Rating: 
Summary: Really a Junk when comes to output to CD
Review: I love the interface, but it really trashes your system if you are using Roxio/Adaptec Easy CD creator. After I installed the software and re-started my laptop, my CD/DVD burner was gone and I had to spend many hours to get it back. If you are planning to create output to a CD/DVD and have adaptec/Roxio drive, don't buy this product. If you are planning to just create .avi and share it on the net, this is great (UI) in terms of low cost editing software.
Rating:
Summary: Be Warned: This is a Crippled Version
Review: Apparently, Pinnacle only sells crippled versions of this product in the US that only support the NTSC standard. If you want to create PAL videos like me, you have to order the full product version in Europe, even if you live in the US - that is the answer I've got from Pinnacle support.
Rating:
Summary: LIke the other reviewers have said...
Review: ...avoid this software. Spent hours rendering a 15 minute VCD using a P4 1.8 Mhz Dell. My computer is up to date and not a slow machine. I made a bunch of coasters as a final product. I have returned this for my money back. Look elsewhere!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Very fast & easy to use but slow to render
Review: I've been trying all the popular editing suites,
including Pinnacle 7 which crashed on my PC.
However 8 is much better and really easy to use.
Just as important it works in real time even
on my 500MHz PC(minimum spec). The only thing
thats faster and easier is XPs free Movie Maker
but it doesn't have any features worth talking
about. iMovie on my Mac is also great but can't
create VCDs(yet?)The only downside to Pinnacle is the long rendering
time - approximately 10x Realtime - that's 10 hours
to create a VCD! The other package I've used for
this (Powerdirector) takes less that 90minutes!
On Pinnacle you can watch each frame being
rendered one by one! Don't try saving to DV
camcorder unless you are using mains power...
Rating:
Summary: Buggy, output problems to DVD
Review: Nice concept and features - but it doesn't work. Initial release wouldn't compile DVDs reliably. Current release (with patch applied) manages to compile but suffers from video/audio synchronization. Not recommended for burning DVDs. It's amazing to me that something which is so obviously of totally inadequate quality was ever released.
Rating:
Summary: Output problems
Review: The simplicity and ease of Studio 8 is impressive after numerous attempts at other more complicated editing packages. Everything was very intuitive and logical. I did however have one serious problem. Rendered video would not output to my DV camera. Technical support was absolutly horrendous as I recieved often conflicting solutions to my problem. Weeks would go by between emails and promised callbacks. I was rather chagrinned by the lack of customer service of this seemingly simple,useful product. The companies response was to refund my purchase price instead of help me with my problem. This leads me to believe that I am not an isolated case.
Rating:
Summary: Waste of money
Review: Here is a summary: Studio 8 lacks a full comlememnt of file conversion tools; It just says "cant access file" and drops it. I have to convert video clips with VideoWave 3 just to get the Studio 8 to accept them. The scene detector tool is maddeningly slow. Luckily I figured out how to shut it off. I cant write a video CD because Pinnacle 8 locks up during the "rendering" process and it nearly impossible to shut down. Since I bought this for making CDs it is useless to me. If you want to make a cd for viewing on your TV set forget it. The manual is really bad, not much help for incessant bugs and breakdowns. You can't easily delete files from the album and when the software opens the next time you use it there are all sorts of surprises that appear for everyone to see. I am sorry I bought this software. Don't waste your money.
Rating:
Summary: Read the pinnaclesys.com forums first
Review: The Studio 8 upgrade will trash your computer if you are using Adaptec EZ CD (aka Roxio). By the way, their MicroMV support doesn't work yet despite what the marketing literature says (see their faq). If you don't believe me, spend some time on the pinnaclesys.com support discussion forums. Plenty of users, including myself, are having their computers trashed by the Studio 8 upgrade. The CD ROM drives disappear after the upgrade reboot, and to get them back you have to uninstall Adaptec (Roxio) and fudge the registry by hand. Again, don't take my word for it, go read the discussion forums on Pinnacle's web site.
Rating: 
Summary: Overall great program at an affordable price
Review: I haven't used Studio 8 yet, but it is basically Studio 7 plus the ability to import and edit MPEGs, and other formats, which for me is enough reason to get it. If you use it with a TV card, you could essentially record television shows onto your hard drive as an MPEG and then edit out the commericials with Studio 8. I also plan to use it for tweaking up some of my older MPEG movies that I made on Studio 6 by taking advantage of color correction, scrolling credits, etc. It's an extremely easy program to use, but it is very well equipped to do just about anything. Definately worth the price. I love filmmaking, and since I started with Studio 6, I have never had any reason to try anything else.
Rating:
Summary: Good end-to-end movie making package
Review: Studio 8 takes an already strong video editing package and makes it even stronger by adding new features that allow the user to burn their movies to DVD. I've enjoyed using Studio 7 to turn my own camcorder footage into movies that I can share with family and friends for some time now, and being able to create the DVDs from within the new Studio 8 is a major improvement.
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