Video Deluxe 2.0

Rating:
Summary: Amazing Product for your Money!
Review: I bought the Plus version of this software for the extra bells and whistles but I don't use them much, so I recommend the basic version for a few dollars less. I purchased this on TechTV's recommendation. It is an incredible value with an amazing amount of flexibility in your editing. It isn't the easiest piece of software on the market - it's not a "click" to capture, "click" to cut, and "click" to burn - and while the DVD menus are pretty flexible but not as comprehensive as some of Ulead's menus. Right now there is also no motion or music to menus. I find this software intuitive but I've heard some people find it a little difficult. You can work in storyboard or timeline mode and toggling between the two is simple. The effects, transitions, and audio fixes are superb. The online bulletin board is friendly, USER-friendly, and a great place to have all kinds of questions answered. I have it bookmarked and check it daily. With the Plus version, in addition to the software and additional material, you also get a labeler software, photo manipulation software, and a music-editor and player. It's imported every kind of file I've thrown at it, including footage from my Sony TRV18 digicam and VOB files from (my personal) DVDs.

Rating:
Summary: Problem with A/V sync
Review: I bought this software because Pinnacle Studios that came with my ATI All-In-Wonder 9000 has A/V sync problem. I was disappointed that when I try to edit my videos with Video Deluxe, the audio will lag the video in the final MPEG file just like Pinnacle Studio. It appears some of the video frames were dropped. The problem seems to be with the video decoder since when I play back the original video unedited in Video Deluxe the sync problem will appear (no such problem when I play back in MS Media Player).

The web site is no help as it doesn't seem any Magix employee is responding to this complaint which many people are making. I was hesitant to buy this product since it was not even mentioned on Magix website. Until they fix this problem, this software is worthless to me.

Other than that, the interface is very good. It splits the video by time instead of scene which is good since the scenes can take a long time to generate as in Pinnacle Studio. I'd give Video Deluxe 5 stars if they fix this A/V sync problem.

Rating:
Summary: Great Editor, but.....
Review: I've had Video Deluxe 2.0 for about 3 weeks now and my opinion is that it is a great editor. It does some quirky things every now and then, but compared to other Video Editors that I own and others that I have tried, it is very stable. The Deluxe version allows 16 tracks, where the plus version allows 32. You can mix video and photos and do all kinds of cool zooms and pans. I'm really only getting started. The only caveats are: 1) the documentation is not up to date, 2) receiving official Magix support is a drag. You have 3 support options: 1) email - which has a 1 week turnaround 2) you can call a 900 number - which is very expensive 3) use the Magix forums - which are divided up by which language you speak. An official Magix technician monitors each forum except for the English (U.S.) forum, but there are several end users that are willing to help with any questions.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing capture mode and file management
Review: Looked good at first. The Demo is awesome. But the management of files in the projects is very confusing and unlike regular MS Windows method. I want to be able to clear out the project and start over with something new but have trouble starting a new project and puting the clips in the new project. The video capture was disappointing because there is no sound during the capture. Preview and Playback is ok though. After capturing a clip the screen would not even show the next capture without unplugging the firewire cable and re-inserting. Using the timeline to trim the clips was awkward. There has to be something better than this. Shame for a programmer to put so much effort into a product but fail to make simple and basic things easy for the first time user. I'll have to go back to arcSoft ShowBiz without so many options. PC I'm using Win XP Pro on is Athlon 2100+ and Canon ZR40 Mini DV. [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing capture mode and file management
Review: Looked good at first. The Demo is awesome. But the management of files in the projects is very confusing and unlike regular MS Windows method. I want to be able to clear out the project and start over with something new but have trouble starting a new project and puting the clips in the new project. The video capture was disappointing because there is no sound during the capture. Preview and Playback is ok though. After capturing a clip the screen would not even show the next capture without unplugging the firewire cable and re-inserting. Using the timeline to trim the clips was awkward. There has to be something better than this. Shame for a programmer to put so much effort into a product but fail to make simple and basic things easy for the first time user. I'll have to go back to arcSoft ShowBiz without so many options. PC I'm using Win XP Pro on is Athlon 2100+ and Canon ZR40 Mini DV. [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: Many good features, does not support some AVIs
Review: Video Deluxe 2.0 has all the features I was looking for in a video editor. It can take hours of movie clips in various formats and sew them together in a nice coherent package using a whole slew of powerful editing options. Sound can be manipulated in just about any way you can think of, and videos can be brightened, stretched, put in different tones, slowed down, etc. The program also includes many different transitions and ways of applying effects more or less strongly during different parts of the same clip. The layout is very intuitive and easy to use. DVDs and (s)VCDs can be recorded easily and directly using the program's DVD editor and burning utility.
The one drawback for me is that the program does not readily read AVI (MJPEG) files from my digicam, whereas Ulead's video editing software does. This has caused me a lot of trouble.

Rating:
Summary: Many good features, does not support some AVIs
Review: Video Deluxe 2.0 has all the features I was looking for in a video editor. It can take hours of movie clips in various formats and sew them together in a nice coherent package using a whole slew of powerful editing options. Sound can be manipulated in just about any way you can think of, and videos can be brightened, stretched, put in different tones, slowed down, etc. The program also includes many different transitions and ways of applying effects more or less strongly during different parts of the same clip. The layout is very intuitive and easy to use. DVDs and (s)VCDs can be recorded easily and directly using the program's DVD editor and burning utility.
The one drawback for me is that the program does not readily read AVI (MJPEG) files from my digicam, whereas Ulead's video editing software does. This has caused me a lot of trouble.