So I’m guessing that since a beefy computer is required it is not a hardware encoder.
I would upgrade my capture card if it has a mpeg4 hardware encoder. I’ll check the website.
Website says you need the codec installed to output to mpeg4 so that means software encoding. I pass.
True story.
Me> I’m having an issue with my Studio 10 locking up, what’s going on?
Pin Tech Support> It must be your computer, what are you running it on?
Me> Poweredge server with hyperthread disables, 4 GB ram, 900MHZ FSB, Enditall2, and yes, my computer is the bomb so don’t say that is it.
PInn TS> download this patch
Me> I did, still freezing.
Pin TS> It’s your computer sir.
Bottom line, even the baddest ass CPU’s in the world can’t run Pinnacle.
The hardware is for capturing analog feeds.
Your mac can’t do that out of the box, or at least most of them can’t (I work on macs sometimes when editting video).
If you have a digital camcorder, you don’t need the hardware if you have a firewire port on your pc. Just get Avid if you want the best, Premier if you want it easier or use Movie Maker if you’re over 50 or under 12. 
Macs suck. Final Cut Pro, the video editting software for mac, is decent. Premiere is about the same, though, and Avid is better by a long shot when it comes to functionality.
You don’t operate a Mac, you tell it what to do and hope it lets you tag along as it does one of its preordained functions.
Warpnow- Mac hater.
Edit: Basically, this is for the “No hassle” video editor who wants to chop together some home videos, not for the amateur film maker.
Can it by pass the macrovision of video materials? Can we make a copy of copyrighted materials from VHS to HDD? (for personal use, and we own the copyrighted materials.)
It’s great if you can’t afford much, but I’ll stick to Premier. It does a very good job.
Version 9 was not compatible with Service Pack 2 for WIndows XP. Instead of fixing it, they made version 10, which works great.
Oh and hello Wooters. Beware for I have a very fast internet connection and a hair trigger for woot-offs.
So is it the hardware that is crap or the software?
Its the software that is crap (or was). The hardware can be used independently in other programs, from Windows movie maker, to Adobe Premiere.
It almost seems pointless to have a FireWire interface on a USB product… why not just skip the conversion and use FireWire directly? (if the source has it.) Something about this just doesn’t make sense.
Will never buy anything with the Pinnacle name on it
THE GOOD (Base on spec and my previous exp. with Pinnacle Studio 6.0)
Software is very easy to use. (Much easier than Adobe Premiere) and the product could be just as professional as the movie studios (add background music, ending credits, title screen, “root menu” etc)
also the multiple interface is nice…
I’ve done a lot of DVD authoring in the past couple years and I know that on average. 1 hour of DV tape = 20 GB of data (raw data, before “EDITING”) so if you want to capture video and xfer directely to DVD you need at least 25 GB of free space (20 GB for raw video anther 5 for DVD Image before it get put on DVD)
AND if you want to do some “editing” you better have some serious HD Space…try 30 gb. 40 gb…or even more… (try 750 GB on one of my system and 520GB on the other.
Uh, where are the analog inputs on a Mac???
This is a bundle with Studio, a very decent base video editor, and the analog capture box. Yeah, you can catch a Fry’s deal on the software alone, and if you have only digital equipment, along with the proper port on your PC, then you don’t need the box. However, the box should give you real-time output of your project out onto a TV, another thing a Mac doesn’t do right out of the box.
This isn’t the end-all, beat-all when it comes to video editing. It has been my observation, though, selling editing software and hardware for 13 years, that this isn’t a bad setup for the beginner or the one looking to chop down their home videos to a watchable length. There is even an upgrade to let you burn short HD projects to a regular DVD (with the associated reduction in time). The software doesn’t allow lots of audio and video layers, but for the home user, it is enough.
This is a decent deal, and if editing videos is something you like to do, you could do a lot worse.
Also, this has a FW port on it, so if you have a laptop without one, this would allow you to capture video to it.
Spencer the Digital Ranger
ok, let me get this straight. This is basically an external video capture device. Why and or how is this any different than a video capture card for the same amount of money or less? OK, it comes with software, but software holds no stock anyway.
Video recorded to NTSC DV specs uses 12.5 gigs per hour. Uncompressed NTSC video is roughly 75 gb per hour.
Keep in mind that since it is a USB device, you can use it on a laptop. Also, it is built by the same folks that make the software. (Something the Mac folks like to harp about).
Not a bad setup. Not pro, but for their intended market, it rocks.
Spencer the Digital Ranger
the mac may have a firewire builit in…but good luck finding a mac with all of following connectors built in…
Composite – RCA Video In
S-Video Input
RCA (Left/Right) Audio In Stereo
FireWire (6-pin) Input
Composite – RCA Video Out
S-Video Output
RCA (Left/Right) Audio Out Stereo
FireWire (6-pin) Output
This is for those who doesn’t know what the heck this thing is for yet…
Device to capture any video input from
Composite – RCA Video In
S-Video Input
RCA (Left/Right) Audio In Stereo
FireWire (6-pin) Input
Composite – RCA Video Out
S-Video Output
RCA (Left/Right) Audio Out Stereo
and save it to your hard disck.
and the software that come with device to make your own DVD videos.
another word…you can convert your old VHS, hi-8, 8mm, DV, or any camcorders with above output and make DVDs out of it.
(And of course…VHS player, possible TV cable box, just about any video device with an output ) and convert it to DVD…Divx, vcd etc…
you are so right, macs rule the universe and there isnt a single pc from alienware, dell, hp, compaq, falcon, voodoo that can meet up with the outrageous overpricing of those beautiful white and silver machines. I hear polishing them makes them go faster…
FYI im in no one a fan boy of any pc. I actually own a mac g4/ alienware 7700 laptop/ and a desktop i built. However, the only thing a mac is good for is linux. O, and both my desktop and laptop came with the majority of these connections. My mac however…did not.
In closing, go watch some mac vs. pc commercials on youtube and feel witty and intelligent for just a second. Then, realize that those commercials are filled with half truths and sometimes outright lies. Kinda like the Bush admin. O yeah, went there, lets see how many people hate me now!
I guess we both are wrong according to
it’s 15GB/hour …but most of the DV I transfered to Hard disk take up 20 GB of space on Hard drive /hour
Pinnacle software so deeply ingrained itself into my registry that during the uninstall, it took a bunch of critical… stuff with it, there was a brief wake, and a funeral in the morning…