Pinnacle Liquid Edition 5.5 opinions

[Xymox]

I worked with several video editing and DVD authoring applications, but now i'm looking at Pinnacle Liquid Edition 5.5 !

Please give any comments, opinions and experiences with this product.

What i have seen so far, these are my comments :

Video editing is very powerfull, many professional effects included. When Hollywood FX Pro is installed, any effect is possible.
The look and feel is strange, as the colors and windows elements are not standard. It takes some while to get all the functions into grip.
The overall performance is good, but i have a P4 3Ghz machine !

I have not done anything with the build-in DVD authoring yet, but the templates are beautifull. Has anyone some comments on the DVD stuff ?

Right now i'm using Adobe Encore DVD for the DVD authoring, i wonder if Pinnacles Liquid Edition has all the features like Encore so i can use just one application to do all my stuff !!!

[disturbed1]

As of now, there is no built in AC3 encoding in Edition. Pinnacle may release AC3 encoding at a later date. Authoring straight from the timeline is killer, but not being able to use AC3 inside Edition ruins the experience.

When you go to buy Edition, opt for the break out box. This will include an AGP video card that should speed up rendering a bit. The retail on that setup is $999.

For that money though, you can get just about any Matrox system with Adobe production bundle software (Premier Pro, Audition, After Effects, Encore, and more). Canopus and entry level Avid is another option in that price catagory.

[Everything is Green]

I have not used liquid, BUT....
I purchased duluxe with studio 8.
I have had nothing but headaches and as a result only use it for anolouge capture and transfering back to VHS--the rest of the interface is usless.
If the company cannot make a prosumer product work I doubt I would pay for liquid....fix the little things first and the rest should follow.
your dime ur time...good luck.

[Arky]

With respect, you cannot compare Studio 8 and Pinnacle Liquid Edition 5.5 - they are TOTALLY different codesets.

Edition is based on Fast Silver/Purple.

Lack of .ac3 is a glaring ommission, but they will rectify this in version 6 - it's totally inconceivable that they won't.

The DVD authoring is very quick and makes the creation of motion menus obscenely quick, with great effects.

The only downside (other than the temporary lack of ac3) is the limited navigation options.

Put simply, Edition is one HELL of a good NLE. It manipulates video as powerfully as anything else on the market, and a good deal MORE powerfully than most. If you buy it, you should buy it on the strength of it's NLE capabilities which are astounding. The DVD is a luxury, not the reason alone for buying it.

I edit with Liquid Edition myself.


Arky ;o)

[Everything is Green]

With respect , I can compare the two products (as I did).
Everthing you said is true, codsets etc.
But my point was simply that the same company makes both products and I do not believe their 'quality control' to be satisfactory.
The comparison being if a company can make a great product that is expensive, then their simple product that is less expensive without the frills should at least do what they tell you it will?!?
Now, if the simply product that I paid $800 au for doesnt do what they said it would and the customer support is nil-then why would I believe everything they say about the expensive product? lot of money?
Anyway, was giving my advice and just saying buyer beware from my experiance, and as you seem to have had good experiance then that may help them also. But you CAN compare things, i CAN compare a toyota to a Jaguar- both are cars, very different, yet they ARE cars, with fuctions and expectation from the purchaser.

[Clydesdale]

I tried Liquid Edition and the first mpeg I tried to import made the program crash. I was able to load that same mpeg into Encore and DVD Maestro. Tried Studio 9 also and it crashed repeatedly....I am soured on Pinnacle products.

[rcguy]

I use both Pinnacle programs, Studio 9 and Liquid Edition 5.5 and never have any problems. Except for the lack of AC3 (coming soon) in 5.5 all is well.

[Arky]

I tried Liquid Edition and the first mpeg I tried to import made the program crash. I was able to load that same mpeg into Encore and DVD Maestro. Tried Studio 9 also and it crashed repeatedly....I am soured on Pinnacle products.

Liquid Edition is not intended for editing MPEG. It is essentially DV-only, although it will render to virtually any format you care to choose, including MPEG.

This is about to change, though, because Liquid Edition 6 will include MPEG editing for HD footage. I'm not sure if this capability will extend to other MPEG resolutions. We will just have to wait and see.


Arky ;o)