ULEAD MediaStudio Pro 6.5: Read It & Weep, Adobe!

[Jerry Jones]

On second thought, it seems this is a Japanese product that has traditionally been available independently:

http://www.expressiontools.com/

Perhaps it's just being marketed on the ULEAD Taiwan site as part of some sort of joint marketing arrangement.

[Jerry Jones]

It does look like a great program for video, however:

http://www.expressiontools.com/products/ETS.html

[Jerry Jones]

$1,399: Too rich for my blood!

http://www.expressiontools.com/products/purchase.html

[Jerry Jones]

Speaking of MediaStudio Pro and VideoStudio... they appear to have captured 59% of the Japanese video editing software market:

http://www.computex.com.tw/software/...asp?index=3186

[Hulk]

Real time preview, huh? That would be really nice.

Would this be a "near" full quality preview that would allow rough previews, or a full quality preview? Either way it seems a serious re-coding of many of the routines must have taken place. Perhaps some of the more cpu intensive routines have been hand coded in assembly, probably not though. The only programs I know coded that way is SAW, Software Audio Workshop. An amazing multitrack audio program, only about 1Mb since it's all hand coded assembly by Bob Lentini. No install routine either, just run the exe.

[Dr Mordrid]

Jerry Jones said;

"There are AMAZING enhancements to the production library, too, including what is similar to the "AUTOMATE TO TIMELINE" function in Premiere 6!!"

How does that feature work in Premiere6?

Moderatly simple;

1. you open the StoryBoard

2. import the video clips you're using in the project

3. put them in the proper order and trim them for length

4. select "AUTOMATE TO TIMELINE" (or something of the sort)

5. from this dialog select to use either cuts or overlap transitions and their default duration

6. click OK and the clips are placed on the A/B timelines, already properly aligned for the transition type and duration chosen

7. All you have to do now is drag down the transitions you want and place them in the proper position on the transition track

Neat new feature in Premiere6

Dr. Mordrid



[This message has been edited by Dr Mordrid (edited 28 June 2001).]

[Jerry Jones]

Based on what information I've been able to gather, the new MediaStudio Pro 6.5 (August 30th) "instant preview" feature will result in a full resolution, instant playback of your timeline material in the PREVIEW WINDOW of Video Editor. It won't go out to an external TV monitor, however.

I'm really pleased with this improvement *and* the optimization for P4 *and* AMD Athlon 3DNow!

The Ulead VideoStudio Web pages explain that this optimization really speeds up rendering:

http://www.ulead.com/vs/new1.htm

Note: Ulead VideoStudio apparently is only optimized for the Pentium 4, but Ulead MediaStudio Pro 6.5 will be optimized for AMD Athlon processors... and I assume AMD Duron processors as well!

[Dr Mordrid]

That the preview won't go out to the TV-Out may or may not be true.

Matrox G400/450/550 cards can output MSPro 6.x's DirectShow timeline playback using their DualHead/DVDMax feature. However, this capability is broken for scrubs (and for instant preview as well) because MSPro6.x uses VfW for these functions.

IF this gets changed (and it was suggested) in the release version of MSPro 6.5 then scrubs, and presumably instant previews, would also go to the DVDMax TV-Output.

We'll see.

Dr. Mordrid


[This message has been edited by Dr Mordrid (edited 28 June 2001).]

[Jerry Jones]

My gosh... that would be INCREDIBLE if they did that, Doc.

It would stop the Canopus DV Raptor RT dead in its tracks, too! Why would anybody pay $599 for a board that does analog real time output when you can do the same thing with the right display card and MediaStudio Pro 6.5. Too cool.

[Dr Mordrid]

Well, if they don't make the change it won't be for lack of the betas hollering about it

As it is DV (and just about anything else) goes to the G-cards vidout when a preview is done. They will output anything from *.rm & *.asf to MPEG-1/2/4, DV, PICvideo, Morgan and DivX. Even Cinepak and Indeo will get output to DVDMax.

Dr. Mordrid


[This message has been edited by Dr Mordrid (edited 28 June 2001).]

[wkulecz]

Yes DVDmax is a cool feature on the G400 dualheads & G450s. My only complaint is the "optimum" advanced settings for certain video file types are incompatible.

DV pretty much requires "feild based scaling" but having this enabled causes MPEG1 to be terrible! With frame based scaling enabled, everyone thinks my VCD format MPEG1s are VHS tapes when they see them on the TV.

A DirectShow filter hook that detected the codec in use and automatically changed the "advanced" settings would be ideal. Lacking this, these settings need to be a menu item in the powerdesk system tray when DVDmax is enabled so one can quickly change before playing a diferent AVI type.

IF Ulead doesn't fix the problem with DVDmax output while scrubbing and "instant preview" I doubt I'll get the update. I'm getting used to Premiere and it works perfectly with both DVDmax and DV thru the camcorder at the same time!

My other peeve with MSP6 is how it always has to interuuped my work flow to "render" the audio before previewing the most trivial changes. Premiere lets me defer the rendering until I'm ready to take a break or I decide I need to render to make an accurate decision, MSP insists on rendering here which drives me up a wall!

--wally.

[Jerry Jones]

Wally,

The *GREAT* news about the 6.5 MediaStudio Pro is that audio is no longer re-rendered.

I agree - that has been a major pain. I'm glad to see it fixed. :-)

JJ

[Jerry Jones]

A couple of reasons why Premiere doesn't work for me:

1. I like the MediaStudio Pro "interface" better (which is simply a personal reason).

2. My video work requires moderately sophisticated compositing, video painting, and vector-based 2D animation.

MediaStudio Pro has virtually all of these things BUILT-IN, i.e. Video Paint, CG Infinity, Audio Editor.

When one buys Premiere - it seems to me - one has to realize one does not have a complete program.

In Premiere, there is no equivalent to
ULEAD CG Infinity, for example.

The built-in titler in Premiere has only a limited sub-set of the features found in CG Infinity.

Premiere users TRADITIONALLY have found themselves needing three *additional* Adobe programs to achieve full NLE functionality:

1. Illustrator (for After Effects text)
2. Photoshop (for Premiere text)
3. After Effects (for composites)

(The new version of Photoshop has added vector-based text. So, in theory, one can get by without Illustrator if one has the newest version of Photoshop.)

But MediaStudio Pro costs:

*$500 retail

Add $500 (retail) for the plug-in compositing application BORISFX-for-MediaStudio and you have virtually everything that would otherwise be in an equivalent Adobe Premiere/After Effects combination.

So that's $1,000 for MediaStudio/Boris...

...compared to...

1. Premiere: $600
2. Illustrator $370
3. Photoshop $650
4. After Effects $995

...which totals: $2,615!!

Now *add* the cost of *upgrading* all of those four Adobe programs as opposed to upgrading only *two* alternative programs, Ulead & BorisFX. It's a huge cost when averaged over a 10-year period.

Personally, I do not choose to enrich Adobe stockholders in that way!

I apply the same logic to my desktop publishing:

1. Corel Draw = Adobe Illustrator
2. Corel Photo=Paint = Adobe Photoshop
3. Corel Ventura = Adobe InDesign

Compare:

1. Corel bundle: $700
2. Adobe bundle: $2,100

The comparison gets even crazier when you learn Adobe's InDesign does not include the critical publishing features that are standard in *Ventura.*

(You have to buy 3rd party plug-ins.)

Yet - due to Adobe's tremendously effective marketing... the Adobe user base is - incredibly - larger mainly due to the fact many creative professionals have historically been Mac-heads.

Corel and Ulead have historically been PC companies where the creative professional user base started out small. (Corel is now offering DRAW for the Mac, however.)

But I expect that as PC creative professionals do the math and figure out the amazing price differential between programs ported from the Mac (Adobe) and programs that have originated on the PC (Ulead/Corel), that will change.

Economics will force the change.

That's my theory, anyway.

[Dr Mordrid]

And lets not forget that with Boris RED is that you can use After Effects plugins without AE. Not shabby.

Dr. Mordrid



[This message has been edited by Dr Mordrid (edited 29 June 2001).]

[wkulecz]

Fabulous news about the audio rendering fix, if they make it work right with the G450 DVDmax I'll beat down the door to get it!

For most things I do, I too like MSP6 user interface better, but once you've seen the DVDmax feature working correctly its very hard to give it up! It sorta works in MSP6, but the show stopper for me is I have to disable DVDmax or MSP6 can't do glitch-free timeline playback :-(

--wally.


[This message has been edited by wkulecz (edited 29 June 2001).]