Rating: 
Summary: Problems with AVI files
Review: Screenblast seems to have a problem reading and writing AVI files to share with Apple users.Otherwise, the timeline editor lets you tweak to your hearts content. Can anyone post a message saying how to line up the audio track separately from the video? In moving things around the audio track has been offset from the video track, losing synchronization. Thanks.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than the rest.
Review: So I bought a MiniDV Camcorder with FireWire (IEEE 1394) out and I wanted the best video editing software, but I also wanted something intuitive and fairly easy to use I also wanted something stable that wouldn't lock-up or crash my computer all the time. In my quest for the perfect video editing, burning package I tried Unlead VideoStudio, Sonic MyDVD/Mr. ShowBiz, Pinnacle Studio 8 and then finally ScreenBlast MovieStudio. All the other programs mentioned I found extreemly unstable (save Sonic MyDVD) and while some of them were super easy to use (e.g. Pinnacle Studio 8) that easy of use came at the price of flexability. For video editing (primary what I was looking for) ScreenBlast Movie studio stood out above the rest with drag and drop video editing, it was the only program I found that took a multi-track approach to video and audio editing, this provides a great iterface for some of its FX (some of which are common only to high-end packages, such as Choma-Keying/bluescreening), the core engine of ScreenBlast MovieStudio is the same of Sony's higher end Vegas 4 product (Vegas 4 is the video editing counterpart to Adobe Photoshop and ProTools in my book, it has no equal for what it does), perhaps a better name for ScreenBlast MovieStudio would have been Vegas 4 Lite, but Sony wanted to make this product target a very specific market. DVD burning is only average (this is the reason I'm only giving this 4 stars), Screenblast renders the MPEG-2 then hands it over to another program to burn the DVD (Sonic MyDVD actually), so you're limited to the average consumer grade menu editing structure, this is the weak point of this software, but you can always use a seperate program to burn your DVDs and author your menus (I perfer TMPEG DVD Author). This design seems awkward, but it's required because ScreenBlast Movie Studio (like Vegas 4) were designed to be a general multi-track audio/video editing software package, MPEG-2 (DVD preped video) is one of many codecs supported, the reach of this program goes out much further (you can even use it as a multi-track recording studio and ignore the video editing all togeather) the higher end Vegas 4 doesn't even come with DVD authorware unless you buy Vegas 4+DVD, you have to keep in mind these two products are both developed by Sonic Fondary and started off as the same application. So if you want the most simple all-in one solution and you don't want to spend any time learning you might look elsewhere, if you want real power in the video/audio editing department (beyond cheesy effects) and you don't mind investing a few hours, look no further.
Rating:
Summary: Review of Screenblast 3.0
Review: The editing system itself is great. Allowing you to get creative, although, their claim of 125 transition effects is embellished. At best there are about twenty effects with different variants. E.g. circle, circle w/border, two circles, three circles, circle starts from the left of the screen...... On the plus side you can do two layers of film at once, and you can also do several styles of picture in picture (you can also add video on to the text grid creating up to three overlaying images at once). You also have great control over the limited amount of transition effects. The video effects (e.g. b/w, old movie style, color filters....) are fantastic and numerous, and the text effects are nice too. The rendering time isn't too bad, and it gives you an estimated time length. It also comes with a fully realized help system that effectively teaches you how to use the program. On the minus side is the DVD authoring program that comes with Screenblast. The 40+ Hollywood DVD menus are generic crap, that you can find anywhere on the internet. The rigid program gives you very little options to work with, forcing all your dvd menus to look the same. You can't even pick different types of buttons. Its all the same with different Frames to them. Thus, if all you are concerned about is a great editing program then I would highly recommend the Screenblast. However, if DVD menus are also important to you than look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Great video editor
Review: The main part of this package is what used to be titled Video Factory 2.0 from Sonic Forge (a company which Sony just bought). That was (and is) a great video editor. The main additional feature to this product is the addition of Sonic's MyDVD package to author DVD's. The video editor has some great features, and is very versitile. It includes tools to enhance the audio tracks, which is very handy.
Rating: 
Summary: Worse than a freebie
Review: The product does not work!! It will capture vidio for a few moments and then freezes requiring a reboot to get things straighted out again. I'll never know how bad it is because the support in almost impossible to use unless I want to pay more money (good money after bad as they say).The videomaker that came with my computer works better than this program. It flys in the face of old logic that if you pay for it it must be better. Stay with microsoft or go with Pinnacle and leave the sony alone.
Rating:
Summary: Great editing software. Bad DVD authoring software.
Review: The Screenblast Movie Studio is very easy to use and I had it doing video clips and transitions 10 minutes after opening the box. Installation was very smooth and the tutorial is quick and good enough to get you started. The manual that comes with the software is pretty good, but the HELP menu in the program itself is pretty much the way to go. Everything is drag-and-drop and making changes could not be any easier. I have used Adobe Premiere, Pinnacle 8, and a few other OEM bundled packages and Sony Screenblaster is so much easier to use and in most circumstances, has better looking transitions and effects. You import video/pictures from any source and move it from the media pool to where you want it on the timeline. You can select transitions and view how each one works prior to incorporating it into your project. Doing that is drag-and-drop, just like everything else. Most of the production is just trial and error...select a transition or effect, drag it where you want it and hit play to see how it actually looks in the view screen. If you don't like it, click on it and delete and try something else. You will rarely need to use the help menu, everything is all laid out in from of you in a very organized and simple manner. I am totally in love with this product. The BAD side is the 3rd party DVD authoring from SonicFoundry. It crashes a lot and locks up everytime I select to burn a DVD straight from the camcorder. I have Nero 6 installed and it is not much better...most of the newer DVD authoring software is full of bugs. (I use Roxio and Nero and neither one works all that good either.)
Sony really has their act together on this product and I have already deleted the Pinnacle 8 program and will use this full time.
The Sony software is 5 stars. Because of the SonicFoundry DVD authoring software they choose to use, which has wasted a few of my blank DVDs, they loose a star for that. This is a great buy.
Rating: 
Summary: Simple and Intuitive
Review: This is my first video editing software package but I was up and running in 30 mins. So far no complaints at all.
Rating:
Summary: Good stuff
Review: This software is excellent for its price. Top quality for under $100. For those who are complaining because it freezes or locks up a lot, that sounds more like a system issue NOT a software issue.
Rating:
Summary: Very stable with great features.
Review: To briefly re-state what the previous reviews have correctly stated:
1) Much better than the competition. I've tried them.
2) Has all the features 'that you would probably really use' of the high end programs. It is the same as Sony Vegas with a couple of the features that most people would never use chopped out. A couple of the messages still say 'Vegas' in them.
3) Very stable. Has never crashed over multiple large projects
4) You are easily able to take out or lower the volume on a little part of the sound track (if there is an unwanted sound or somebody says a few words that you want to take out).
5) It comes with Sonic MyDVD which is a piece of junk but it does work if you want ugly menus. The latest CD version of Screenblast 3.0 comes with MyDVD 5.23 which is the newest version of MyDVD as of today! Earlier reviews said that their Screenblast came with MyDVD 4.5 which is not true anymore.
**
An earlier Amazon reviewer gave this product 1 star because they said: If you take out a picture then you have to move all of the pictures after it manually to fill the hole. That is not true! Just turn on 'Ripple Edit' and everything moves over by itself.
Another reviewer said it was not stable. Those people need to fix their computers. In my experience (and according to all of the reviews around the internet) this is a rock solid stable program with no crashes.
I have not needed customer service for this program but I think that Sony customer service stinks for their other products but that is another story that doesn't go with this review.
Rating:
Summary: Great Value for the Price, with Some Exceptions
Review: You get a lot for your money in an easy to use package. The instructions are easy to follow and the timeline approach is the best. Integrated Mpeg 1 & 2 output is a strong plus. I have two gripes regarding this software. The software opens correctly, but as soon as I move the cursor over any area of the Media Pool window, the program instantly shuts down and exits back into Windows. This consistently happens after dozens of attempts to access the Media Pool window. There are no error messages. I can move my cursor over and access any other area of the screen including accessing the Transitions, Video FX, Text & Backdrops and Explorer tabs. I can still use the software using the Explorer tab, but this one bug still bothers me. I've heard from others that this is a fairly bug free and stable program, but I have run into this bug. The claim that this software has "integrated" DVD burning is totally false. It comes with Sonic MyDVD 4.5, which is a purely standalone package and not a good one at that. Sonic should have included a lite version of DVD Architect with this package.
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