Rating: 
Summary: Worst Program
Review: Do not buy this program. Worst I have ever Bought. Even with the updates it still has problems. Now they want you to buy their newer version. HAve been on with tech support for multiple problems and my computer is well above the spec's they say is needed. Even went out and spent $300.00 in upgrades per their suggestion. Had for 4 months and still can not compile a DVD or bring video in. By looking at the reviews, think they did not get the bug's out before marketing. Seems we all paid for R&D for the future version (9) or maybe ver 9 users are paying R&D for the future 10 release when it comes out. Tech support has canned answers, must be on a sheet of paper. Pinnacle should make amends to all Studio 8 users on this....
Rating:
Summary: A total disaster!
Review: This has to be the worst software I have ever used! It would be really good software if it worked properly but it doesn't. I can't go for more than three minutes without the program crashing.... I mean totally shutting down. When I try to create titles it crashes. As a matter of fact it literally crashes about every two to three minutes. Now, it's not my system I have a brand new Pentium 4 3.2GHz with 2048MHz of RAM! I'm running Windows XP professional and I also have dual 72 gigabytes raptor drives! This company Pinnacle should be sued for putting out what I consider the worst buggiest software I have ever used in my life! Stay away from the software like the plague!
Rating:
Summary: HORRIBLE
Review: I'm very dissapointed...this program is the most unstable and unreliable video editing program I have ever come across. I mean, why not download Windows Movie Maker of Apple iMovie for free? They don't seem to have any problems, not to mention they have more effects than Studio. When I bought this, it seemed like a good idea, until the program wouldn't run for more than three minutes without closing without warning. Thats right...the program just instantly closes at random. I mean, they call it a 'professional moviemaking system'; I'd expect a bit more. And it's not just my computer, thats for sure. I have a Dell Dimension desktop, 2.5 gigahertz, 512MB of RAM, and a 64MB video card. Don't spend money on this...you're sure to regret it.
Rating: 
Summary: Guess I've been lucky...
Review: After reading all of these awful reviews of Pinnacle 8, I thought I should throw in my two cents. First, the background:
I bought the Pinnacle USB Moviebox, which came with Studio 8. I installed it on a Dell Dimension 2400; 2.4 GHz Pentium 4, 256 MB RAM, 40 GB HD. Now, yes, sometimes the program quits, with no warning, no error messages. It is annoying, but I only actually lost work I'd done once. Every other time when I restarted the program the project was there as it had been before. I now save the project regularly. Not something you should have to do, but I can live with it. I have burned several VCD's and a couple SVCD's in my CD burner. No problems with those. I do not have a DVD burner in my computer, rather I have stand alone home DVD recorder (Panasonic DMR-E30) and have used the USB box several times to output a project to DVD. No problems with that, but, of course, I can't comment on any aspects regarding using the program to create a DVD on a computer. The USB box also is your capture source in the package and in my experience it has generally done an excellent job. Sometimes after capturing it is necessary to restart the program to capture again. Another nuisance, but, again, I'm able to live with it. I give this program 4 stars, not because the software is perfect, it definitely has its bugs, but because for under $200 I got both a capture/output device and a decent editing program that allows me to put in titles, and add fades and dissolves, which I consider the most important tools in video editing. A pretty darn good value...
Rating: 
Summary: Works ok but tech support is awfull
Review: I used this product to sucessfully convert a VHS family video (2 hours) to DVD. It turned out great. However, I have a problem with burning multiple DVD's. Talking to others and looking at the support site found others (though not all) had seen the similiar problems. So when I contacted tech support for help, I was expected some intelligent answers to my queries. Instead all I get is repeated canned answers. And what is more maddening is that the canned answers are coming from real people not a computer. Apparently each class of question has a canned answer that they shoot back at you and the answer generally seems to be "reload the software". If everything works ok for you then you'll probably be happy. If you have any problems expect to get very frustrated with the support.
Rating: 
Summary: Bravo to Pinnacle! But let me explain¿
Review: I'm a newbie to video, a long time computer user, and a guy with no spare time. So over the Christmas holiday I decided to try to make a few short movies out of 3 video tapes that I shot this summer. I surfed the Web to find cables and software, and ordered Studio 8 based on reviews by PC Magazine, ZD Net UK, Kurt von Behrmann, etc. I also bought Jan Ozer's book to try to get the most out of Studio. Before my Studio software order arrived, I read the customer reviews... oh SH*$#, I thought. It's buggy beta software, and I just wasted my time and money on it! If only I had read the reviews before I ordered... Well I received and installed Studio yesterday, and I've already created 3 movies from about 2 hours of video tape, including productions niceties like titles, fades and fancy transitions, background music; way beyond what I thought I could do or what the supposedly buggy software could do. I'm delighted. My equipment is all standard out-of-the box stuff:
- 2.4 GHz Dell Dimension 3600C (with Pentium 4)
- 512 MB RAM
- 120GB Ultra ATA/100 hard drive
- Integrated Intel 3D AGP video (standard on this Dell PC)
- Internal 24X CD-RW/DVD drive
- Sony DCR-TRV22 mini DV camcorder (has IEEE 1394 FireWire interface)
- Studio version 8.10.4.0 serial number 1018064178 (I got the latest code fixes as soon as I installed the CD, as per Jan Ozer's recommendation)
On the dark side, I've hit a couple snags. The program hung-up once, but I did not lose anything important as I was careful to save my project regularly (because of those complaints I read about the stability). I'm also scratching my head about creating a VCD disk... I guess I'll have to purchase a DVD burner after all.
On the plus side, I've loaded about 2 hours of DV video without losing a single frame; and I made a terrific video of my twin granddaughters at Rye Playland. My wife and I watched it 4 times already, and I just cut it this afternoon! Those girls are the cutest things on the face of the Earth...and if you don't believe me, I have a video I can show you!!
Rating:
Summary: Pinncale Stinks (should be zero stars)!
Review: Pinnacle Studio 8 Stinks - and so does the company that created it! I bought Pinnacle Studio 8 software last year. I had received a new computer (Dell 1.8 GHz) with a DVD burner specifically for the purpose of creating my own DVDs as a Christmas (2002) present. Once I installed the Pinnacle Studio 8 software I toyed around with it seeing all of the terrific editing options it included. Perfect. This was exactly what I wanted. However, before you can edit with the software, it must first read in the mpg to be edited and that's where the trouble began. Any time I read in an mpg file, the video was great, but the audio was corrupted with pops and cracks (like a really old vinyl record - remember those?) and painful-to-listen-to broadband chirps. When I contacted the company (which took time before I could find a number where a live person eventually answered) I was told that the sound card ought to be upgraded, that many on-the-mother-board sound cards are inadequate for video editing. I wasn't sure I believed it, but I invested more money in a top rated sound card and guess what...the problem persisted. By the time I had been able to implement Pinnacle's proposed solution the three month limit had expired and they expected me to pay $15 just to talk to them!!! Incredible!!! I went to their web site and sent repeated e-mails to the company telling them the entire story (in more detail, mind you) and NEVER got anything more back than e-mail advertisements for additional software. Obviously these were automated responses and no one was reading my e-mails. I finally wrote the Vice President of the company in November and have YET to hear back from them. It has been a year now and I have YET to burn my first DVD!!! As a lone shopper, there is little I can do but to warn you that the Pinnacle Studio 8 software stinks and once they get your money, the company could care less about problems you encounter with their software. I highly recommend AGAINST buying anything from these people if for no other reason than their complete and total disregard for customer satisfaction.
Rating:
Summary: A Complete Waste of Money
Review: Horrible program. In one week, I've made one simple vcd. All other attempts have failed. Forget about adding audio to the cd. Never matches, skips audio, or puts in wrong place. I have NEVER purchased such a lousy piece of software. Had my niece try and work with program. She is a web designer for a software company. She couldn't figure it out!!! Believe the reviews, don't believe the Emmys.
Their phone support is a complete joke. Waited 90 minutes, gave up.
The company should be ashamed.
Rating:
Summary: Believe the bad reviews
Review: I've never taken the time to write a review, but I couldn't resist sharing my frustration about this product. Pinnacle Studio 8 is by far the worst piece of software I have ever seen or tried (in vain) to use. My new and powerful computer crashed almost every time I even tried to open the program. Capturing video was nearly impossible. I'm embarrassed to have wasted even three days of my life with it. Please be forewarned and don't waste YOUR time or money.
Rating:
Summary: DO NOT BUY!!!!
Review: If I could give this a 0 star, then I would. This is terrible. I don't know how they won 8 Emmy awards. I had to re-install my whole operating system after I tried to "un-install" the program. It took everything with it. My files, my work, everything (I did have a backup). Every time I tried to use it, it would say "Pinnacle Expression has encountered a problem and it needs to close". I never got to use it, you know why? Because, IT DOES NOT WORK!!!!! Do not waste your money on any of their products. I bought "Video 2.0 Deluxe from "Magix" and I am making DVDs just fine now.
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