Pinnacle Studio Plus version 11

I have been a regular user of Pinnacle Studio software since version 8. All versions have contained either, instabilities, glitches or limitations that have caused hours of work to resolve, almost driving me to distraction over the years. However, its user interface is a joy.

I have a new Dell Inspiron 531 desktop with AMD 64 Live 2800+ (5600) dual core processor, Vista 2Gb fast ram, 320Gb hard drive (all this is better than the specification recommended by Pinnacle).

Good Points

• intuitive and easy to understand user interface
• more stable than previous versions of Studio
• easy placement and trimming of audio and video on the timeline
• good (but lack of choice) moving menus, including chapters within main menus
• placeable (ie doesn’t need to be the start of a chapter) moving thumbnails within menus
• some excellent transitions

Bad points

• very difficult to handle standard definition widescreen projects of 1 hour that include transitions, menus, titles and sound (yet DVD can take 1 hour 12 mins of good quality SD content)
• can’t get more than 20 mins HD project saved to file. The DVD only writes to SD mode.
• crashes without warning when working at he limits stated
• poor quality titles
• very slow project processing while editing even with background rendering switched off
• picture stabilisation poor
• Even to get this level of operability, one has to: adjust the Vista system performance management properties for ‘best performance’; close antivirus software, the firewall, and all processes that appear with your username; run ‘End it All’ software and, obviously disconnect from the internet
• If the program crashes, a dialogue box requests you send to Pinnacle information on the problem BUT it doesn’t work because you’re disconnected from the internet!!
• useless support from Pinnacle – they don’t read the questions and offer (at best) standard and/or incorrect answers
• you must pay for extra service modules (that I’ve never purchased!)
• Pinnacle charge you for activating services that you’ve already paid for if you must reinstall the software (which I’ve had to!)

Like David Pattison, I have been long-term Pinnacle user, in my case since Pinnacle Seven.

I also experienced all the glitches he mentioned, and found it to be a totally frustrating product to own and use. However, my Pinnacle TNine finally worked faultlessly, and I was happy with it at last. Happy, because the interface really is pleasant and a joy to use.

When my XP machine went belly up I bought into Vista, which does not support Pinnacle Nine. I bought a retail Pinnacle 11, which does work with Vista, and which also purports to edit HD video, so I also bought an HD camcorder.

I foolishly imagined that Pinnacle Eleven would have all the bugs removed, as Version nine had ... but I was s-o-o-o-o-o wrong. I have not yet succeeded in making a single HD DVD, or even got beyond adding the first transition to my work-in-progress. So I am cursing myself for "the triumph of hope over experience" that made me wast my money on Pinnacle 11. I am waiting for an entirely different program to arrive from an ebay seller.

Don't buy this product unless you enjoy exploring dozens of work-arounds and can put up with hours of lost work.

But, in fairness, I must say that it IS very pretty on the screen.

Shame it doesn't work!