Charlie White's Review of Ulead VideoStudio 10

[Jerry Jones]

"...editing DV, playback is smooth and crisp..."

"...but it's not nearly as smooth when working with HDV clips."

"I captured HDV footage as well as DV footage using VS 10, and even when using the Proxy Mode for HDV editing, which uses smaller-sized clips for editing and then substitutes the full-resolution clips when you're done, it was impossible to get jitter-free playback of the HD video."

"The jerky playback was especially noticeable when adding transitions or filters."

"Unfortunately, when editing HDV footage, VS 10 wasn't able to smoothly play back even a simple clip even on a dual-processor Intel Xeon 3.6GHz machine with 2GB of RAM."

"Other software packages are able to play back HDV clips in real time on the same machine, and also are able to show real-time previews of dissolves using HDV footage, but not Ulead VideoStudio 10."

The criticisms above are from reviewer Charlie White:

http://tinyurl.com/eb93p

THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE CHECKED, ULEAD!

PLEASE CHECK TO FIND OUT IF THE SAME PROBLEM HAPPENS IN MEDIASTUDIO PRO!

I had trouble with smooth playback of HDV clips from my JVC JY-HD10, but I assumed it was because I didn't have enough processor power.

Perhaps the problem goes deeper than that!



Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Jerry Jones]

To those who participated in the latest beta test of Ulead MediaStudio Pro, did Ulead include anybody who is using an HDV camcorder?

(I thought I had better ask.)



Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Jerry Jones]

On the other hand, even SONY warns that the "Vegas Movie Studio" software can't play HDV "transport stream" clips well:

http://tinyurl.com/euhp8

"You can use native HDV MPEG-2 transport streams on the Vegas Movie Studio Platinum timeline, but playback performance will be ***POOR*** on most systems. We recommend you convert the native HDV footage—or selected portions of it—to an HDV intermediate format for timeline editing."

The Ulead software, however, converts such transport streams to be program streams.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Dr Mordrid]

His system specs are a bit sparce, but his problem is likely that non-proxy HDV edits require a 16x PCIe display adapter for proper playback. It's right in the minimum system requirements for both MSP8 and VS10;

MSP8: http://www.ulead.com/msp/sysreq.htm

VS10: http://www.ulead.com/vs/sysreq.htm

IF he's running an AGP....

Dr. Mordrid

[Jerry Jones]

Sparce?

He claims he used a dual-processor Intel Xeon 3.6GHz machine with 2GB of RAM!

I'm not sure I follow you... ?

True, he didn't say what his graphics card was, but you'd think he would have done okay with the proxy editing.

And here are two more disturbing comments from Charlie White:

"While VS 10 was fairly stable when editing DV, it crashed numerous times under the strain of HDV."

"As far as editing HDV is concerned, I found VS 10 highly unstable and an inappropriate choice."

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Dr Mordrid]

Of course he doesn't state his proxy settings either.....or if he bothered to wait for them to be generated or if he bored staight in. Charlie isn't always that careful with his procedures. He made some awful errors in his MSP8 review that reading the reviewers guide and proto-manual could have avoided.

Dr. Mordrid

[Jerry Jones]

Yes, I agree the review of MediaStudio Pro 8 suggested lack of understanding on Charlie's part.

But I still think Ulead should investigate the claims in this new review of VideoStudio 10.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Bignosetw]

Ulead responds to VideoStudio review

Ulead Responds:

Ulead read this review of VideoStudio 10 with interest. The writer demonstrates a degree of understanding of the product. However, there are some things which we would like to clarify.

Help Files

The position of the question mark symbol for “Help” has been Ulead’s practice for several versions. Charlie amended his review a little after the location of the help files were pointed out to him. As always, the standard Windows keyboard shortcut F1 will also bring up Help. That shortcut is listed in the manual on page 153 under “Menu command shortcuts”.

Mini-box

The Mini-box may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it was produced at the request of a retailer as a way to fit more software on less shelf space. It is just one of the configurations in which VideoStudio is available, and the majority of retailers still prefer to stock the full-size version.

The manual is also on the program CD in PDF format for users who would prefer to view it on-screen.

Chromakey

While it is true that the better your scene is lit, the better your results, the background doesn’t have to be blue or green, any solid color will do. VideoStudio will even automatically detect the correct color to remove. A simple white wall works well as a background, and doesn’t present as much problems with color spill. The only problem is if the talent is wearing a white shirt! But for a fun effect for a consumer to play with, it works great.

Consumer HDV

As for our motivation for including HDV in a consumer product: This is the second version of VideoStudio to include HDV support, and customer and market feedback is unequivocal - there is, indeed, a market for consumer HDV editing software, to go with the consumer HDV camcorders like the Sony HC-1 and HC-3. Many buyers of these camcorders do in fact want easy-to-use editing tools. We believe that telling Aunt Sally who just bought a dinky little Sony HC-3 to shell out $500+ and learn a professional tool is not very realistic. For those who want to step up to more professional HDV editing, MediaStudio Pro 8 would also be a very good choice, at a lower price and less of a learning curve.

VideoStudio 10 is available in two versions: The Plus version includes full high-definition support, from capture to authoring HD DVD discs. It is also the first consumer video editor to include Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound support, and allows MPEG-4 encoding – all at no extra cost to the user.

For consumers who do not need these higher-end features, Ulead provides VideoStudio 10 in a standard version that costs less.

HDV playback

There are several variables that impact smooth playback, and it is impossible to figure out the problem with so little information. Certainly having several video editing software packages from different vendors installed on the same machine often causes conflicts.

I regularly edit HDV on various machines with and without Smart Proxy, and get acceptably responsive performance – and certainly haven’t had any crashes.

You can see a sample here that I shot and edited on HDV: http://www.dropshots.com/day.php?use...6&ctime=171301

A standard part of my product demos is to put three types of video clips on the timeline together: An HDV clip, an MPEG-2 clip, and a standard DV clip. Put dissolves between all three, and watch it play smoothly through. Works every time.

[Jerry Jones]

Thanks for the great response!

So - you've checked to make sure there aren't any *playback issues* with HDV clips?

That's good and I'm glad you took the time to do so.

I suppose you could be right that Charlie's computer may have been so loaded with various software programs that he might have experienced some kind of technical problem... except... he claims he has no trouble with playback using other, non-Ulead HDV-enabled programs, which does make his problem puzzling.

I think I might borrow an HDV camcorder, myself, and play with the proxy feature in MediaStudio Pro 8 using my 2.4ghz AMD notebook.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Dr Mordrid]

Proxy zone....

[Jerry Jones]

Proxy zone, Doc? Is that a reference to the limitations of the 2.4ghz AMD Athlon 64 chip?



Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Jerry Jones]

My next computer will be a Macintosh:

http://tinyurl.com/c5st9

I'll keep using my Gateway notebook for MiniDV editing.

But for AVCHD editing, I suspect APPLE will be the company that will make low-cost H.264 editing a FLAWLESS experience.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Jerry Jones]

Reviewer Jan Ozer of PC MAGAZINE totally contradicts Charlie White!

He put Ulead VideoStudio 10+ through the paces.

Accordingly, PC MAGAZINE names Ulead VideoStudio 10+ as "Editor's Choice."

http://tinyurl.com/qakyc

"NONE CAN EDIT HDV MORE QUICKLY."

"In fact, many apps have no HDV support at all."

"Throw in a cool new DVD menu paradigm and you've got a product worth considering."

"In fact, these extra abilities push VideoStudio over the top, making it an Editors' Choice in addition to Adobe Premiere Elements."

I trust Jan Ozer tested the Ulead software and did not experience the same problem described by Charlie White of Digital Media Net.

9/21/2006 UPDATE: I just tested Ulead VideoStudio 10+ on my GATEWAY NOTEBOOK COMPUTER... model 7426gx with an AMD Athlonâ„¢ 64 3700+ Processor, which operates at 2.4 GHz and I CAN PLAY HDV CLIPS FROM A CANON HV10 HDV CAMCORDER WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS AT ALL.

So Charlie White's computer -- CLEARLY -- suffered from some technical support issues unrelated to Ulead VideoStudio 10+.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Dr Mordrid]

Not to mention not fully reading the reviewers guide & proto-manual