Pinnacle Studio Version 7 for $9.99 after IR and MIR at CC...ends 7/13/02.

[poppagene]

The side of the box on Studio version 7 under advanced features says: New! Publish to PC, email, CD-ROM or DVD in MPEG1, MPEG2 or AVI format. So why do I need Express?

 

[John P]

The side of the box on Studio version 7 under advanced features says: New! Publish to PC, email, CD-ROM or DVD in MPEG1, MPEG2 or AVI format. So why do I need Express?

I think what they mean is that you can use Studio 7.0 to encode your video to an MPEG1 or MPEG2 file that can be burned to a CD or DVD, just like any other file. It seems to be a bit misleading, Studio does not actually burn the CD or DVD for you, that's what Express does. Studio can record your edited projects back to a DV tape though.

You use Studio to create a DV-AVI file of your edited project. Then you can import them into Express.

Pinnacle Express is mainly used to create (burn) playable DVD's (if you have a DVD recorder) or SVCD's (using a regular CD-Writer) with menus, similar to a chapter selection menu on a movie DVD. When you play the SVCD/DVD a menu pops up with little thumbnails for each chapter, you push the number key on your DVD remote to play the corresponding chapter (no more rewinding/forwarding video tapes to find the spot you want to watch!!). You can also customize your SVCD/DVD menu background picture - I like to use captured stills from my video. You can also play the SVCD's on your computer using freeware like STHSDVD.

 

[moks78]

Thanks again John for an enlightening comment about the Pinnacle Studio and Express. I'm still new to this software so I'm no expert.

 

[BigEdMuustaffa]

I think the latest version of NERO will do just about everything DVD express does. And most of the reviews I've read online about DVD express weren't too positive. That's why I only bought studio 7 and will use my NERO to burn the files to disc.

 

[John P]

BigEdMuustaffa,

Does Nero do menu authoring? I'll have to check mine and see, I got in on one of those Cendyne CDRW's and installed the Nero that came with it, but haven't messed with it yet.

Here are a couple of Pinnacle Express reviews (not all that bad) I posted on the old BB thread:

Old Studio 7.0/Express Thread

pinnacle Express review at Sparky's World

Pinnacle Express Review at ActiveWin

 

[BigEdMuustaffa]

Here's what's new in NERO 5.5:


DVD-R/-RW and +R/+RW support
Mp3PRO support
Nero Wave Editor
Advanced Nero Cover Designer
Nero Toolkit
Nero MPEG 1 Video Encoder
VCD/SVCD Menu Creator
Video CD (VCD) Picture Slideshows
Embedded NERO API
And more


Don't forget to download the upgrade to the latest version 5.5.9.0

Originally posted by: John P.
BigEdMuustaffa,

Does Nero do menu authoring? I'll have to check mine and see, I got in on one of those Cendyne CDRW's and installed the Nero that came with it, but haven't messed with it yet.

Here are a couple of Pinnacle Express reviews (not all that bad) I posted on the old BB thread:

Old Studio 7.0/Express Thread

pinnacle Express review at Sparky's World

Pinnacle Express Review at ActiveWin

 

[John P]

BigEdMuustaffa,

Thanks for the heads up!

Nero 5.5 does indeed have a nice little menu creator for VCD's/SVCD's. It lets you pick a background picture, number of chapter frames per page, and a header and footer title. The version I have does not do MPEG2 (SVCD) encoding, that is a feature that needs to be purchased for an additional amount from Nero. No big deal though, just download the freeware TMPGEnc and encode your own MPEG2's to SVCD specs, then burn the already encoded MPEG2's to an SVCD with Nero.

I.E. (for the newbies)- to burn an SVCD with Nero 5.5 from a Studio 7.0 project you do the following:

1. Create edited project in Studio.

2. Encode to MPEG2/SVCD with Studio or create a DV-AVI file in Studio and then encode to MPEG2/SVCD with TMPGEnc - supposedly will look better according to the experts. Try both and compare. (I was not at all happy with MPEG2's encoded with Studio 1.XX - I have not tried encoding MPEG2's with Studio 7.0 - I just let Express do it.)

3. Burn to SVCD with Nero 5.5.


TMPGEnc Web Site

 

[apoppin]

I just picked one up at CC - better hurry, there only about 3 hours left on the West Coast.



This package seems a lot more robust than the MGI Videowave III SE software that came with my DVC. I actually am looking forward to working with it.

 

[DanT]

Just a quick warning to anyone planning to use Nero for SVCDs. There's more info on vcdhelp.com but the gist is that Nero doesn't quite make SVCDs that fit the spec. On my Apex 600A (with the N6 firmware) I can't fast-forward any Nero-produced SVCDs. It rewinds instead, for some odd reason. Just playing the disc works, but FF and some menus don't.

If I take the same files and use VCDEasy to create the disc, it works fine. I can even rip the files from a Nero-produced disc and remaster the SVCD with VCDEasy, and it'll be fine.

VCDEasy also supports menu creation, although it's not entirely obvious. It took me some reading (links from vcdhelp.com) to figure out how to make it do what I wanted it to do. Once I figured it out, though, it's pretty straightforward. Now I can use BMPs or MPGs for menus, make submenus, etc. It's pretty cool. And best of all, VCDEasy is free. (For the record, I have a legal, legit copy of Nero 5.5, but now only use it for data and audio CDs, not VCDs/SVCDs.)

 

[BigEdMuustaffa]

Gee could it have anything to do with the top notch name brand APEX player?

 

[K-squared]

For those that procrastinated and missed-out, the rebate is still valid through today. Whether the price is still $34.99 after instant rebate is another story. My CC rebate slip states the following:

Qualifying items must have been purchased between
07/07/02 and 07/14/02

Rebate address:

CC Studio V7 Rebate
P.O. Box 100256
White Bear Lake, MN
55110-0256

So this rebate is NOT going to the Circuit City or New Rochelle rebate centers....

 

[SirDante]

What do you guys use to do vhs to vcd/svcd? Video card? Capture card? Which ones are the best?