11 replies to this topic

[clifdene]

I have versions 5 to 7.5 and find I use 6 as it suits my simple mind. I like DVD Builder which in 6 stands alone. In 7 & 7.5 it all seems too complicated. Can anyone advise me as to the pros and cons of upgrading to 9? I would be grateful for any help.

[Beerman]

clifdene, on Oct 4 2006, 05:12 AM, said:

I have versions 5 to 7.5 and find I use 6 as it suits my simple mind. I like DVD Builder which in 6 stands alone. In 7 & 7.5 it all seems too complicated. Can anyone advise me as to the pros and cons of upgrading to 9? I would be grateful for any help.

If you like it simple and 6 works for you, why upgrade.  However, if you like a bit more tweaking power and customization and things like 16:9 videos, 8 or 9 is a fine upgrade.  I feel 8's quality in MyDVD (the new DVD Builder) is not as good as 7.5 and 9.  
What is it you do primarily now?  Lots of video or audio, photography?  Videowave is an awesome tool and if you have the creativity (I don't seem to) you can build very nice lookig projects.

[Larry]

clifdene, on Oct 4 2006, 05:12 AM, said:

I have versions 5 to 7.5 and find I use 6 as it suits my simple mind. I like DVD Builder which in 6 stands alone. In 7 & 7.5 it all seems too complicated. Can anyone advise me as to the pros and cons of upgrading to 9? I would be grateful for any help.

A lot depends on what you plan to use the software for. V9 has some new programs like LightSpeed and Xingtones, so if some of those interest you..

In the video edit dvd creation area, V9 is a lot more feature rich than even 7.x was, so if you find 7.x too complicated, you may find 9 to be more so. If you like the basic simple style of 6, then stick with it.

[clifdene]

Many thanks for the response. I use 6 mainly for editing camcorder tapes and burning to DVD. 16.9 would be useful as well as removal of wind noise. However I suppose that hardly justifies the cost of an upgrade.

[ggrussell]

clifdene, on Oct 4 2006, 10:57 AM, said:

However I suppose that hardly justifies the cost of an upgrade.

I suppose that depends on how much you need those features. Being able to filter native audio on video is something that few other editors have and something I need occassionallly. Definitely nice to have feature.  I recently bought a 16:9 TV so I'll probably get into that more now.

Edited by ggrussell, 04 October 2006 - 07:16 AM.

[Patty]

You might list your computer specs so that we can see if it is powerful enough for v8 or v9. These programs rely much more on the video card then previous versions.

[photomark]

If you are happy with 6.  I would not upgrade.  

I was happy with 7.5, and rather unhappy with 8.  emc8 IS a great program with LOTS OF FUNCTIONALITY, but also lots of pitfalls...Emc 8 runs slow on my system, requirs that EVERYTHING be up to date and no problems at all with dx.  Unfortunately, with emc8, they have discontinued phone tech support, so you are on your own.   The good thing, is that this board is a wonderful resource.  My emc8 would never have worked without this board!

I would consider your system specifications before upgrading.

Just my two cents worth.


Mark
I have heard that 9 is a great program as well, and I like the functionality of emc8, I just don't like the problems that I had...

[shockwave77598]

clifdene, on Oct 4 2006, 02:12 AM, said:

I have versions 5 to 7.5 and find I use 6 as it suits my simple mind. I like DVD Builder which in 6 stands alone. In 7 & 7.5 it all seems too complicated. Can anyone advise me as to the pros and cons of upgrading to 9? I would be grateful for any help.

My 2 cents.

I upgraded from 7.1 to 9 just recently.  I didn't get 8 because of all the problems it had and the fact that I didn't see what good I would get for my money.  9 is a sufficiently better program to be worthy of some money.

Improvements:
More effects and better capabilities in VideoWave, including multiple audio and video tracks.
Simpler "home screen" that even my kids can figure out.
Video capture and Videowave are not as prone to crashing and seem quicker to me.
Editting is easier and more straightforward.
Can burn Bluray discs.  (Not even remotely important to me, now or in the next two years.)
Can make mixed DVDs, having video and programs on the same media.
More abilities for menuing and chapter creation with DVD creator.

Shortcomings:
DVD encoding is still 2 hours for a one hour disc on a Athlon3000 with 1G Dual channel ram.
Start time for the main program is long.
The MediaShare program prevents your capture program from being able to see your DV camcorder (or at least it did to me.)  Best to remove it.  
Cannot burn HDDVD at this time.  (Not that many people have HDcamcorders or burners yet.  But if I did, it wouldn't be Bluray.)
An error in the Registry has to be fixed by hand.  But it isn't a major issue - just icons - and you can ignore it if you wish.

V7 is a little long in the tooth.  The improvements in V9 are worth the 99$.  I _do_ suggest you get an actual CD of the program though instead of a downloadable copy.   In the past, Roxio has not made updates available to those (like me) who ran the downloaded version.  You will also get a CD of extras for creating video work, so get the box version on a CD.

Allen Kitchen

[jimbo206]

How about someone posting a link to some examples of their completed projects for us to see?

[sknis]

jimbo206, on Oct 13 2006, 07:37 PM, said:

How about someone posting a link to some examples of their completed projects for us to see?

jimbo, I'm not sure what your request has to do with the differences in the program versions and whether someone should upgrade.  What are you looking for?  

Realize that posting a movie has several problems.  Most free sites are very limited in quality and time.  Anything more significant would have to be posted on a personal web site.  The quality would still be an issue.  The person would also pretty much need a MSFrontPage type site. If the movie were a WMV file then the download would be fast but the quality would be poor.  If you go with , for example an avi file, the quality would be excellent but the download would only be done by someone with a high speed connection.  Most other people would not wait for the long download.

With that explanation, what are you looking for?  Why don't you post a link to some of the work you are doing?  Have you looked at the V9 contest site?  I'm not sure there is anything there for you to see but maybe.

[jimbo206]

Sknis, like the original poster I too am trying to hash out whether to purchase V-9, that was why I asked.  I thought "Liveshare" allowed users to access the host computer like a server to view slideshows and video productions since broadband speeds support the amount/speed of data.

Sknis, I don't think your reply was appropriate and very harsh.  I pray your day today is a better one than yesterday.

[sknis]

jimbo206, on Oct 14 2006, 08:11 AM, said:

Sknis, like the original poster I too am trying to hash out whether to purchase V-9, that was why I asked. I thought "Liveshare" allowed users to access the host computer like a server to view slideshows and video productions since broadband speeds support the amount/speed of data.

Sknis, I don't think your reply was appropriate and very harsh. I pray your day today is a better one than yesterday.

LiveShare allows you to share images only.  You cannot share videos or music (see also comment below).

I don't think that my reply was harsh.  Yes, it was direct and it answered your question about posting some movies.  It also gave you a place to look at some postings as part of a contest.  

You hijacked the thread without providing any information about what you currently have or anything about your computer. You also did not post anything about what you want to do with the program.   If you read the above postings, you know that those three items have a strong effect on what you should do.

Also, in this day and age I do not know of many people who would publicly post a location of their computer for fear that someone would use it to "get in."

Now, did someone pick on you yesterday so that you are sensitive today?  I spent 8 hours volunteering at a local hospital giving back what they did for my wife.  I am thankful for the opportunity to give back there (almost 2000 hours in a little over two years) and on these boards.  Please do not try to read in anything that wasn't specifically written in my post.

Now I feel bad because of an unjust criticism.  Thanks.

Edited by sknis, 14 October 2006 - 05:49 AM.