Which programs for 64 bit computer?

[Mike Burgess]

Hi.

I just got a new computer with an Intel core i7-2700 3.5 GHz 4 core processor with HyperThreading and Turbo Boost, with Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit. I have 8 GB of RAM, and a GeForce 220 video card. My current version of Pinnacle 12 does not seem to work too well with this set-up. What I would like to know is what rather inexpensive editing programs are available that will work with 64 bit computers?

Thanks.
Mike

[Buba Kastorski]

the least expensive is probably Edius

[Mike Burgess]

Thanks for your reply.

Eight hundred dollars is a bit more than an inexpensive program. It does look like a wonderful program, but since this is a hobby and not a business, it is more than I want to spend.

Mike

[James Kuhn]

Mike...I can only speak to Sony Vegas Pro, but it has 32-bit and 64-bit versions. I would imagine any 'PC compatible' NLE would come in a 64-bit version. I'm sure those with more knowledge will chime in. Someone is selling VP 9 & 10 in the 'classifieds', that might be a cheaper alternative. If you're not going to do a lot of 3-D rendering, VP 10 would be a good choice.

JMHO, YMMV.

J.

[Mark Williams]

Mike, you might want to check out Edius Neo for $199 at Videoguys.com - Grass Valley EDIUS Neo 3 Ideal for New Video Editors

[Randall Leong]

Originally Posted by Mike Burgess

Hi.

I just got a new computer with an Intel core i7-2700 3.5 GHz 4 core processor with HyperThreading and Turbo Boost, with Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit. I have 8 GB of RAM, and a GeForce 220 video card. My current version of Pinnacle 12 does not seem to work too well with this set-up. What I would like to know is what rather inexpensive editing programs are available that will work with 64 bit computers?

Here is part of the problem:

Pinnacle Studio 12 is strictly a 32-bit program, and thus cannot take anywhere near full advantage of today's modern CPUs and GPUs. Furthermore, it effectively cannot use more than 2GB of RAM - and its performance is very sluggish to begin with, even with the absolute fastest CPU in the world.

Unfortunately, most of the other inexpensive $100 consumer video editing programs are also constrained to 32-bit operation even on a 64-bit OS. Even Premiere Elements (the latest version) comes with a 64-bit editor but the rest of the program is 32-bit.

[Jeff Lee]

With the newest release of Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD 11 (re: 295) it now recognizes more that 4 Gig of memory. I'm running 16 Gig's of Memory on an AMD 6 core and its very fast. You can find the produciton suite for less than $100 on Amazon and the work flow is similar to Vegas PRO. Great deal. You are limited to 10 video and 10 audio tracks, but that's a lot for most folks. I had a competitors product that was supposed to be a challenge to the Semi-PRO stuff but it was really buggy. (You probably know which one I'm talking about given your current NLE).

[Bill Koehler]

I would first point out you are running a fairly old version of Pinnacle Studio.

But I'm another Pinnacle Studio escapee who went to Sony Vegas Movie Studio, then Pro.
Two thumbs up on both of them.

[Jay West]

Have you looked at this page from Videoguys, a DVinfo sponsor?

Videoguys Blog - Video Editing Choices For Tight Budgets ? Videoguys Recommendations for under $500

Also, bear in mind that many programs are available in time-limited fully functional trial versions. You download them and see how well or how poorly they work on your new system.

[Mike Burgess]

Thanks.

I know that Pinnacle 12 is old. It has worked great for me up until now. I am torn between upgrading to Pinnacle 15, Avid Studio, Power Director 10, or now I guess, Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD 11.

Mike

[Mike Burgess]

I am going to try the free trials on each program over the next several weeks to compare them. Of course, I won't get a complete picture of each since the free trials are somewhat limited packages, but at least I will be able to see how well they run, hopefully.

So far have downloaded trials for Power Dirctor 10 and Sony Vegas. Power Directer free trial is limited, so it is hard to accurately judge the package, and having just gotten Sony Vegas, I am still learning.

Mike

[Buba Kastorski]

Originally Posted by Mike Burgess

Thanks for your reply.

Eight hundred dollars is a bit more than an inexpensive program. It does look like a wonderful program, but since this is a hobby and not a business, it is more than I want to spend.
Mike

oops, didn't notice crossgrade option :)
Power director then would be your next choice, but Ultra , Delux is a 32 bit application as well as vegas movie studio

[Brian Drysdale]

You could hold off buying and check out Lightworks, the new version is due out soon and there seems to a number of improvements over the current beta version. It has a bit of a learning curve, but it's used to edit feature films and has requirements needed for long form productions. Certainly it's a program for cutting stories.

I don't know if the new version will be 64 bit or if that's coming later.

Announcement

Roadmap

Currently, the beta is a free download, but with limited codecs.

[Jay West]

Originally Posted by Mike Burgess

I am going to try the free trials on each program over the next several weeks to compare them. Of course, I won't get a complete picture of each since the free trials are somewhat limited packages, but at least I will be able to see how well they run, hopefully.

So far have downloaded trials for Power Dirctor 10 and Sony Vegas. Power Directer free trial is limited, so it is hard to accurately judge the package, and having just gotten Sony Vegas, I am still learning.

Mike

Some suggestions.

"Sony Vegas" can refer to "Vegas Pro 11" --- a very capable, 64 bit application that retails for about $500 and has an enthusiastic forum here at DVinfo with lots of pro and semi-pro editors. It may be more than you want and will have a pretty steep learning curve when coming from Power Director. If you got the "Pro" trial version, do not install it until you can give it enough time to work with it. The much less expensive "Vegas" studio apps will likely seem more familiar. As I recall, they are all still 32-bit apps with some optimization for Win 7. As Jeff points out, they can utilize up to 4gB of RAM which may help with speed. Whether they will be as speedy as Power Director 10 is something you'll have to look at on your system.

Avid has two different products with very similar names: "Avid-Pinnacle Studio" and "Avid Studio." The Avid-Pinnacle products are supposedly aimed at entry-level video editing, are 32-bit applications, and the various versions retail for somewhere between $50 and $100. "Avid Studio" is supposed to be aimed at "prosumers" and "advanced enthusiasts" and is optimized for multi-core processors (like your I7) and 64-bit operating systems like Win 7. (I'm guessing that "optimized" means it is still running 32 bit code, though.) DVinfo sponsors Videoguys and B&H sell it for $115 (US$).

[Mike Burgess]

Reading through several different users reviews on the net on various programs, it is becoming somewhat discouraging, what with crashes and other pitfalls.
As to Sony Vegas Studio HD 11, I am currently trying to learn the trial version. It is just enough different from Pinnacle Studio, that it gives me some problems trying to figure things out. But I am making progress.
Would really like to see more with Power director 10, but the trial is limited and doesn't give any kind of complete picture of what it can do. Anyone care to give a good thorough review of the Ultra version?
Reading the forums about Avid Studio, there are a lot of complaints about crashes and poor customer support.

So other than upgrading my Pinnacle 12 to Pinnacle 15 (which from what I have seen, there is not much difference), I am undecided, as of this date, between Power Directer 10, Sony Vegas Studio 11, and Avid Studio. Will work with them until the trial periods are up and then see what is what and make a decision.

Has anyone seen or heard news about if/whether Sony Vegas Studio or Avid Studio will be coming out with true 64 bit progams any time soon? Would hate to spend the money now and then regret it within a month or three when a new version comes out.

Mike