Others say...

"Freezes constantly"
I received a version with a video camera. I paid for an upgrade and regret it. I have had nothing but problems, and I substantially exceed the minimum system requirements. Capturing drops frames and I often have to capture in light version of Ulead Studio then edit in Studio 9. About half the time it freezes. One project I created freezes on the same frame every time. I can break out that part of the video and have no problem in writing that to a DVD file. But if I put the same clip in a project that uses several clips, it freezes. I am a professional computer troubleshooter and am very disappointed in this.

"Does the 9.4 fix this monster? NO! "
I'm still laughing at the mind reader who can discern from these online reviews -- and the brief windows into folks' personalities they provide --who has, and hasn't, installed the 9.4 patch.

Condescend much?

About to get another new PC, and new video editing software, I thought I'd scan the internet for ideas on what *non-Pinnacle* software to get. After a good hour reading about Ulead, Vegas, Adobe, et al, I wound up here (no search engine's perfect, I suppose). Still somewhat bitter about all the time I lost using Pinnacle, I couldn't simply return to Google without first throwing in my 2 cents.

1. Once your project grows beyond a couple-splices-and-a-WAV level, Pinnacle Studio will crash often, despite having the 9.4 patch. And, no, it's not a hardware issue. Of course, you lose everything you've done since last saving your file (which quickly becomes second nature), and occasionally the crashed file becomes uneditable! You'll find yourself saving two and three copies of the same file, for this reason alone.
2. Rendering is unreliable. Often, the rendering will freeze, and the resultant video will be a mass of useless data.
3. Burning onto DVDs -- regardless what brand DVD you use -- usually skips and often unplayable in standard DVD players. Huge, like, five-second chunks of video skipped over, sometimes much longer.
4. The Menu Building feature of Pinnacle was written by a retard. Not that the menus themselves, once created, are poor --- they're fine. But the act itself of creating a menu involves a process more counterintuitive than breathing water, I imagine.
5. Technical support - the only thing I can recall about Pinnacle's tech reps is the time I called about audio/video sync issues, and the guy suggested he talk me through editing my registry... that's right!

Maybe I'm just remembering all the bad stuff. But, if that's the case, there's a good reason for it.

Back to Google...

"Dishonest company"
Do not buy anything from Pinnacle. Their software deceptively leads you to believe that you need to purchase further programs to burn DVDs. I did so and got incorrect activation codes twice before requesting a refund which they have refused to give even though the product does not work and meets their advertised return policy. I have filed a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission for deceptive trade policies and knowingly offering defective products.

"I love the program, and learned to deal with it's flaws"
I started on Pinnacle 7 which I liked, but it always froze on me if I tried to use an mp3 as sound. Well, my computer was in my parents office and was smoke damaged by a major fire next door. So insurance paid for Pinnacle 9 plus. I love all of the features. It was a little flaky before I patched it. I had no problems installing it. I did a hour long three camera wedding video for my brother. With that long of a video I did have some problems. I quickly learned to make each chapter seperately, and then go in and compile them in the end. That turned out quite nicely. I too experienced the out of sync sound, but I have learned that if I finish the editing, save the file an close the program, and then restart the program and burn the file then it works wonderfully. So as long as you don't mind closing the program ocassionally, it works great. Also it works much better after restarting the computer. So I start each day with it fresh and haven't had many problems with many hours of work on it. It does fuss about bringing in files if they are the wrong frame size, but this is more an issure if you are downloading from the internet and not capturing. You can bring these files in if you convert it to the right 29.97 frame rate. Once you learn the little things you can do to make it more efficent then it is a breeze to work with. O and don't overload your computer memory with too many files that is when it starts getting out of sync.

Overall I really like this program, and I have been working with Adobe Premiere and I miss Pinnacle desperately. I haven't bought any of the other packages to go along with it. I'm too cheap I use what is there and I haven't really needed any of the other parts. I spent 500+ hours on this program. So I am not a new user. Don't be afraid. Just patch and follow my advice and you should be good to go.

"Better than most if you can get it to work"
I own two copies of Studio8, two copies of Studio9, two copies of Studio9 Plus, and only one copy of Studio 10. Studio 9 Plus is the best way to go. After you apply latest patch and a new stable video card driver for you computer. Download direct-x and install that (even if you already have it installed). Studio 9 is buggy but it beats all the rest for features and ease of use. The program does install what seems like hundreds of special effects and add on that you can preview on your video but need to purchase separately in order to unlock them for use in creation of videos. Some start at $10 each and they go up up up from there. I have purchased some and liked the fact that you can buy only the ones you want, although I don't know if they are worth the money totally. The purchase of an add on effect nets you a machine and install specific serial number, no physical download. Pinnacle is worse than Microsoft for us power users that reformat hard drives or get new computers often. The entire software and all add on effects are machine specific and they even require a registration and activation to make a MPEGII video (DVD compatible video). The software sends a machine ID to Pinnacle so even after purchasing add on effects you can't use them again if you get a new computer or reformat your hard drive without jumping through hoops and begging them for a new serial number. Even that, I guess as I found out, is not even guaranteed and I personally am out all the money I paid for some add on effects after their system lost record of my add on effects purchases. Even though I have Studio 10, I still use Studio 9 plus instead. (To date I cannot get Studio 10 to work on any of my computers) In light of Pinnacle loosing my records for my add on effects purchases, and my inability to use those special effects again ever (even though I provided tech support with a receipt of purchase), I recommend Studio 9 Plus instead of Studio 10 but warn against any purchases for extras. Last note: Seems like tech support moved to India so those of us who don't speak that language can't really get any help there.