I have long been using Roxio's EMC software, having started of with 5, worked through 6, enjoyed 7, and have purchased 8 in Jan 2006. I would not have stuck to the product, had I not first tried the rest, and eventually figured that Roxio's EMC concept provides a good average in terms of multi media home and semi-professional projects. We have systematically grown in to doing our family and home movies more and more proffesional by using the EMC 7 series - investing in digital still cameras, video cameras and relentlisly adding to our music library for use in our "movies". We have even been approached for, and have done some weddings etc. This all said in order to clean the air in terms of our enjoyment of the Roxio EMC products up to version 7.

What we like about EMC 8 so far (not that all of this is working just yet - we trust it will eventually be, after the PATCH), is the following:
* Video in video - wow, what potential. EMC 7 missed this severely.
* Easier and more powerfull panning and zooming in Video editing (not yet working on our version)
* Media Manager's organization methods
* Faster rendering and burning

What we do not like is:
* Instabillity - hanging up every few minutes. EMC 7 use to run as stable as a rock on my system.
* Weird syncronization problems - works fine for a while, then sound and video starts to go their own way
* Video quality of rendered product - Our first DVD indicated that comparative quality with EMC 7 is not as good (actually bad).
* Slow, very slow to work with - EMC 7 is much faster.
* Obvious glitches in program interface - too many to mention (can write DVD from DVD builder, but can not when using Videowave link to DVD Builder etc, etc)


Wel, not to overdo the complaints, I stop here with the EMC 8 negatives - when first I purchased EMC 7, it was as bad as EMC 8 is now, but after their 120 MB update PATCH, it all came right.

So I am still hopefull for Roxio / Sonic on EMC 8 - my question is however, does anybody know when this long expected PATCH will be available - I have purchased the elctronic download version, and see there is only one PATCH out for the early box versions.....

I run an Intell D dual core processor, 2 Gig RAM, ASUS 6800 256 graphics card, twin SATA 300 Gig harddrives, twin DVD LG burners etc etc.

Regards

Francois

I don't know when, or if there will be a patch available for the download version. I do know that some of the missing features are incorporated into EMC 8 Deluxe, which is not a free update.

I agree with you on the video quality of the rendered product. I use EMC 7.5 for my video work. You are wrong about the video in video not being in 7 or 7.5, though. I have put a video on the overlay track of another video more than once, in 7.5. The first was actually two different videos of my parents 50th anniversary, 11 years ago. I inserted and resized one of the videos on an overlay of the other.

I can't disagree with you completely, especially with the final quality of MyDVD but, I really like what the suite offers overall. I don't have the 'slow' problem you mention except in VW which to me, is faster than 7 was.
I feel it offers a great value.

I was hoping to hear that I am wrong in as far as the poor rendering quality of EMC 8 is concerned, especially since EMC 7's final result is excellent. Thankyou for correcting me on the issue of "video in video" in EMC 7. I will, once I decide to uninstall EMC 8 and return to EMC 7 for lack of PATCH availability on EMC 8, experiment with the overlaying of 2nd video lines in EMC 7.

Anybody out there at Roxio / Sonic with some inside info on the possibility of a "save the EMC 8" PATCH..... It would at least help to know if no such corrective patch is planned, since I can then stop wasting my time with EMC 8, and proceed with weathering the storm in EMC 7.




No doubt that, as far as concept is concerned, the EMC program, in either 7, or 8, is the best integrated package out there. However, since one invest in good video equipment, cameras and projectors to enjoy the fruit of the hours spend editing and rendering, it makes no sense to even contemplate using a product which eventually deliver the goods in a "far from acceptable" state of quality, even if compared with EMC7.

But I really hope Roxio will come through again, and save this great concept for us to be usefull untill 9 appears on the scene. I have spent some time trying many packages out there, even thos at three times the cost of EMC7 & 8, and I just do not get along with the "add on" approach of having multiple different programs popping up all over the show, to do what Roxio does in one package.

Frpschutte, do you have version 7.0, 7.1, or 7.5? I would keep Version 8 on my computer and use it for everything outside of video work.

Version 8 really is a great program. I have both 8.05 Deluxe and version 7.5 on my computer.

I'm also finding problems too numerous to mention and would give up on the program if I could get a refund. But, alas, I did not buy through Roxio and think their guarantee if only purchases through them. Does anyone know about this?
You mention a Deluxe version, which I thought was the version with the hardware included. Since I don't need the hardware, it seems unfair to give that version extra software control of the editing process. They should include everything in the Suite package except the hardware, as someone shouldn't be forced to spend an extra $50 on hardware they don't need just to get a few more features. What a ripoff!

Don't buy it, then. Pretty simple.

May be the deluxe version is the one that works and the standard version is the paid-for beta.
Am I wrong or does this company have a habit of putting out versions that almost do what you want and then you pay another lump to get the proper version that the basic version should have been in the first place. Am I right in saying that if you buy the basic version and then upgrade to the deluxe that you end up spending more overall?

I am not happy with Sonic/ Roxio and am having a serious look at Nero. I think I will bin Sonic/Roxio.

Most likely the Dazzle device isn't adding THAT much to the overall price. More like only a few dollars. I've seen them on sale for only $29. You could always turn around and sell the Dazzle on eBay.

Good luck with Nero. They have several versions, too, and their product isn't problem free. Take a look at their user forum. Oh yeah... sorry they don't one.

I agree with you, but I tried out the latest Nero (at least they let you try before you buy, so you aren't stuck with something non-functional) and also had problems, at least on my computer, with some of their newest additions. But it was also an early version of their latest offering. I am only trying to get the EMC program to work well enough to keep it on the computer, and at the present the DVD portion hangs so often that it is unusable, and that is on a machine with a 3.2 Pent4 and almost 1 gig of ram. Grandpabruce suggested I reformat, but I have a very well tuned operating system that I keep cleaned and virus free, plus I reinstall from scratch every so often. And then the topic was closed/frozen. What is that about?

From what I have seen on this forum, the majority of problems seem to center around the video drivers and DirectX. Other video editor companies seem to be headed this way too - requiring better hardware and drivers.

Does the ASUS 6800 use the nVidia chipset? If it does, then prehaps the nVidia drivers will work better than the one from ASUS. Make sure you have the FEB2006 release of DirectX, too.

I simply do not have any of the issues you describe in your first post on either of the machines in my signature.