Is Pinnaclw Studio worth it, even if its free?

[mtrapp]

Hi:
I own Adobe Premier Elements, I have ran the trial version of MyDVD,Ulead,Magix and some other lesser know packages. All pretty much stink when it comes to quality of the final dvd and the ability to create 16:9 video.
My DVD camera does not have a fire wire connection so all I can edit in is the MPEG files from the camera DVD. After many hours of trial and error and posting questions on various forums, I have found out I need an editing system that nativly uses the MPEG format so the video is not re-rendered when the final DVD is created. MYDVD by Roxio was supposed to do this, but no matter what I tried it always re-rendered, and it could not create 16:9 video.
So now Pinnacle has an offer going with mulitple rebates so the software is ultimatly free. However, I dont even want to deal with it if I cant get better results than I am with Adobe Premier. Does anyone have any experience with Pinnacle Studio Plus Version 11 with editing MPEG files from a dvd based camera? What about creating 16:9 video?

[bendixG15]

Sometimes the search routine yields info ..

Try this .. https://forum.videohelp.com/topic351106.html?highlight=pinnacle%20studio

[zoobie]

imo, from what I've read, I don't think it's going to be better...
these are just little entry level editors
tmpgenc mpeg editor doesn't reencode for what it's worth...free trial, too

[filmboss80]

Pinnacle, Premiere, Ulead, etc. are primarily DV-AVI editing applications, and they will re-render mpg files. When you use them in the DV realm, they will usually work well. (Okay, maybe not Pinnacle.) It is not that they "stink," it is just that they may not be designed for your specific needs. Zoobie has alerted you to tmpgenc mpeg editor. That is likely what you need.

[guns1inger]

Womble has a couple of products : Mpeg VCR, which is a simple assemble editor (cut/delete) and Mpeg Wizard, which has a more traditional timeline and does transitions and overlays.

You can also look at VideoRedo, another assemble editor.

If you want serious editing power then you need to spend $$ and get the Mainconcept mpeg editing plugin for Premiere Elements. This will allow you to work natively with mpeg inside elements.

[mtrapp]

Thanks all for the replies.
Pinnacle doesnt sound worth it even for free.
As for the Mainconcept plugin for Adobe premier elements, its has been discontinued, my guess is that it was too hard to get it to not re-render. Ill have to give TMPGenc another look.

[guns1inger]

Thanks all for the replies.
Pinnacle doesnt sound worth it even for free.
As for the Mainconcept plugin for Adobe premier elements, its has been discontinued, my guess is that it was too hard to get it to not re-render. Ill have to give TMPGenc another look.

I would suggest the elements version priced itself out of the home market. There is no great trick to working with mpeg without having to re-encode. Premiere and Vegas don't do this because their target audience do not use mpeg based cameras or edit from DVDs except in exception circumstances. SD mpeg cameras (DVD or HDD based) and DVD recorders do not produce high quality source output. They provide good quality for consumers, but are far from broadcast quality.

There are plenty of cheap mpeg editing options, but if you want features, mpeg is not the source to be using. You might as well be using Divx or Xvid.