Comments

Chienworks wrote on 7/16/2003, 10:44 AM
Well, VideoFactory does have a trimmer, but it's not an official feature and it's more of an end user hack to enable it, so i can't really fault an official review for saying it doesn't have it.

That aside, i would guess that the reviewer didn't spend enough time with VideoFactory to discover that editing on the timeline is fast, easy, and precise. Perhaps he didn't discover zooming an snapping in the limited time alloted before the deadline to submit the review.

Probably the same thing could be said for transition times. True, it might be nice to be able to type in a time code in mm:ss:ff format for duration. But, it's pretty easy to see how far two clips are overlapped on the timeline and this defines the transition duration. Once again probably not enough time was spent to realize that VideoFactory's handling of this operation is probably simpler and more intuitive than the competition; all that was noticed was that what he was used to wasn't there. *sigh* A common problem with people reviewing SonicFoundry's software.

Aside from that, the review did seem pretty fair. VideoFactory 2 is getting old. There is lots of competition in that price range and most of the other software has had much more recent updates and newer toys added. However, the new Sony Screenblast version of VideoFactory should address a lot of these issues.
Steve Grisetti wrote on 7/16/2003, 10:56 AM

I agree with Chienworks and, as an owner of the Sony Screenblast version of the software, I agree that the added features (chromakey, in particular) really add to this great value.

PC Magazine's review is a good one, if a bit outdated. Pinnacle's Studio series is excellent (although it either tends to work beautifully on your computer or give you endless problems), Screenblast is an amazing value and even Microsoft's free Movie Maker 2 is outstanding.

Truth is, editing software has become like bicycles -- at any given level and price, brand means less and less and the quality is about the same. It's how valuable the unique features are to you and how comfortable you are with the interface that really matters.

That said, Screenblast feels more like the higher end products (like Premiere, Final Cut and, of course, Vegas Video) than anything else I've found. I keep Studio 7 and Movie Maker 2 around as my back-ups, but Screenblast is one terrific piece of software!
jmyers65 wrote on 7/16/2003, 1:54 PM
I have just one question then, where do I get Sony Screenblast.

One more question: is it reasonable to get VF/Screenblast for my sister and Vegas4 for me. I would like a simple subset product for her so that I can provide user support for her simpler projects.

Steve Grisetti wrote on 7/16/2003, 2:29 PM
I've seen Screenblast at CompUSA and, I think, Best Buy for around $69.

The most amazing deal I've seen, however, is on Amazon.com. See:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00007B5DC/qid=1058383464/sr=8-2/ref=sr_8_2/002-9225145-6808832?v=glance&s=software&n=507846

For a while Amazon was offering a $20 rebate, so you can get it "used" for less than $40. The best part: The "used" pieces have never been used, are still in their boxes, and all that's missing is the UPC (which was needed to claim the rebate). Also, since the rebate was already claimed, sometimes the serial numbers have already been registered. However, since the software is still sealed, Sonic Foundry is very good about supplying new numbers.

Hurry, while supplies last!
Steve Grisetti wrote on 7/16/2003, 2:38 PM
Once you get to Amazon, you'll notice them touting the new Screeblast Movie Studio 2.0 (which is confusing to most people who own version 2.0 of the ORIGINAL Screenblast Movie Studio). It's due to be released in August.

Some very nice features have been added to justify the $99 price tag, most notably DVD authoring, the ability to output Shockwave Flash and a special effects track now added to the video and audio tracks. This program just keeps getting to be a better value all the time!

You can read the press release here:
http://www.screenblast.com/main/content/index.jsp?name=press_release_070903
jmyers65 wrote on 7/16/2003, 3:13 PM
Ok, I bought ScreenBlast (from Sony) for my sister's simple projects.
Now, do I buy Vegas4 for my more comples projects or the Premier Pro?
Chienworks wrote on 7/16/2003, 3:15 PM
VEGAS! Of course ;) But then, did you really expect any other answer in the SonicFoundry forums?
JohnnyRoy wrote on 7/16/2003, 3:36 PM
As others have pointed out, you need to take a PC Magazine review with a grain of salt. How long was the reviewer given to review those 10 products? I’ll bet he didn’t even have time to scratch the surface of what each product could do. This was a strickly “first impressions” style of review. VideoFactory does not have the “in your face” charm of Studio, but its power is much more subtle.

I also question what criteria was used in each category scored. He gave both Studio 7 and VideoFactory 2 four (4) dots for audio editing. What audio editing does Studio have? Can someone explain this to me? It has a volume control. That’s it! Someone needs to explain to this reviewer that adjusting the volume in no way, shape, or form, is the same as editing the audio. VideoFactory has more audio FX than Studio has video FX!

In the Overlay category he gave both Studio 7 and VideoFactory 2 two (2) dots. What was that all about? Studio 7 doesn’t even have a second video track. It has absolutely no way to control transparency. You can’t do picture-in-picture or pan/zoom, yet its rated the same as VideoFactory. VideoFactory should have gotten a higher rating.

This review obviously had little to do with functionally and everything to do with ease of use and first impressions.

Case in point: He starts his VideoFactory with the comment:

"VideoFactory has fewer features than the category leaders of the products we reviewed and is less friendly to novice users—a bad combination for the consumer market."

What he fails to realize is that those novice users outgrow the limited “hand holding” interface of those novice products in only a few months. Then they realize that the product is incapable of growing with them or doing more sophisticated work and they need to buy another NLE. Probably VideoFactory 2!

I should know, I upgraded from Studio 7 to VideoFactory 2. Then I moved on to Vegas 3 and Vegas 4+DVD. So, in a way, he’s right. VideoFactory is not for the novice, its for beginner/intermediate.

Here is my feature list comparison of Studio 7 vs. VideoFactory in this thread. I don’t think the reviewer’s initial comment about less features is accurate. He just didn’t use Studio 7 long enough to see its limitations. Just the nature of a "first impression" style of review I guess.

~jr