On test: Cyberlink Power Director 7 Ultra
Another option for editing your video footage?
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Video Editing Suites
Reviews on Video Editing Suites
"CyberLink PowerDirector 7 Ultra - PC review"
Published on: 6/2008
"Corel WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray"
Published on: 4/2008
On test: Corel WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray
With the ability to play back DVDs now coming bundled in Windows itself, there is less of an incentive to go out and purchase another piece of software. However, some of the features included in Corel's new version of veteran PC DVD player software WinDVD, may just make you reconsider.
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"Roxio Crunch iPod Video Conversion Package"
Published on: 2/2008
On test: Roxio Crunch
I've often doubted the wisdom of adding video playback to MP3 players and mobile devices. Can you really enjoy watching video on a tiny screen that was designed to show album cover art, or which network provider you're currently using? But as mobile devices have evolved, screen sizes and resolutions have improved, while screen quality has come on in leaps and bounds. As such, the idea of sitting on a train and catching up on your favourite TV show doesn't seem so ludicrous anymore.
When Apple launched the iPhone and iPod touch last year it moved the game on, by building truly great screens into the devices, with proper widescreen aspect ratios that reflect the way film and TV is shot today. Yes, you could argue that Sony did this a long time ago with the PSP, which in itself is a superb mobile video playback device, but you're unlikely to have your PSP in your pocket every day. By contrast, I have my iPhone with me at all times, so it's perfect as a casual, mobile video player.
Of course Apple wants all iPod users to buy all their video from the iTunes store, which is all well and good, apart from the fact that if you watch a lot of video, you'll end up with some pretty hefty bills. Take Lost for instance, if you want to download the latest Season Four episodes, you're looking at a cost of £3.78 each, which is pretty steep no matter how you look at it.
The obvious answer is to convert your existing video library to your iPod or iPhone, but that's not as simple as it should be. If you're like me, you've probably got video files encoded in a plethora of codecs, and getting some of them into an iPod friendly format can be a bit of a headache. That's where Roxio Crunch comes in, offering the end user a very quick and simple way to convert pretty much any video file into something that's, well, Apple friendly.
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"Adobe Premiere Elements 4"
Issue: 12/2007
On test: Adobe Premiere Elements 4.0
Like its Elements stablemate, this latest version of Adobe's entry-level video editor sees a radical change of interface. The front end has been reworked to be more in keeping with the look and feel of Windows Vista, but the company is also hoping to win over those new to video editing with the promise of making fun movies in 15 minutes. Anyone experienced in desktop video editing will know that's a tall order.
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Video Editing Suites
As miniDV and DVD camcorders have largely supplanted the venerable hi-8 of old, home users are increasingly realising the possibility of non-linear video editing on their home computers.Both Windows and Apple Macintosh computers come with some form of video editing package, but these are often limited in scope and performance. A more complete package will offer support for more codecs and output formats and will come with more transitions and effects than a free version.
One of the most important factors to consider when deciding on a package is the complexity of its interface. It is no use going for the absolute best and most all-encompassing suite you can fin d, or afford, if all you want to do is add titles to a video of yourself on holiday, in this case a more consumer oriented package should suffice. Conversely, if you are buying a package on which to edit the next Napolean Dynamite, go for something a little more professional.
A video editing package will work best with a DV camcorder. Even though a DVD camcorder may be more tempting with its capacity for instant playback in a DVD player, the video it makes is heavily compressed using the MPEG-2 codec, which does not stand up as well to recompression as DV video.
Most packages will support export to DV tape with a compatible camcorder, but the most likely output medium for most home users will be a DVD disc, many consumer oriented packages support direct-to-DVD recording, but keep in mind that you will most likely have to wait quite a while for the finished product as the video will have to be compressed and this can take some time, even on the fastest PC.
