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Product Review: Page (1) of 1 - 02/27/08

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Pinnacle Studio MovieBox Ultimate

Input from virtually any video source to capture and edit your video

By Heath McKnight

Pinnacle`s Studio MovieBox Ultimate is the perfect hardware and software combination for Windows users looking to get a lot of bang for their buck. The hardware/software solution combines a capture box, non-linear editor (NLE), web video encoder, and DVD creator. Editing with Studio 11 is a breeze, plus there`s a green screen to do chroma key work, all for only $149.99. All I can say is, where was this when I was 13 and starting to make movies?!

What`s Included
   Pinnacle has made sure that all the bells and whistles are included in the MovieBox Ultimate:

• 710-USB Video Capture Hardware, which connects to your PC via USB 2.0. The input ports include analog S-Video and Composite (also known as RCA or A/V) and one digital FireWire or i.Link IEEE 1394 port for digital capture.
• Pinnacle Studio 11 Ultimate NLE software, which will help you bring your masterpiece together. You can cut in HD (high definition) or SD (standard definition) video, then burn a DVD or send it to the web on sites such as YouTube.
• BIAS` SoundSoap (for Pinnacle), which is a great software tool to help get rid of unwanted noise from your audio.
• ProDAD VitaScene, which is a set of transitions and image effects to get a certain look you want for your video.
• StageTools, which allows you to create some pans and zooms, Ken Burns-style (actually, that`s the name of the plug-in found in Apple`s iMovie).
• Plus, the Green Screen for chroma keying. Shoot your talent against the properly lit green screen, and you`ll be able to "put" them anywhere in the world. Or maybe outside.

Working with Studio MovieBox Ultimate
I hooked up the video capture box to a blazing fast Toshiba QOSMIO, though you don`t need an uber-system to enjoy the hardware and software. You`ll need either Windows XP or Vista, at least 512MB RAM (I recommend maxing out, or at least having 2GB of RAM), and a single processor 1.8 GHz system. After I hooked up the box and installed all the software, I was ready to rock and roll. I was able to capture digital video, HDV, and AVCHD footage, along with some old analog VHS tapes.

From there, editing in Studio 11 Ultimate was a cinch, as was working with proDAD VitaScene. I was surprised by how powerful this NLE is. You can read a full review of it here . One thing I thought was absolutely cool is mixing HD (HDV, AVCHD) with SD (DV, captured analog video) together on the timeline, and it "up-scales" nicely to HD. This is a feature found in professional NLEs that would cost over $1,000!

MovieBox accepts a variety of video formats, including DV, S-Video and Composite video.

Working with StageTools was fun, easy to use and I was impressed with the results. I can see a parent taking photos and video of their kids throughout the years and putting together a mini-documentary of their lives growing up. I`ve worked with BIAS` SoundSoap before, so I was able to easily remove some stray noise, though using it with care is recommended. Use it too much and it can affect the sound you`re trying to preserve, and it may sound tinny or even like it`s coming from over a phone. Speaking of sound, I also fooled around a little with Scorefitter, the soundtrack creator. It`s fun and has 40 source tracks, according to Pinnacle, so start scoring your masterpieces right away!

Exporting
The DVD encoding and creation was a breeze, but I was surprised to learn AVCHD DVDs and HD DVDs can be made, too, on regular DVD-R discs (along with the standard SD DVDs). Um, hello, professional apps like Apple DVD Studio Pro? The consumer apps are beating ya with hi def DVDs. Not even iDVD can do this. However, I`m guessing Blu-ray is next, which isn`t much of a guess, I know, but I`d love to see the support soon across all platforms.

Probably the more important aspect is exporting to the Web. Windows Media 9, DivX, MPEG-4, REAL, and others are available, so it`s easy to make great-looking videos, which are ready to upload to your favorite video-sharing sites. It`s easy to export to whichever format you choose, be it DVD, the Web, an iPod, Sony PSP or even a DivX compatible player (see my DivX review here.

Chroma Key
The chroma key feature is cool and easy-to-use, and I think it`ll be a lot of fun for budding filmmakers and FX artists to set up shots in front of the included green screen (don`t forget to use enough light). Once you`re ready to grow in this field, you`ll find there are plenty of pro-level apps out there to take you to the next level, including those from Pinnacle`s parent company, Avid.

Pinnacle Video Spin
   I gave Video Spin a shot, and was impressed with how easy it is to put together a little movie. This software is designed for those who want to make fast videos that can be uploaded online but don`t need all the bells and whistles of the Studio Ultimate NLE software. Find out more about this free app at www.videospin.com.

Conclusion
Well, color me surprised at how powerful the Studio MovieBox Ultimate is: capture, edit, export, chroma keying, soundtrack scoring and more, for the unbelievable price of $149.99! As I said in my introduction, if only this existed in 1989, when I was 13 years old and trying to make little movies with a VHS camera. Editing was out of the question, because two VCRs never worked as well.

You may be wondering if you should just go with Studio 11 by itself. The biggest reason to buy the MovieBox Ultimate is for the hardware itself. Though we`ve been in a DV and HD world for the past few years, there are plenty of people, family members, friends, and more, who have old VHS or Hi-8 tapes that need to be captured, spruced up and put onto a future-proof format, like DVD. For me, the box is worth the price alone. Also, not all Windows systems have FireWire (iLink) ports, but the box does, so getting video in from cameras featuring only FireWire is a cinch.

No matter your age or skill level, this is a great set of tools to make great looking movies, and have a fun time doing it! Use VideoSpin if you want to make quick movies, ready for export. www.pinnaclesys.com