Ravensoldier22 wrote:... my current ram, which I found out is now only 207...(is that normal?)
.. if your computer was designed before 2003, it might show it as 207meg available ..
I have seen 128meg show as 119meg available on Compaq EVO-330's so it is possible!
After seeing your post and then seeing the Reviews, I purchased the Studio Plus version 11.
There are three versions of Pinnacle Studio with the AVID Video Editor:
1) 49.95 single layer editor which looks to be about as useful as a Ulead Studio!
2) 99.95 dual layer editor -- that's the one I purchased.
3) 129.95 dual layer editor with a green blanket >_< for self chroma keying back-drops.
Named:
1) Studio
2) Studio plus
3) Studio ultimate
#2 comes with three DVD's and an extensive list of options. The requirements are
listed as 1.6gig dual core AMD or Intel core2 duo 2.4gig processor, 2gig RAM with Vista or 512meg Windows XP SP2, 256meg ATI Radeon 9600+ or Nvidia GeForce 6 video card, a sound card.
.. the only thing it does not come with are:
1) Quicktime 7 or newer
2) Divx codec's
3) AVCHD codec's
4) Dolby 2.1 channel codec.
.. things you must supply are:
1) a DVD ripper
2) the 5.1, 6.1 and/or 9.1 channel audio codec's.
It is quite clear that Studio Plus / Pinnacle .. wants you to follow the MicroSoft way of doing things. They have gone out of their way to make the Editor eat-memory for proper usage!
After loading this DVD's onto the hard drive of both my computers,
a) Compaq EVO-330 ( 2.4gig proc, 512meg ram, 100gig PATA HD ) WinXP SP2
b) Gateway ( AMD 5000+ duo core 64bit, 4gig ram, three 320gig SATA hd's ) Vista basic 32bit
the first thing it tryed to do was get on the internet to be registered?? I told it NO and it shut-down the Studio Program from running on both XP and Vista! .. Clearly, this design is following the MicroSoft way of design -- to get on-line. I activated the XP computer ( which I am using right now ) and my hard-drive went NUTS!!! .. I only spent $125.00 for this silly thing so I wasn't worried if it blew-up or not ^_^
.. it turns-out that the activation erases about 90% of the three-DVD's install. I am using it right now with no crashes nor problems. As far as the Updates everyone was complaining about, well yea: if you want to do certain effects then you need purchase those updates -- daah!
So far, its only been five hours sence I activated it, I see no problems with anything but HD-Encoding ( 512meg just stutters while trying to play a clip while in the Editing mode. )
Encoding was slow for HD MODE, about three minutes per minute of Video Encoding - thats not too bad!
I have not played with it enough to write a review, but I see no real problems with 512meg ram, 2.4gig Intel Processor and the Pinnacle Studio Plus version 11 ^_^
well, if anything, I have to thank you. I like to find new software. I hope that my ranting-on-and-on about what I went through might help you in your quest for what updates shall be needed for the software you are getting ready to install ^_^