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CNET editors' rating:
3.5
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating - Average user rating: 0.5 stars out of 123 reviews
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Product summary
The
good: Simple interface for such as a complex program; useful and fun assortment of transitions and effects; can create pan-and-zoom slide shows; imports HDV.
The
bad: Relatively slow and unstable; limited to three tracks of video and four of audio; DivX and MPEG-4 support costs extra.
The
bottom
line: Avid Pinnacle Studio Plus 10 deftly straddles the line between simple and complex video editors, though not without some serious performance issues.
Specifications: License qty: 1 user ; License type: Complete package ; Min Operating system: Microsoft Windows XP ; ; See full specs
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 11/30/2005
- Released on: 09/15/2005
The program comes in a three-DVD set (counting the disc of bonus content), and loading all three took more than an hour; at times, it moved so slowly that we thought the installer had frozen. You can use that time to glance through the well-written, 292-page manual. While our 2GHz test system met Studio Plus's requirements, the program was often slow and jerky in our testing. The recommended requirement is a 2.4GHz system, and we say the more power the better. The Liquid engine ported from Pinnacle's higher-end products seems to demand nothing less for smooth performance. During our testing, we experienced a few freezes that required restarts. At least the program's new Background Save feature ensured that we didn't lose work when that happened.
The company's Web site offers thousands of support documents and discussion forums, so if you encounter problems such as these, you can search for the answers. You can submit a question by e-mail after viewing one support document, and the company will respond within a day or two. Plus, registered users are allowed one free tech support phone call (weekdays, 8 a.m.to 8 p.m. ET), and the number is provided on that same support insert so that you don't have to go hunting for it. After the initial call, additional queries cost $25 each. Sure, we'd like 30 days of free calls, but this is beyond what most sub-$100 software products offer.
Once it's cooked a little more, Avid Pinnacle Studio Plus 10 will make a nice compromise between Ulead's all-automation approach and Adobe's do-it-yourself power. But it's still a little too raw to recommend without reservations.
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- Avid Technology Inc.,
- Pinnacle Systems,
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- Adobe Systems Inc.,
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- Average user rating: 0.5 stars out of 123 reviews
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