Several days ago I got an e-mail message that Avid and Pinnacle had been sold to Corel. Has anyone heard anything more than that?

Mike

Several days ago I got an e-mail message that Avid and Pinnacle had been sold to Corel. Has anyone heard anything more than that?

Mike


http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/digital-video-industry-news/508971-avid-spins-off-m-audio-consumer-video-apps.html

Thanks. I knew about that thread. I was wondering if any new developments had surfaced.

Pinnacle 16 is now out. Looks like a pretty decent upgrade -- much more Avid Studio 2 than Pinnacle 16.

I downloaded and installed it, but haven't had a chance to play with it yet. First impression is good, though.

Thanks, Phil. I will try an google it and see what I can find out.

Mike

I forgot to mention that I think you can download it as a trial. Not sure if all the add-ons are available as a trial.

Though I haven't tried them all, it seems like all my plug-ins from Avid Studio 1 showed up in Pinnacle 16 -- especially SmartSound which is a big deal for me.

You can download it as a trial - I just did. I haven't installed it yet so I don't know what all is included.
It is a 1.9 GB download so you better have a fast internet connection.

I have downloaded the trial also. So far I like it pretty much. It is enough different from my Pinnacle 12 that it may take me some time to properly evaluate it. I had a trial of Avid a few months ago and this Pinnacle 16 seems a combination of the old Pinnacle and of Avid. As a side, I have had the program crash on me once so far (in a two hour period of working with it).

Mike

Update: After working with the new Pinnacle, I have discovered a couple of problems.

First of all, I cannot seem to burn AVCHD DVDs with this trial version. Don't know if it is because it is the trial version, or if this is the way it will be with the full setup, but it is very disturbing. My computer is able to handle and burn AVCHD with my other trials of other programs and with the programs I have had over the years; Pinnacle 12, Corel Video Studio X5, Avid Studio, Power Director 10, etc., but not this new Pinnacle 16. When I try, the program tells me that the "Parameter set is invalid". What does that mean, and how can I fix that?

Second, the program has froze up on me a few times. I have tested the program by making a video using four tracks to mix video and sound. The video is downloaded from my SR11 in 1920x1080i. My computer has an Intel core i7-2700 3.5 GHz quad core with hyperthreading and turbo boost. I have 8 GB of DDR3 RAM, and a GeForce 220 video card, and am running Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit. So I should have plenty of computer to work with this program.

I am still learning Pinnacle 16, comparing it to Power Director 10, which for the most part I really like. Both programs seem to have their shortcomings though. I still have high hopes for Pinnacle 16. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Mike

One thing else I have been reminded of while I have had the trial for Pinnacle 16, is the lousy customer support. To be more specific, the lousy contact for customer support. Oh sure, you can access their frequently asked questions section, access their page on Facebook, you can access their forum, or if you can't get the help you need from those sources, you can subcribe (PAY) to get someone on the phone. To access them directly on line, only during the first 30 days can you do that for free and if you are using their free trial, forget that option.

I have a problem with the trial program and have tried the forum, and the FAQs to no avail. To be honest, I have not tried Facebook. I would rather talk one to one with someone directly from Pinnacle, but I can't, not without having to pay extra.

I have owned and used Pinnacle 8 and Pinnacle 12, and yet I still cannot get the personal service I need.

How common is it to have to pay additional money for support after purchasing a product?

How common is it to have to pay additional money for support after purchasing a product?

Depends if they have an established support forum or not, take Edius f.i., every question I have had so far has been answered on the dedicated Edius forum, for free, and that by many experienced users or by Grassvalley employees that provide support as well.

Perhaps this is nothing more than a money saving strategy on the part of the software companies; let others who are perhaps not connected to the company help, and therefore no cost.

Not only that, it's also a channel to report bugs or ask for features for next releases. Not that everything is solved but most real bugs are dealt with eventually and new features sometimes implemented if there is enough people asking for it. I think "pinnacle" has always had a good reputation when it comes to user friendly software but a bad rep when it comes to stability, often there does not seem to be a solution, what works perfectly on one pc doesn't on another. So that could explain why their forums don't help that much, most problems they might not have an answer for.

You are probably right. But it would be nice to be able to talk to someone from the company. It kind of gives one a sense of connection between those who produce the product and the customers who buy and use the product. A pipe dream I know, but.......

I guess I am just too naive.

Well, the latest thing I have read about the new Pinnacle 16 is that there is an instability problem (it crashes frequently). Perhaps it was rushed to production too quickly. Anyway, it seems that it is not yet ready for prime time. I am so disappointed.