Avid Liquid v7 Video Editing Software -Academic Version Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been editing video for nearly 10 years, starting with Pinnacle StudioDV, progressing up through the Pinnacle DV500 (with Adobe Premiere) and finally to the Liquid family of products, I feel that my abilities (as an editor) have grown as I advanced my technological infrastructure and and upgrading from Pinnacle Liquid Edition to Avid Liquid was no exception.
I have to admit that the initial release of Liquid 7.0 by Avid was a misstep, they were extremely quick to remedy the situation with a Service Pack 1 which was soon followed by the (very stable) release of Liquid 7.1.
What sold me on Liquid was it's INSTANT SAVE feature. Thirty times every second your project is saved. In the likelihood your PC crashes (and they all do), as soon as you reboot your system and launch Liquid, you'll be amazed to see your project, perfectly intact - just the way it was when your PC crashed. That single feature alone is worth the price of admission! Add to that a simply brilliant multicam function that allows you to seamlessly edit between 16 different video sources, background rendering, professional color correction, dynamic time-warping (slo-mo/fast-mo) plus a ton of REAL TIME special effects, Avid Liquid is (by far) the most product you can get, for the money.
Avid Liquid was made for the Wedding and Event videographer. It's interface, while not initially intuitive, is easily understood and navigable within a weekend. And with a plethora of independent video-based tutorials and instructional books on the market, anyone can become a master of this superior NLE within a month.
Perhaps the biggest assets of using this product is its intensely loyal and growing user community. While telephone technical support could stand some improvement (and what software company can't), online forum's dedicated to Liquid is the fastest and most direct way of getting answers to your questions.
Regardless of whether you are new to editing or a seasoned professional, Avid Liquid 7.1 (and beyond) is designed to make your editing tasks efficient, accurate and a whole lot of fun.

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Digital Video And Audio Production Guide Review

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(More customer reviews)First off this product is BOTH a 163 page spiral bound booklet WITH companion DVD. The DVD contains images and files used in the lessons in the booklet. It has an easy to follow format, is well written, and uses images when necessary. Even a first timer should find this booklet easy to use.
Cheers,
Greg

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Sony Sound Forge 8 With Noise Reduction 2.0 Review

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(More customer reviews)This is possibly the best 2-track editing tool on the market thus far, and without putting a hole in your pocket too. Having the opportunity to sample a "full version" of Sound Forge 8 from Sony for a 30 day period, I was immediately sold and knew sooner or later I HAVE TO have it. During the time I was evaluating Sound Forge 8, I came to realized that Sony not only let me tried out the basics but I was granted FULL permission to go skin deep and utilized every tool on this amazing software. In retrospect, I was able to clean up and re-mastered a few songs from my vinyl collection for free - up until the time it expired.
So I bought it! The reasons were all of the above - and then some...the box included 'CD Architect 5.2' & 'Noise Reduction 2.0'.
One of the reasons that I wanted this software so bad was the "Scrubbing" and "Pencil" tool. I use the features to scrub in areas where the clicks and pops or "glitches" (shown as unusual high peaks when zoomed in) and alternately using the pencil to smoothly redraw the waveform, bringing them to a stage where they are totally eliminated, and without causing destruction to the highs and lows whatsoever. These ingenious tools has allowed me to clean up my [old] vinyl records without having to use any sort of "noise reduction" to cover up the whole song compared to similar softwares on the market. It allowed me the freedom to clean/edit ONLY the parts needed and in contrast, preserved the original sound quality without any loss of frequency - all in real-time and totally non-destructive!
My conclusion: having tested a number of other similar softwares including the ever so costly "Waves Restoration Native" bundle (a technology licensed from the German based company Algorithmix's "Sound Laundry" which I also owned and use alternately) and retails for about twelve hundred bucks. Sony Sound Forge 8 is possibly the best thing as for editing and cleaning up old recordings. But this is more than just for cleaning up old vinyls, you can create different mixes; crossfades; loops and generate effects, the possibilities are endless. Noise Reduction 2.0 offers an array of different surface noise reducing preset settings with almost undetectable artifacts, but so far I haven't really use them. Also, CD Architect 5.2: not for the faint of heart, this is a nice burning tool with many professional features to tweak around (if you want to alter your music), I should state that this is a "CD mastering" software because it is exactly what it was designed and intended for. The best thing about this software is that it allows you the option to edit before you post master any CD to perfection, but the downside: it ONLY allows disc-at-once (DAO) CD burning and automatically closes or "finalize" the disc whether you burn 1 or 10 songs - regardless!
There are too many features to list and are quite complexed to use if you just want to do a "burn and go" CD. Also, if you like to master CDs and leave it open for later additions like I do, then I'll suggest using something like Nero or Roxio. Other than this minor flaw, it is a splendid software.
For me, the software is used strictly for archival purposes; for others, it's a whole new production. I combine Sound Forge 8 with Cubase SE to create the ultimate digital domain and it works wonders!Pros:
*Scrub Tool
*Pencil Tool
*ASIO (soundcard driver support) compatible for low-latency real-time response
*VST Plugin support
*CD Architect 5.2 included at no extra charge
*Noise Reduction 2.0 included at no extra charge
Cons:
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Sony Sound Forge Audio Studio 8 Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm not an audio expert by any means, but Sound Forge impressed me with its power and simplicity. I needed to clean up and edit a few audio tracks for use in Flash, and Sound Forge did the job no problem. I was able to cut and paste parts of my tracks, adjust output levels, and save them so that they were ready for my other application. There are plenty of other features that I didn't try out (e.g. special effects and various tools to improve the quality of your tracks).
I'm using the 30 day free trial version (which is full-featured but time-limited), but when I'm ready to buy, this will be the one.

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Sony Vegas Movie Studio + DVD 7 Platinum Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)My knowledge level going in was that of being able to make my own mp3s from CDs and copying the DVDs I record from TV on my Sony GX300 recorder. Beyond that I know nothing about how to create a DVD of any kind. Even iDVD on the mac is too cryptic for me to mess with.
This package is different. There are really two pieces of software in it and so far I've only used one. The two packages are Sony Movie Studio and the accompanying DVD Architect software, which is all I've needed so far.
DVD Architect is designed to work with media that is already in the condition you want it to appear. I used the instructions in the manual last night to create a DVD with the audio from 8 different CDs. After locating album art images on the internet, I was able to use these both for buttons on the main menu and for backgrounds during song playback. The software automatically added the song title to be displayed with each song on the DVD, in any font size or style I had available on my PC. I could have controlled each title individually for location, font and size, but I chose to make them all the same to save time.
Once I decided how I wanted to approach the project the rest was a breeze. I did have problems using the software to rip the audio tracks from the CDs, but I was able to use better software I already had on hand for that task.
The software is very capable and has a lot of controls, so it is easy to get overwhelmed. However, a "Show Me" function can be activated at any time and the manual is quite clear on how to do the basics, so after a little experimentation I had learned enough to know how I wanted to approach the project, which was the single biggest obstacle. It would actually have been easier if I was working with videos and didn't need to worry about the backgrounds or titles of the songs.
The end result is a professional looking DVD with a background image of the band on the menu and small album cover images for buttons to play any of the albums on disc. I was able to easily add a playlist button (band logo) at the bottom of the menu that would play all albums in order. The software allowed me to easily customize the button navigation (where a left cursor movement goes, for example) and test the result before burning to DVD.
The primary part of the package, Sony Movie Studio, is a multi-track audio/video mixer and is designed to create the videos that can then be assembled into a professional package in DVD Architect. A video DVD comes with the package, which shows you the various parts of the interface and how to perform basic editing techniques. While I haven't delved into it yet, I am confident that I will be able to create anything from moving background images and text for audio playback to my own music video using video I can capture on camera or download from Public Domain sources.
A couple of days ago I knew nothing about DVD creation, now I'm working on a design plan for my own music video, while listening to my first audio compilation on the stereo. This software rocks!
Some technical stuff I wondered about and now know:
* It will accept every audio, video and image format that I can think of
* It has full audio and video editing capabilities. You can build a movie from 30 frames per second of jpg images and can create a soundtrack of soundbites from a variety of sources.
* The editor is non-destructive in that it never modifies a source file in any way, relying on its own index files to store your mods.
* You can do full 5.1 surround audio, controlling every sound on each channel as you wish.
* Audio can be encoded in PCM 2 channel, AC3 2 channel or AC3 5.1 channel.
* It works fine on Windows 2000 Pro. Many new software packages will not function on anything other than XP.
* Although I have no point of comparison, it is pretty fast. On my 2.6 gig P4 with 1 gig ram (and a lot of other things open), it was able to "render" my audio DVD, including compressing one album in AC3 format to make it fit (the rest were PCM), in about 25 minutes.
Highly recommended for beginners and it looks like a pro could do just fine with all this can do. What was once a dark unknown is now my creative playground, thanks to Sony Movie Studio!

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With Vegas Movie Studio+DVD Platinum Edition you can import and edit video in nearly any format including HDV. Drag and drop to create movies and slide shows with effects, transitions, and music. Powerful video and audio editing tools for professional-level compositing, color correction, and 5.1 surround mixing. Enhance your video with over 500 customizable video effects and transitions including the exclusive NewBlue VideoFX MSP collection. Burn your movies to DVD, VCD, or CD, export directly to your PSP, or save projects to formats for iPod and other media players. Get up and running quickly with built-in tutorials and the included Vegas Movie Studio training DVD.

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Seminar Series - Professional Training for Vegas 6 Software Review

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(More customer reviews)I've used the Vegas 6 software for about 1 1/2 years now, and purchased this series in hopes of honing my skills. As I'm not a professionally trained video editor (more like a serious hobbiest) I have some gaps in my knowledge of video editing techniques and conventions, and hoped this series could give me a leg up. Overall this is a well assembled and very useful set of instructional seminars. I actually found a site that hosted some sample clips, and tried one before purchasing this, so the preview was a definite bonus in convincing me to buy this. While this series is not absolutely comprehensive, it does touch every major feature aspect of the Vegas + DVD software package in such a way that you can quickly and easily assemble your first project, and get a lot of insight and ideas on how to further develop and enhance future projects.
In response to the chap who found the production quality too terrible to continue on -- I will concur that the screen captures were a little weak -- but they're not so unbearable as he claims...sounds like a personal hang-up. The quality of the captures is reminiscent of some CBT software my company once tried using (Trainersoft v6) for our web-based training offerings - the compression basically killed your screen-shots to the point that we got better visuals using PowerPoint. But I digress. All that said, the Sony Seminar series frequently zooms in on these screen captures, and you then get a much better resolution and cleaner look at what the narrator is discussing. I think the previous reviewer perhaps just didn't spend enough time viewing the content.
Once you get into the first couple sessions, the content is really quite rich and very useful. Within the first 11 lessons on disc one I had already picked up a number of tricks and enhancements that I'd not previously discovered on my own, which really sweetens the experience of using the software, and substantially reduces the amount of time spent trying to do some of these things (as with all software, there are numerous ways to do any one task - this series makes a point of showing off 'best practices').
I've not yet gotten deep into the content on disc two, so this review is not definitive on my part. However, after scanning the remaining content, my only criticism (or just personal disappointment) with the series is that I'd hoped it would have more indepth techniques for video rendering and audio mixing (they have some great 5.1 mixing tools, but some of my efforts seem to have failed in my final DVD project, even though they looked well balanced in the software). For this, I imagine I will simply need to visit the forums.
Assuming these are all bundled the same, you get 4 discs: disc 1 and 2 are the video DVDs with the actual seminars (intended to be watched from a TV while you follow along on your PC, but they run just fine on a DVD-ROM); disc 3 is the media and content you'll need to emulate the class sessions; and disc 4 was a bonus demo DVD-ROM, with all the (then) current Sony pro-series software titles in time-limited installs with a couple minor feature restrictions - nice if you want to try before you buy.
The price actually jumped up $20 on this (from $69 to $89) before I bought it, so I was a bit reluctant, but I can honestly say after digging in to it, I don't regret it at all - I'm glad I purchased it!

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Vegas Movie Studio 8 Platinum Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)This video editor is able to read .VOB file from DVD's created from VCR tapes, making it great for editing the old family videos. The display is quite customizable and easy to spread over two monitors. There is a small learning curve, but the "Show Me How" help a lot. The only things that detract from this is (1) the lack of a comprehensive noise reduction facility (Sony has this as a pricey plug-in, but then, none of the other video editors in this price range has this feature), and (2) the DVD creation software is not integrated in with the editor (although it is included in the package). But don't buy this software just on our say-so, download the 30 day free trial from the Sony web site and make sure it works for you before you buy.
[...]

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Vegas Movie Studio software is the easiest way to create captivating movies and slideshows to share with friends and family or online. Integrated DVD authoring.

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Sony Vegas Movie Studio + DVD Review

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(More customer reviews)I was overwhelmed with the choices of consumer video editing software, but took a chance on the Sony Vegas Movie Studio + DVD software. I am not disappointed. It's the best piece of software I've bought in years!
The software comes with two CDs: one for video editing, and one for architecting and burning a DVD. The software installs quickly and easily, with the software license key contained within the product manual.
The video editing software opens up into a video editing workstation display. As soon as the software opens for the first time, there is a window offering a guided tour of the product. I strongly suggest the investment of five minutes to understand the layout and controls.
There is a video capture menu option, that works nicely with Sony Mini-DV camcorders. I'm using a PCR-109 camcorder attached by a Firewire cable, and software commands the camcorder. I suggest using the "Capture Tape" button rather than the "Capture Video" button, as it automatically rewinds the tape before capturing and labeling each video clip. It stores the video files in your "My Document" folder by default, and also makes a shortcut in the Vegas Project Media tab within the Vegas software. When the capture is done, press the square "stop" button on the screen, and you have your video clips ready for editing.
There are six tracks by default arranged under a timeline ruler, which runs from left to right: (a) text, (b) video overlay, (c) main video, (d) main audio, (e) music and (f) sound effects. All you do is drag the files from the Project Media window to the track main video track. Or, you can select a file from another folder by using the "Explorer" tab within Vegas to locate the folder and file you want. You can drag the tracks around, positioning them to the left or right, and you're free to move the video to the video overlay or text track. You can pan the audio left or right, and adjust the master audio level up or down on each track.
You can easily select sections of the clips, then press the delete key to delete that portion from the final product. Deleting a section does not affect the original video clip in your "My Documents" folder.
There's a preview window in the lower right corner, where you can easily watch how your edited product is coming along. While watching the preview, you can click anywhere on the timeline and press the triangle "play" button, and your preview instantly jumps to that part of the video. Editing and previewing is very quick and convenient.
The neatest feature is the ease of fading in and out. For fading in, just click and hold on the upper left hand corner of the video (or audio) clip. Wait a moment for the arrow cursor to change to the "fade" cursor, then gently drag it to the right. You'll see a blue curve appear over the video segment, representing the amount of fade in time you want. Drag it to the desired amount (say one second), and let go. That's it! You now have one second of fade-in. If you right click on that portion, it brings up a menu where you can select the types of fade-in -- whether you want a linear fade, or more like an S-curve fade that's fast or slow. To make it fade out, do the same on the upper right hand corner of the segment.
If you drag the video clip and overlap the ends of two segments - one that has a fade out, followed by one that has a fade in - you get a nice one second dissolve from clip 1 to clip 2. By controlling the amount of overlap and the amount of fade, you have easy and fabulous control of the transitions.
The multiple video tracks and overlays are simple but powerful features.
There is a "Text" feature where you can easily type in a text title slide like you would for a Powerpoint presentation. Slide the text box between the clips to give the clips a title.
If you put a video clip on the "Video Overlay" track, it displaces the main video - so you can use this track to overlay a shorter, close-up video into the main video while preserving the main timeline and audio. I used this feature for a birthday party video to overlay a close-up shot of dad and baby daughter onto the main party video clip of music, guests and laughter. You can insert video clips, text titles or JPEG files.
The PCR-109 has an ability while the video is being taken to snap a screen shot frame onto Memory Stick. So, when I tell the group to "smile on the count of three, 1, 2, 3" and snap that choice pose, I can position that .JPEG file on the video overlay track and have that pose overlay linger on the screen while the rest of the audio track continues. There's controls on the tracks that you can set the video intensity to 100% or something less that you can make it look like a ghost or dream if that's what you want. You can apply the fade-in/fade-out to the text and video overlays as well. These are really powerful techniques, and it's done very simply and easily.
There's an "insert marker" feature where you can mark and title chapters within the video before you render it. The chapter titles are automatically made available to the DVD Architect program. There is a button in the DVD Architect program that will automatically generate a series of menu pages with thumbnails and chapter titles.
You can render the video into a number of formats, including MPEG2 (for DVDs). One needs lots of CPU speed to render the videos. I'm running it on a Pentium D 830, 3.0 Ghz Dual Core system with 1 GB of RAM and a 4x DVD burner. I find I can render a 60 minute video into MPEG2 in about 50 minutes. Once I define the layout of the DVD, it can prepare the DVD image and burn that 60 minute video onto a blank DVD about 25 minutes. I'm keeping this PC clean of extraneous software to ensure Vegas runs well without software conflicts.
The DVD Architect is less intuitive. I had difficulty making a DVD menu button for the finished movie. By default, it uses the first frame of the video as the image for the button. I can drag and drop the MPEG file onto the layout of the DVD menu, (which creates the active button on the menu of the DVD). I finally discovered that if I then dragged and dropped overlay a .JPEG image file captured from the video (you do that in the preview window of the video editor program) over that button, I can change the appearance of that button to be a scene from the video that I really wanted. The menu feature is called "insert object". If I click on that button (using the DVD remote control) on the fnished DVD, it plays that video file.
I previously mentioned the Architect feature "insert scene selection menu", which automagically picks up the markers in the rendered MPEG video, pulls out the chapter titles, makes the thumbnails, places the titles below the thumbnails, and sets up the navigation. It's smart enough to make multiple menu pages, if needed. All at the click of one button. Very nice.
I can see that I can set the start point for the video to be something other than the menu on the DVD, and even put a video introduction leader to the DVD before displaying the main menu -- but I haven't done that yet.
The Architect program is smart enough to track changes and only reprepare the items you've changed since you created the last DVD. So, if you want to replace one video segment with a newer version, it'll only prepare the DVD changes for that one video segment.
That's all you really need to know to get started. Within a few hours, I've formatted several DVDs of home videos and really, really enjoy crafting it to come out the way I want it. It's way better than some of the freebie software that comes with Windows or DVD burners. This video editor comes with 1,001 sound effects, which I've yet to fully explore. I've only scratched the surface with the basic features and I know there's way more sophistication in the menus and FX features. Have done it the hard way in the past with reel-to-reel video recorders, this is awesome and pure heaven!

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Photo Go Review

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(More customer reviews)Worked with the program for a week and couldn't get the hang of it. The programs help files are worthless. I finally just uninstalled it. If I wouldn't have thrown out the box it came with I would have returned it.

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CyberLink Media Suite 9 Ultra V.9 Review

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(More customer reviews)Other sites have mixed reviews. I purchased the CyberLink Media Suite 9 Ultra V.9 directly from the company site as I wanted to do a download. If you look at all the ads, you will see all these wonderful features with the suite version 9 being the newest. Well, yes and no. Cyberlink does not make any false claims that I have found, but unless you've bought the package you won't know you are NOT getting the newest and best even though the comparison tables show nothing newer because this is the newest version of the suite but the individual products the "newest menu" calls are anything but the newest. In many places this is referred to as the error of omission. I spent a couple of hours looking at reviews and site comparisons and never once saw anyone mention this shortcoming. The most critical pieces are not even close to the newest versions, you have to run a whole series of updates and that's when you may discover that you've gotten something different than you expected because that will be the first time you see considerably newer versions which you must purchase versus update. The software has performed better than the reviewers elsewhere who report frequent crashes, but that may be because I have a relatively high end system (W7, x64, 8gb ram, I5 750, 2.7 Ghz, quad) that converted a standard definition recording all the way to DVD with flexible disc space matching in about 20 minutes. The glitches seem to be that the interface and visual menus are poorly done and it's extremely difficult to back up to previous menus as well as screen objects overlaying other objects. Also, what was the last time you couldn't run a program in full screen mode when the product is all about video? From the best I can figure out so far, even though I bought the newest suite, I will still have to lay out about double again what I already paid just to get the most recent versions of what I just purchased. I may have opted for a high end product had I known that the company was going to charge you over and over to get what you really thought you were buying to start with. Does it work? Better than many of my not perfectly new Sony, Ulead, and Roxio video products. Was it a bargain? Hardly! Given that Amazon does a pretty good job of getting honest ads and helping customers with defective products, I'd certainly like to see Amazon mandate full disclosure on underlying versions in any suite type software. If money wasn't an issue, I'd buy this again. But since for most of us total price matters, I have serious doubts I would have made the purchase with full information.

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DC Universe Online Review

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(More customer reviews)I wasn't a beta tester, and I'm not a MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role playing game) expert.
When I play a game, it comes down to how much fun I had playing. The graphics, the music, the controls are all a part of that, but ultimately, it comes down to the experience.
In the case of DCU Online, it becomes very repetitive very quickly. Nearly every mission is "beat up generic bad guys before beating up iconic bad guys." This isn't necessarily a bad thing if the fighting is fun (which it is, at first). But even with the unlocked skill sets that allow for more complex combos and flashier moves, the lack of variety in the fights eventually takes a toll, and it becomes a chore.
Also, while the interface is usable but clunky, my main gripe is that it makes it difficult to team up with other players. The reason I choose to play MMORPGs to begin with is because I enjoy playing with others (or seeing others run around when I want to go solo: it makes the in-game world seem lively). In DCU Online, it seems that I'm only able to team up with people in the immediate vicinity, and am only able to communicate with people who are on my (hero or villain) side. As such, the game feels surprisingly dead at times.
Don't get me wrong. I appreciate the fight mechanics of this game (for anyone who's played Batman: Arkham Asylum (great game, highly recommended), it's similar: melee attack, distance attack, block, and a variety of special skills 1-8). I appreciate the fact that the game is updated nearly ever week with improvements. I appreciate the thoughtful, intricate level design (the developers must have hired architects from detail in the two in-game cities). I appreciate the fact that they got Mark Hamill and Kevin Conway to do the voices. The music could be better, the graphics are nice to look at, and I don't mind paying $15 a month to continue playing provided that a game is really fun.
But DCU online starts off strong and within 10 hours (a very short amount of time for MMORPGs) becomes routine. If it was possible, I'd like to have rented this game.
On the collectors edition: you're paying more for a plastic statue, an in-game item (a mini joker blimp or mini batmobile that hovers by your character's shoulder and shoots at your target), a small sized comic, and a poster. I'm on the fence as to whether these things are worth an extra $30. -------
Update: 2/3/2011
After 20+ more hours of play, I'm sticking to my original 3 star rating: the missions are nearly identical, but there is player vs. player (PVP) either in the arenas or in selected servers to vary things up a bit. For the PVP arenas, however, there is often a wait before you're able to enter and the time you spend waiting seems to be random (from as little as 5 minutes to over an hour).
Also, the interface isn't the most user friendly. You can make a group with people by typing: "/invite" and their name, just as you could privately message people with "/tell". It's functional, but I would have preferred to do these same things by selecting people off a server list.

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Enter the world of your favorite DC Comics' superheroes and villains in DC Universe Online. Get ready to experience the high-energy action that encapsulates this fabled world, and become engrossed in thrilling battles with or against famed heroes and villains, including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and The Joker.

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Vegas Movie Studio 8 Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm starting a small business and took a gamble that Vegas would provide the tools I needed to create DVD based tutorials for the educational kits we're producing. The software has exceeded my expectations by any measurement and after what must be hundreds of hours now of video capture, editing, and DVD production I've yet to experience a single crash or disappointment with Vegas on my Gateway Windows Vista computer. I certainly can't say the same for any of the past video editing products I've used including software by Pinnacle, Nero, and Adobe. None have come within even a mile of the combined feature set, depth, speed, and stability of Sony Vegas. I'm still shaking my head about the near-perfection of this product - especially since I got the software for free after rebate! But even at its Amazon retail price here? Vegas offers an unbelievable video production bang for your buck.
That being said, this also isn't software for the faint of heart and were it not for the comparable pricing of competitive products I'd hesitate to even put it in the consumer-class level of other video editing and DVD production software - simply because of the rich feature set and options it offers. For the person who just wants to produce family or vacation videos? Vegas may be just too much to handle. Its options have options that even have more options. That's excellent for those of us who want to tweak this, that, and the other on our videos before we burn to DVD but it's my perception the average consumer might feel overwhelmed by both that flexibility and the myriad of options offered through the sleek Vegas editing interface. We're talking option button city here! On the other hand, if you are new to video editing? Get ready for an education - and Sony does another excellent job of providing just that through its built in "How Do I?" tutorials and comprehensive help files. So if you have the patience to step through the tutorials and not be afraid to elevate your video production vocabulary to new levels? I'm confident that you'll find your time spent learning Vegas well worth your while.
If you've had some past experience editing videos? Then I think you'll slide into the Vegas way of doing things quickly and become bowled over like I was by what the software has to offer.
It truly is the best software purchase I've made in the past twenty years .
Sony Vegas is in a class all its own.

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Vegas Movie Studio software is the easiest way to create captivating movies and slideshows to share with friends and family or online. Integrated DVD authoring.

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Sony Creative Software Imagination Studio 3 V.3 Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a consumer version of audio editing, audio creation, video editing, dvd creation, and photo organization software. It's rather awesome for the price. It's 1200 dollars for the equivalent Sony professional versions, plus a professional photo organizer from Adobe is 300 dollars. The professional versions are ridiculously more powerful, capable, and more expensive. This is the consumer version. It is the most complete consumer media creation package available. The mac version is iLife, and having a mac laptop and a pc laptop, I'll say without question this is more powerful and more capable than iLife.
You can use videos edited with free professional Lightworks video editor, and of course sound with Audacity. I bought the DivX pro for codecs and the Quicktime pro for codecs. I totally recommend it.
Update:
1. The SONY ICD-PX312 USB PC Interface Digital Voice Recorder includes software that works directly with the sound editing software within Sony Imagination Studio 3.

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Green Screen Pro Video Studio Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I don't think a new digital film enthusiast could ask for more this product has cut my production time in half and made vfx far easier than previous.

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Sony Creative Software Movie Studio HD Platinum 11 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)this blurb comes directly from the help database on vegas 11
"If you want to create a stereoscopic 3D project, you can burn a standard Blu-ray Disc or DVD in side-by-side format and play it on any Blu-ray Disc or DVD player. When the player is connected to a recent 3D TV, you can use the TV's menu to put it into side-by-side mode and enjoy 3D playback.
If your goal is the higher-end Blu-ray 3D(tm) format, Vegas Movie Studio can prepare content in full HD per-eye format by rendering two separate files (using Left only and Right only modes), which can be read by an MVC encoder such as the Dualstream 3D encoder and authored using a tool such as Blu-print.
For more information about working with stereoscopic 3D projects, please see Stereoscopic 3D Editing."
unless you are a pro or are commited to the process, don't even think about dualstream. here's the statement from sonycreativesoftware.com
"Please note that Dualstream 3D is a command line style encoder. Parameter settings for operation are entered manually using a spreadsheet document."i'm just purchased the Sony HDR-TD10 High Definition 3D Handycam Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom (Dark Gray)
the only full hd 3d mvc format recording camcorder on the consumer level market and i was looking for a way to burn 3d bluray. and the top statement sums up my dissapointment with this software. i just want to take the files off my camcorder, view them, edit them, and put the finished product on a 3d blu-ray disc in the full resolution 3d spec, i don't care about the menus or the other fancy stuff, just 3d blu ray at the full 1080/60i i recorded my stuff in. i got everything i wanted except a no go on the 3d blu ray spec. if i was stuck without the ablity to make a full hd res 3d disc, i might as well have purchased the inferior Panasonic HDC-SDT750K, High Definition 3D Camcorder and saved the $750. i dont want a 8x9 square 3d image, or a half res 1080x960 streched to 1080x1920. sony, i paid $1500 for your camcorder, why can't i burn a 3d bluray disc in full MVC?
the 3d ablity of this software is basicly the only things that they have upgraded from vegas 10. oh yeah, and you can also upload 3d video to you tube. whoo-hoo. it's still a powerful software bundle. (that's why i'm only taking off one star for my particular issue.) If you are ok with what it can do with 3d, than by all means, go for it, but if you dont need 3d, are dissatisfied with the inablity to burn 3d in full spec to BD, or are simply trying to upgrade from 10, pass for now and hope for an update.

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Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 11
Vegas Movie Studio Platinum Edition software has everything needed to produce spectacular HD movies. You can edit video in nearly any format including HDV and AVCHD. Included are innovative stereoscopic 3D tools, powerful features for video compositing, color correction, and soundtrack creation for feature-film results in your home studio. Use the surround sound mixing tools to create 5.1 soundtracks. Choose from hundreds of professional 2D and 3D video effects, titles, and filters. Upload movies to YouTube, burn to Blu-ray Disc, or author DVDs using beautifully designed themes or create custom menus and graphics. Exclusive Sony Show Me How interactive tutorials help you get started fast.

New Highlights Intuitive user interface. View larger.

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Sony Creative Sound Forge 10 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I am using Sony Sound Forge in conjunction with a Sony RK-G136 Audio Cable and a Sony Walkman WM-FX290W to convert old cassette tapes to CDs by connecting the Walkman to my laptop.
Sound Forge makes it very easy for me to modify and improve the captured audio. You can easily change volume, equalize volume, add fades, remove areas, cut and paste portions of the audio etc. In addition, you can remove background noises such as swishes, and rumble with the built in noise reduction software. If you need to remove addition background noises then let me recommend Bias Sound Soap. This product is amazing when it comes to removing unwanted noise or sounds. I have used it to eliminate backgrounds voices which normally is nearly impossible.
Short Guide to converting a cassette tape to a CD.
First, plug in the RK-G136 cable into the headphone port on the Walkman, and the audio input port on your computer. Next, startup Sound Forge, and click on record and press play on the Walkman. Once you have captured the tape you can eliminate the long lead in by highlighting these areas and pressing delete. Now you can find an area on your audio that has noise and either use Sound Forge noise reduction or Bias Sound Soap to learn this noise and eliminate it throughout your audio. Finally, you are now ready to export your audio to a CD.
With these two software programs you can easily import, edit, cleanup and export clear, high quality audio to a CD in just a few minutes. These two products ability at removing rumble, swishing sounds, background noise, and talking is remarkable.
If you want to cleanup old cassette tapes these four products are indispensable.
Sony RK-G136 Audio Connecting Cord
Sony Walkman WM-FX290W
Sony Sound Forge Pro 10
Bias Sound Soap

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Sound Forge Pro 10 efficiently and reliably provides audio editors and producers complete control over all aspects of audio editing and mastering. Whether in the studio or the field, it is an essential tool for media professionals who need to create and edit audio files with speed and accuracy. With new precise event-based editing, integrated disc-at-once CD burning, professional noise-reduction tools, and pristine audio time stretching, Sound Forge Pro 10 delivers the ultimate all-in-one production suite for professional audio recording and mastering, sound design, audio restoration, and Red Book CD creation. Includes Noise Reduction 2, plus the Mastering Effects Bundle 2 powered by iZotope.


Product Highlights
Pristine sound quality Sound Forge Pro 10 software supports full-resolution 24-bit and 32-bit/64-bit float 192 kHz files for the ultimate in audio fidelity. Capture the subtle overtones and nuances of instruments, vocals, and effect changes.
Precise audio editing Edit mono, stereo, and multichannel audio files (up to 32 channels) to the sample level in real time. Use familiar Windows commands to cut, copy, paste, mix, and crossfade audio. Drag audio between channels and work on one file while processing others in the background.
Powerful audio recording Sound Forge Pro 10 software has a complete set of tools for recording audio. Record directly into your sound card or use the Record Timer to begin and end a session at a specific time and date. Alternatively, you can start recording when a certain audio threshold is reached with Threshold Record Triggering. You can also record and edit multichannel audio files as easily as stereo files.
Effects processing Apply over 40 professional studio effects and processes including Normalize, EQ, Delay, Chorus, Volume, Dynamics, Noise Gate, Pitch Shift, Flange, and Vibrato, and more.
New--Zplane élastique Pro timestretch DirectX plug-in Use the élastique timestretch and pitch shift plug-in for pristine audio quality. Choose from various stretching methods that are tailored to your source audio including Pro, Soloist, and Efficient modes. Monitor and adjust settings while previewing.
VST effect support Native support of VST plug-ins, including parameter automation, expands on the number of effects you can apply to your audio, ultimately increasing your mastering flexibility.
Audio for video Sound Forge Pro 10 software supports multiple video formats including AVI, WMV, and MPEG-1 and MPEG-2. Precisely synchronize audio and video frame by frame. Sound Forge Pro 10 software includes MPEG-2 templates for writing HDV-compliant files at 720p and 1080i resolutions and AVI templates using the CineForm CFHD codec for 720p and 1080i intermediate renders.
New--Event-based editing Audio editing is more efficient and powerful with Sound Forge Pro 10 software. Quickly move and split events, create fades, apply ASR (attack/sustain/release) envelopes and crossfades within in a single data window for more precision. Event-based editing provides an easier way to edit edges and fades and is ideal for precise audio mastering, assembling sketches of a project or to lay out tracks for authoring disc-at-once CDs.
New--Musical instrument file processing Sound Forge Pro 10 software opens, processes, and saves DLS, GigaStudio/GigaSampler, and SoundFont 2.0 musical instrument files, allowing you to add effects and processing to existing samples.
Noise Reduction audio restoration plug-ins Easily restore audio from LPs, cassettes, CDs, and more. The Noise Reduction 2 collection of plug-ins contains Noise Reduction, Audio Restoration, Click and Crackle Removal, and Clipped Peak Restoration. Use these to fix common audio problems such as tape hiss, clicks, and pops, salvage damaged recordings, and give new life to your audio.
New--Integrated disc-at-once CD burning Sound Forge Pro 10 software includes fully integrated disc-at-once (DAO) CD mastering. Generate Red Book compliant disc-at-once premasters of your music suitable for professional replication. Perform full PQ code editing, create live-style CDs, add CD text and metadata, and use high-resolution source audio with precise conversion to Red Book audio. Integrated disc-at-once CD burning results in time savings and provides a more efficient workflow when assembling CD projects.
Acoustic Mirror software plug-in Apply different environments to your audio including bridges, churches, concert halls, modern and classic microphones, and more.
Spectrum analysis tools View frequencies and overtones of different channels within an audio file. The Spectrum Analysis tool shows multiple graphs depending on how many channels are selected. Analyze and see the fundamental frequencies and overtones in your recordings. Monitor audio and effects changes in real time, take multiple snapshots, and overlay views to compare and match frequencies of one file to another.
New--iZotope 64-bit SRC (sample rate conversion) Sound Forge Pro 10 software includes iZotope Sample Rate Conversion (SRC), which is a necessary process when converting material from one sampling rate (such as studio-quality 192 kHz) to another rate (such as CD-quality 44.1 kHz). iZotope SRC utilizes a hybrid low-pass filter design, resulting in pristine audio with less aliasing when resampling audio.
New--iZotope MBIT+ dither (bit-depth conversion) The best-sounding audio requires the highest sample bit depth. Sound Forge Pro 10 software includes iZotope MBIT+ dither. MBIT+ employs psychoacoustic methods to distribute noise into less audible ranges resulting in an improved sound and smoother fades.
New--Interactive Tutorials Spend less time learning and more time mastering using the new integrated tutorials in Sound Forge Pro 10 software. These tutorials provide walkthrough demonstrations of common features and functionality, including DAO CD burning, vinyl recording and restoration for easy analog to digital conversion, and more.
New--Includes Mastering Effects Bundle 2, powered by iZotope Powered by iZotope, the maker of world-class audio mastering tools, this powerful bundle includes six professional audio plug-ins: Mastering EQ, Mastering Reverb, Multiband Compressor, Mastering Limiter, Stereo Imager, and Harmonic Exciter. Use these plug-ins to expertly aster and enhance your audio.
Dolby Digital AC-3 export Use Sound Forge Pro 10 software to export multichannel files in surround AC-3 format using the included Dolby Digital AC-3 plug-in.

Sound Forge Pro 10 Features
Processes
New--iZotope 64-bit SRC (sample rate conversion)
New--iZotope MBIT+ Dither (bit-depth conversion)
Auto Trim/Crop
Mute
Normalize peak or RMS level
Stereo Pan/Expand (supports mid-side mixing)
Graphic, Paragraphic, and Parametric EQ
DC Offset
Resample
Reverse
Graphic Fade with noise-shaping and dithering
Smooth/Enhance
Fade In/Out
Time Compress/Expand
Insert Silence
Volume
Invert/Flip
Bit Depth Converter (to 8-bit, 16-bit, 24-bit, or 32-bit)

Effects
New--Includes Mastering Effects Bundle 2 powered by iZotope
New--élastique Pro timestretch and pitch shift DirectX plug-in
New--Resonant Filter plug-in
VST plug-in effect support
DirectX plug-in effects automation
DirectX Plug-in Manager
Real-time effects previewing
Modeless audio plug-in Chainer
Acoustic Mirror environment simulator
Amplitude Modulation
Chorus
Distortion
Delay/Echo (Simple and Multi-Tap)
Graphic Dynamics
Multi-Band Dynamics
Envelope
Flange/Wah-Wah/Phaser
Gapper/Snipper
Noise Gate
Pitch Bend/Shift
Reverb
Vibrato
Wave Hammer Compressor/Volume Maximizer)

Tools
New--Integrated disc-at-once CD burning
Includes Noise Reduction 2.0
Spectrum Analysis tool
Phase and mono-compatibility meters
Gracenote MusicID technology
Application scripting
Script Editor window
Batch conversion

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Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 Suite Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)O.K.
So I wrote a review for the last incarnation of this software package (version 9) and a lot of people found it very helpful.
There was one BIG problem with Version 9 - it had bugs in the video rendering section, which were never fixed with the software updates. It appears that Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 has fixed the obvious encoding/rendering bugs which plagued Version 9.
You can now safely encode video to all major formats used worldwide, creating your own custom templates if you wish.
Version 10 now includes working templates for anyone who uploads HD or SD WIDESCREEN 16:9 Videos to YOUTUBE. The OLD version of Vegas Movie Studio only had a template for "old fashioned" 4:3 aspect ratio, which meant you had to create a custom template to make a 16:9 video.
What does Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 Suite come with?
*Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 - the video editing program.
*DVD Architect Studio 5.0 - the DVD creation software.
*Sound Forge Audio Studio 10 - an audio recording studio.
Highlight Features for the above three programs:
*Vegas Movie Studio has so many features from the Vegas Pro version, it's not funny. That's what I love the most about this software package - it's full of professional grade tools and effects. If you can think it, then Sony Vegas can do it. Many other retail video editors come no where near Sony Vegas, they are like toys in comparison, seriously.
*Vegas can handle all the latest video formats (Input & Output files), especially HD (High Definition) video, which is becoming the standard now, provided your computer has plenty of RAM (2GB at least) and an independent video card driver with its own memory.
*Easy compression of your videos, ready for upload to YouTube in Widescreen format.
*Vegas comes with a large amount of NewBlue Transition effects and Video Effects, which you can tweek to your heart's delight.
*Your ability to edit video on the timeline is amazing - however this will take time to master. I taught myself over the last year and a half using the Help Index, How To Animations and just pure patient experimentation.
*The DVD Architect Studio works seamlessly with your Vegas projects, and is fairly easy to use.
*Sound Forge Studio 10 has heaps of effects you can filter your audio recordings with, to create amazing sounds.
*My favourite feature in Sound Forge is the "Recording your old vinyl or tape collection into Digital Format". This part of the program has been upgraded now and is much easier to use. One BIG tip: Click Options, Preferences, Audio and then change Audio Device to Windows Classic Wave Driver - this will make Vinyl to Digital Recording work without getting a headache.
Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 is not for the novice who gets easily exasperated. If this is you, then stick with Windows Movie Maker.
If you like to experiment, have patience in learning new things, and really enjoy using Professional Tools to create a Professional Look, then go with this software package. I have yet to come across a limitation with this software - "creatively speaking".
I highly recommend existing users of older versions of this software, to make the upgrade due to the additions and fixes.
The price of this package or the upgrade for existing users is unbelievable, compared to the Pro Version.
If you are worried about whether this program will do what it says, then do the smart thing and DOWNLOAD the FREE TRIAL at Sony Creative Software website, where you can try it out for a whole 30 days!
VERY IMPORTANT NOTE:
There is something that people should be aware of. High Definition Video Cameras are advancing technologically faster than the everyday home computer can deal with. HD Video made with the Super High Quality setting selected on your camera, produces a massive file. So if you expect Vegas to edit large High Definition files properly, then you are going to need a fast computer with plenty of memory. Intel i5 and i7 CPU's are a good choice, or any of the AMD Phenom II range CPU's.
If you are on an old computer, Vegas is not going to work. Rendering video, especially High Definition video, can suck every last brain cell out of your computer and ask it to travel beyond light speed, while pondering the creation of the Universe.
So buy a new computer and retire your dinosaur, before attempting to become a Video Enthusiast - this will prevent experiencing a "Meltdown".

FINAL NOTE:
The vast majority of people who are leaving 1 star reviews, are blaming Vegas for problems that they do not understand properly. All of the issues raised, had/have easy solutions. An example is this: If you can't install Vegas at all, log in as The Administrator and change some settings in your Virus Protector program - then it will install no problemo. I guess some people are very impatient and give up too easily. So don't be scared off by the one stars - they just didn't find the right doctor.
All the best with your creations.
Dex :)

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Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 Production Suite takes HD video and audio production to the next level with tools for professional-level sound design and more video effects and transitions. Edit video in nearly any format including high-definition HDV and AVCHD. Use the included Sound Forge Audio Studio software for precise audio editing; then enhance your multimedia projects with 400 exclusive music soundtracks. To share, upload movies to YouTube or author DVDs and Blu-ray Discs using beautifully designed themes or create custom menus and graphics. Use the included tutorial DVD or the exclusive Sony "Show Me How" interactive tutorials to help you get started fast.

Product Highlights
Standard or High Definition Edit video in nearly any format including HDV and Sony AVCHD video. You can even work simultaneously with standard-definition and high-definition video and the same project.

Create Stunning HD Movies Vegas Movie Studio Platinum software has everything you need to produce movies in spectacular high definition. Editing HD is simple; just drop your clips on the timeline and go to work. Its high-performance engine is beyond fast--see your changes happen in real time. When you're done, export your movie in a variety of HD formats for easy sharing.

New--Zplane élastique Timestretching With élastique Pro technology, you can perform dramatic time stretches and pitch-shifts while retaining maximum sound quality.

New--Project and Make Movie Wizards The New Project wizard provides a simple approach to ensuring new projects are created correctly from the start. The new Make Movie wizard eliminates the guesswork for delivery and provides optimized for Web, DVD, e-mail, or for publishing movies to YouTube.

New--Image Stabilization Use image stabilization technology to reduce jitter and shaky video footage. Users with shaky video footage, commonly shot from handheld camcorders and inexpensive portable pocket devices, have the ability to quickly salvage this media using several optimized presets.

New--Slideshow Creator This new feature provides users with the ability to quickly create a dynamic slideshow from a set of images with a few simple clicks. It is designed to be simple, easy to use, and can quickly create pan/zoom effects and transitions across a collection of still images.

New--Device Explorer Use the new Device Explorer window to quickly browse the contents of AVCHD, Hard Disk and Memory Stick devices. Users can quickly view media on the device and import the files natively into the software, maximizing workflow speed by only importing the files they need without conversion.

New--Secondary Color Corrector The Secondary Color Corrector tool provides users with a detailed toolset for adjusting differences in video shot with different camera setups or lighting situations; enhance dull, washed-out footage; or make specific color ranges stand out.

New--White Balance White Balance provides users with the ability to quickly make video look great when originally shot with poor white levels. Users can use the eyedropper tool adjust the white levels within a video clip and the entire clip is automatically color adjusted.

New--Burn DVD From Timeline User can burn a DVD directly from the timeline.This is a fast method to create a single movie DVD and provides an alternate distribution option in addition to Blu-ray Discs and traditional file-based hard disk and streaming media formats.

Burn Blu-ray Disc From Timeline Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 software provides functionality to burn a single-title Blu-ray Disc directly from the timeline. These discs are burned in BDMV format to BD-R, BD-RE, and DVD recordable media. Projects can be encoded as either MPEG-2 or AVC utilizing Dolby or PCM audio in stereo or 5.1 modes. Blu-ray Discs provide an alternative to streaming and file-based distribution for high-definition content. Beyond support for 25GB and 50GB Blu-ray Discs, Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 supports burning BDMV on 4.7GB and 8.5GB standard DVD media, providing a low-cost opportunity for users to distribute high-definition content with traditional DVD burners and media

Upload Movies to YouTube Users can easily upload movies directly to YouTube for online sharing. The Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 publishing feature uses a high-quality encoding process for optimal YouTube quality.

400 Exclusive Music Soundtracks This professionally developed collection of royalty-free production music provides the perfect accent to your project.

Enhanced Sony AVCHD Support New functionality includes importing files directly from Sony AVCHD camcorders and most other brands. In addition, Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 supports editing all types of AVCHD camcorder files, including files from the latest generation of 1920 x1080 AVCHD camcorders. Support for 1920 x 1080 ensures that the footage from the latest 1920 cameras can be edited natively on the timeline.

Improved Native HDV .m2t Playback Improved memory and playback performance allows users to edit HDV footage natively without the time-consuming process of converting to an intermediate file type such as Cineform. Smart rendering provides faster encoding for cuts-only projects or projects with minimal changes while providing less generation loss because video frames pass through the engine unaltered.

Surround Sound Mixing and Encoding Import multichannel (5.1) source files from your camcorder including Sony DVD and AVCHD Handycam models. Use the surround sound mixing and panning tools to create surround DVD soundtracks. Encode AC-3 stereo or 5.1 mixes without leaving the software using the included Dolby Digital AC-3 encoding software.

Enhance Video and Audio Advanced color-correction tools enhance washed-out footage, make specific colors stand out, and balance differences in video due to camera setup or lighting.

Add Professional Effects Enhance your video with hundreds of professional 2D and 3D video effects, titles, and filters--including over 100 effects and transitions from NewBlue, maker of professional video effects plug-ins. Customize your soundtrack with over 20 real-time DirectX audio effects.

Create Hollywood-Style DVDs It's easy to produce your own professional-quality DVDs with multiple motion menus, buttons, and music beds. Includes 56 themes to get you started. Add your own behind-the-scenes features, director's cuts, outtakes, bloopers, and more.

Support for FLAC and LPEC Files The FLAC audio format is perfect for archiving and sharing audio at high quality, without consuming large amounts of storage space. Users with supported portable digital voice recorders can import LPEC files and edit the audio directly on the Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 timeline.

ATRAC .aa3 Format Support Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 software includes ATRAC (.aa3) and ATRAC lossless format editing and encoding, surround encoding and decoding support, and the ability to encode up to 512 Kbps, 48 kHz. This feature allows users of Sony devices including MP3 players, NET-MD players, and HI-MD players can natively edit and export ATRAC formats without needing another conversion tool.

Insert I-frames at Markers The MainConcept MPEG-2 encoder supports I-Frame insertion at timeline markers. (I-Frames are a representation of a complete frame that following frames are derived; more I-frames means a larger file) By providing I-Frames at timeline markers, a rendered file has precise chapter and navigation point placement for DVD Architect Studio software.

Envelope Brush Paint Tool Track envelopes such as audio volume and pan, and video composite levels are customized via points over time. The envelope brush tool provides user with the ability to paint an envelope curve over time by holding down the shift key. This provides a quick way to outline the general shape of the envelope without placing and modifying many distinct points.The auto-thinning feature provides a mathematical approximation of the drawn curve with as few points as possible.The resulting points can be further optimized independently.

Single-Monitor Full-Screen Preview: Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 enhances the preview experience by providing functionality to view the timeline on both the Preview window and an external device (or secondary display) simultaneously. Additional Preview window enhancements included new scaling options and "auto-fit" to maximize the preview experience with available window space. Simultaneous preview provides editors with the ability to setup a large scale viewing environment while preserving the editor's on-screen editing environment. In particular, laptop systems can easily switch between editing and full-screen preview modes.

View Media Marker Names in Events: Media used in the timeline may contain markers.This product can enable the display of these media markers directly on the timeline event. Individual media will have individual markers. By displaying the individual media markers on the explicit media event and editor can quickly focus on key points of interest without cluttering the entire timeline workspace.

Multithreaded Audio Engine The multithreaded audio engine is an optimized system that takes advantage of new multicore and hyperthreading computer systems to fully utilize available hardware resources. By leveraging the full capabilities of the hardware and reducing direct CPU load, users will benefit from a greater number of tracks and audio/video effects for real-time preview, improved performance at lower latencies, and faster audio render times.

Gracenote MusicID: The Gracenote MusicID media recognition service can be used when ripping content from CDs. Users can automatically view information about a CD track including, title, artist, and song name, and can also submit data.

Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 Features
Additional applications and tools for Product Suite
Sound Forge Audio Studio 10 Software Sound Forge Audio Studio software is the easiest way to record, edit, encode, and master audio on your home computer. Customize your creations with built-in effects such as EQ, reverb, delay, and chorus. Restore old vinyl and cassette recordings. To share, simply burn your own CDs or convert audio to formats ideal for Web streaming or portable music players including the PSP, iPod, and iPhone.

Vocal Eraser Plug-in Sound Forge Audio Studio 10 software includes the Vocal Eraser plug-in so you can easily remove vocals from most recordings. You can also use this plug-in to extract vocals from songs for remixing and to create custom karaoke tracks.

Video Tutorial DVD The included video Tutorial DVD provides a quick overview ofVegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10.This Tutorial DVD covers the essential workflows needed to quickly edit audio and video projects from start through final delivery. The tutorial topics also include several advanced sections on how to fine tune settings for that added professional touch.

NewBlueFX Audio and Video Effects The Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 Production Suite includes the Cartoonr effects plug-in and a select group of essential audio and video effects by NewBlue, a leading manufacturer of audio and video plug-ins. Once installed, the tools are available directly from the Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 effects windows providing a seamless editing experience without leaving the application. Additional transitions and effects provide more options to enhance both audio and video projects with a professional look and feel.

DVD Architect Studio 5.0 Features
General

New--Microsoft Windows 7 certified
New--Burning to Blu-ray Disc
New--Enhanced window layout management--save, recall, and share custom window Built-in Show Me How interactive tutorials
End actions for menus and media
Project overview window
Customizable user interface
DVD theme export
Project playlists
Smart reprepare

DVD design and authoring

Menu-based and single-movie DVD creation
Picture slideshows and music compilations
Easy to use drag-and drop interface
Unlimited number of undo/redo
Media Explorer
Adjustable project and file optimization settings
Multimonitor support
Multiprocessor support
Fully customizable toolbars
Get Media from the Web
DVD editing and layout
Still and motion menu creation
Support for multiple video titles
Multiple menus with up to 36 buttons per menu
Menu object editing, alignment, and sizing tools
Text editing and shadow effects
Object snapping
Slide image rotation
Add, edit, and move chapter points
Title and Action safe grid area
Customizable themes
Menu looping

Video

Fit-to-disc compression
DVD movie creation
Picture slideshows
NTSC and PAL in standard (4:3) and widescreen (16:9) formats
Imports AVI, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MOV, WMV, and a variety of still image formats

Audio

Music compilations
Attach audio files to menus
Media file previewing
Import WAV, MP3, WMA, PCA, AIF, MPEG audio

Testing and Burning

Dual-layer drive support
Real-time project previewing with virtual DVD remote control or to external monitor
DVD project verification and preparation
Supports a wide variety of DVD burners

Box Contents Application DVD includes Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 software, DVD Architect Studio 5.0 software, Sound Forge Audio Studio 10 software with Vocal Eraser, NewBluFX Audio and Video Effects, 400 Music Soundtracks, Tutorial DVD, 44 DVD themes, 12 additional DVD Themes provided by Eye Scream Factory, Inc., and online help

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