping to author and burn from Studio 8 as well.

BTW: I use TMPGEnc to encode from AVI to MPEG2. On the highest setting the quality is good, but not great. I've been wondering if Pinnacle's capture has anything to do with it.

[jsnkc]

Would you like me to Fax you all my reciepts? Here's mine for Vegas 4.


Thank you for visiting Sonic Foundry's Online Store. A copy of your order appears below. If you have any questions, please contact Customer Service at 1-800-577-6642 (weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST) or customerservice@sonicfoundry.com.

_________________________ ORDER SUMMARY _________________________ Order Number: 300622-XXXX

1x Vegas Packaged @ $149.95

Merchandise Total: $149.95

Discount Total: $50.00

Shipping Total: $9.00

Tax Total: $8.25

Order Total: $167.20

______________________ SUPPORT INFORMATION ______________________ For free online Technical Support, please visit our website at http://www.sonicfoundry.com/support.

If you find you need further personal support, you can call (900)40-SONIC and speak to a Technical Support Representative. Calls to this number will be billed $3 for the first minute, and $1 every minute thereafter.

Optionally, you can purchase our Annual Support Plan, at $99.95 per year, to avoid any per minute charges and receive priority access to the Technical Support Representatives.

For further information, please contact Customer Service at (800) 57-SONIC, or by e-mail at customerservice@sonicfoundry.com.

Enjoy the software!

Sincerely,
Sonic Foundry
http://www.sonicfoundry.com

[Will Hay]

BTW: I use TMPGEnc to encode from AVI to MPEG2. On the highest setting the quality is good, but not great. I've been wondering if Pinnacle's capture has anything to do with it.

That depends, what codec do you use in Studio?
I capture in Virtualdub (because I can't select the codec I want in Studio), edit with Studio and save as an avi.
Then I encode with TMPGEnc.
I find it the best way.
Will

[Will Hay]

Would you like me to Fax you all my reciepts? Here's mine for Vegas 4.

That's increadible!
Mine is shown below!
What a co-incidence!
You really are a prick, aren't you?
Go away, you won't hear from me again, you make my ears bleed with your utter drivel.



Thank you for visiting Sonic Foundry's Online Store. A copy of your order appears below. If you have any questions, please contact Customer Service at 1-800-577-6642 (weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST) or customerservice@sonicfoundry.com.

_________________________ ORDER SUMMARY _________________________ Order Number: 658742-XXXX

1x Vegas Packaged @ $149.95

Merchandise Total: $149.95

Discount Total: $50.00

Shipping Total: $9.00

Tax Total: $8.25

Order Total: $167.20

______________________ SUPPORT INFORMATION ______________________ For free online Technical Support, please visit our website at http://www.sonicfoundry.com/support.

If you find you need further personal support, you can call (900)40-SONIC and speak to a Technical Support Representative. Calls to this number will be billed $3 for the first minute, and $1 every minute thereafter.

Optionally, you can purchase our Annual Support Plan, at $99.95 per year, to avoid any per minute charges and receive priority access to the Technical Support Representatives.

For further information, please contact Customer Service at (800) 57-SONIC, or by e-mail at customerservice@sonicfoundry.com.

Enjoy the software!

Sincerely,
Sonic Foundry
http://www.sonicfoundry.com[/quote]

[marisag427]

BTW: I use TMPGEnc to encode from AVI to MPEG2. On the highest setting the quality is good, but not great. I've been wondering if Pinnacle's capture has anything to do with it.

That depends, what codec do you use in Studio?

I'm using the DV Video Encoder. I tried one other (can't recall which one now) and still same results. Which codec do you use in VirtualDub?

Thanks

[donpedro]

I believe that he is not capturing from DV camcorder. For that DV AVI is the best since it is just copying file and not capturing.

[marisag427]

thanks, so I guess I'm using the right one. I haven't had time to look into this yet, but when I do I'll have to create another post.

Thanks for your input.

[jsnkc]

If you were the professional you speak then you would back up your argument with some foundation, not the utter shite you continue to post.

Why should I back up my arguments when everyone on these lists is doing it for me, all the problems people are having speaks for itself, I don't need to say a thing. I've already been through all these products when I started out in the Video editing world and I am trying to pass on my knowledge and experience to everyone else.

Considering your utter failure to grasp the English language

not the utter shite you continue...

Yeah, I'm sure that one is in Websters :P

[Will Hay]

Yep, sorry, my misunderstanding.
From reading don's posts I gather you are using the best codec, although I would expect (from the tests I've done with the Studio codec) that TMPGEnc would give the best results from an uncompressed DV avi (rather than the Studio encoder).
I'm still testing though!
Will

[donpedro]

Silky31, It have been bothering me for a while how it works so I did some research and posted it here

Capturing DV - the same quality AVI from all applications?

Maybe that will clear some of your questions too....

[Will Hay]

Silky31, It have been bothering me for a while how it works so I did some research and posted it here

Capturing DV - the same quality AVI from all applications?

Maybe that will clear some of your questions too....

Many thanks, I'll check it out in the morning, when I should be working
Will

[donpedro]

Just to give short version here. Any DV capture from any application is just copying data. No codec is involved and it is not cosidered as per say "capture". Compression is done in camcorder when recording your video. So anything after that is (let's call it that way even that it is not realy true) uncompressed. Only problem can occure due slow performance of system that is not capable to keep up with data stream.

[slicktop]

I actually bought Pinnacle Studio 8 and took it back the next day before I opened it as I read some forums that mentioned some problems that I didn't want to experience, plus I had used the trial copy of VideoStudio 7 and really liked it. I went online that night and purchased VS7 for $89 and have used it to capture from my Canon ZR45 via firewire, edited the captured video and produced a DVD with exceptional quality with minimal learning. I found the user interface very easy to navigate and learn as well as rich with features. I would like to see some enhancements to the DVD menu options, but for the most part it was very good. I was using MGI VideoWave 5 for editing and Sonic DVDit 2.5 (LE) for DVD burning, and VS7 is far superior to them. I have a free copy of Roxio CD & DVD Creator 6 that I got for beta testing. I won't load it after the problems I've had with it, and will tell you that for DVD burning, VS7 beats it hands down even without any enhancements. For Video editing, VS7 is much better than the MGI(now Roxio) VideoWave 5 product and I have not had any audio sync issues that I always got with VW5, and Roxio still has not produced a fix for it even in their latest versions.

I had an initial problem with not being able to capture that caused the program to crash due to a setting on my ATI A-I-W 7500 Radeon video card, but found the fix for the registry on the Ulead forum and have had no problem with it since. I am still experiencing a problem exporting the finished product back out to the Canon ZR45 via firewire for archive purposes. It starts recording fine, but at random intervals throughout the project, it studders the output and ruins the recording. I contacted Ulead 2 weeks ago and only got a "sorry so long in responding, we will need more time to research the problem" canned message from their tech support. I still haven't been able to sucessfully record back to the DV camera, and I suspect like all of these low-end software companies, their tech support will not find the solution to the problem in my lifetime.

For under $100 I think it is the best all around feature rich, easy to use package for entry level video editing and producing. I am glad I bought it and wish it had been around when I shelled out $100 for the VW5 that has never been able to sucessfully edit a single video. While I would love to have the bucks to shell out for Sonic's Vegas product, as an amatuer hobbiest, I can't justify the cost. I am extremely happy with the results I was able to obtain using Video Studio 7 and look forward to completing several projects I had to put on hold as I could not do the video editing I wanted with VW5.

:P

[KSP_RobRoy]

Hi my first post at this great forum, have been readin alot, but not posting yet

Anyway, i have Ulead DVD MovieFactory, and use it for capturing my DV movies.

Is this the same program as you are talking about or some budget version??

I also have Pinnacle Studio 8.3, it's as good as my ulead version for capturing (don't know which to use :P)

Still looking for a good application for authoring though.. best one i tried is SpruceUp DVDauthoring, it's easy to use, but has too few functions.

a little bit off topic now *hehe*

[jaeshin]

Hi my first post at this great forum, have been readin alot, but not posting yet

Anyway, i have Ulead DVD MovieFactory, and use it for capturing my DV movies.

Is this the same program as you are talking about or some budget version??

Nope. VideoStudio 7 is mainly for editing scenes. It also has DVD authoring capability as, I guess, a bonus. MovieFactory on the other hand is mainly for DVD authoring. So if you want to edit your DV movies, you would want to use VideoStudio. If you just want to put the video into DVD, go with MovieFactory. It's not as powerful as some other programs but it's easy and simple. Personally I like Ulead DVD Workshop better than MovieFactory.

I also have Pinnacle Studio 8.3, it's as good as my ulead version for capturing (don't know which to use :P)

If you do have PS8, update it to 8.5 version at Pinnaclesys.com. Apparently, it corrects many problems.

For Don, thank you for the comparison. If I was asked to add my opinion, I would put TitleDeko for S8's pro. It's much easier and elegant than any other program's title overlays.

I don't know... Sometimes I think all this argument about which one's better is meaningless. I know there are programs that are more powerful or more easier than PS8 but somehow I always come back to PS8 somehow. Then I keep wishing Pinnacle would include some of those features that make other programs shine in the next version. Usually it doesn't happen but I am happy with it so far.

Maybe I am getting older. Maybe I am getting wiser. Anyhow I just don't want to spend countless more hours to learn something that I wouldn't make money with. That's all.

[donpedro]

jaeshin, Thanks for your comments. Actually I am trying to point out strength of each package instead of just plain saying "A" is better then "B". What I believe in is that everybody have different preferences in different features. I personaly like PS8 more, I just wish that they would include "Video Overlay", "Properties of a media" and some more "Animations to titles". But as always you have to always sacrifice somenthing in order to get another feature.

[MJPollard]

I just downloaded Ulead VideoStudio 7 just to see what it can or can't do. Both programs are in same price category so I would like to start discussion about them.

My comments about Studio 8 moe or less echo Silky31's, with one big difference (described later). I found its editing features to be very intuitive, and the availability of both storyboard and timeline modes is great for editing (I find storyboard mode fantastic for quickly jumping around large files, then switching to timeline mode for fine-tuned editing). Its titling feature (based on their old Title Deko product) is first-rate, and the transitions and effects that come with it are fabulous (and extensible, via HollywoodFX).

However... the bad thing about Studio 8, in my opinion, is that it's infested with some major bugs (particularly in its DVD authoring). I've had it crash during editing, and rendering a video to AVI or MPEG wil either stop in the middle or just flat-out close the program. Pinnacle's come out with quite a few beta upgrades to fix problems, but they inevitably end up breaking something else. When it works, Studio 8 is a great editor, but it was rushed out the door and it shows.

Just for the record, these are the apps I'm using these days for video editing and DVD production:

• Capturing - VirtualDub
  Editing - Sonic Foundry Vegas 4.0, Pinnacle Studio 8 (not often)
  Rendering - TMPGEnc Plus
  Authoring - Sonic Foundry DVD Architect 1.0, Ulead DVD MovieFactory 2

Regarding Vegas 4.0... Whatshisname may be a fanatic about it, but he's right about how good it is. It takes time to learn, and I know I've barely scratched the surface of its capabilities, but I can easily envision the day when I can scrap Studio 8 entirely and use Vegas exclusively. It's quite pricey for the hobbyist, but if you can afford it, you won't be disappointed.