I'd say that's probably fair.

I've never used Pinnacle, but if I remember correctly, Avid purchased them. Given that, I don't know how much of Avid's roots are apparent in Pinnacle.

Kevin, I could only suggest that you take a hard look at what your needs are, and are likely to grow into. Are you producing projects that need to go to broadcast? Are you working for yourself where you can take your time, or do you need 24/7 support? Are you willing to wait while your files get transcoded into the flavor of codec your NLE prefers or do you have a need to just drop it on the timeline and cut. What camera do you use and what is the workflow for that camera in each of the NLEs.

These systems are really more similar than they are different. But each puts a slightly different spin on it.

If you have questions about specific features or needs, I am sure the community here can help answer those, and maybe help you narrow your choices.

I always seem to be in the choosing problem mode, but for me - they key thing is familiarity.

A couple of years ago, I was upgrading the video side of my business, buying new machines and wanted to buy 'the best' software. So, I found myself in one of the rows of seats on the Adobe stand waiting for the premiere session at a video show. I watched it, decided it was for me, but then did the Avid session on the stand next door, and changed my mind. Then finally, I did the FCP session on the stand on the other side and changed my mind yet again.

All these sessions introduce new features to you, and the speed the presenters make things happen is impressive.

I bought a hardly used Avid system from one of the liquidated stock auctions. Got the machine, the interfaces and the manuals. Absolutely hated it. Why, simply because of shortcuts. I've been a Premiere user since version 6, and while Avid is a perfectly solid system, it took me longer to use, because I was doing everything from scratch. I kept using the wrong shortcuts and it frustrated me - so I sold it on ebay. I bought CS3, and since have gone to CS4. Oddly, I've never been a photoshop user. A previous trial had failed badly - hating it. However, I started to use it, simply because of the integration, and a year later, I couldn't see why I hated it. The reason was simply getting to know it. I currently hate After Effects, but I know it's simply me, not the software - and when I have time to get better, I'll love it.

The facts are that Avid, FCP and Premiere - not to mention Vegas et al, are all good products - and their longer term users are happy. They may not like certain ways of working that you need to follow, but by and large, they're happy. The time element in changing is simply not practical. Buy new software and turn a four hour edit into 2 days? and perhaps take 6 months to get the time back?

Legacy customers I'd guess are what most of us actually are. Video and Audio software is now so complex, a quick ten minutes doesn't even scratch the surface, and sometimes these frustrations then get turned into net reviews, which unfairly dismiss products.

I have Adobe products - I'm very happy with them, and just accept the others as very similar products, but I'm not competent with them, so don't feel I can comment - and that probably sums up most of us.

I have similar problems with audio - I love Soundforge (but I don't do Acid?) and hate Logic, which is why I use Cubase through choice. I do have Sibelius for score writing, but am really, really rubbish with it - my colleague plugs a numeric keypad into his laptop, and his hands blur as the music appears. In an hour I can do input work that he could finish in 5 minutes! It doesn't mean Sibelius is rubbish - it's me!

To answer the OP, imho it's Adobe Premiere & Sony Vegas. AVID seems a little more higher end if you're a hobbyist.sole propietor. If you're a busy agency, then yes I imagine it's perfect. I think Vegas is cheaper, especially for a version to handle HD, however Adobe is more compatible with it's entire suite lineup of Photoshop, Flash etc.

That's an excellent point. A pro level NLE will have a substantial learning curve for anyone who isn't familiar with it. The first part of the learning curve is likely to be awkward and frustrating. For that reason, I have suggested to friends, who are considering evaluating a new (for them) NLE, that they evaluate it for a month, not an afternoon, so that they don't prejudge it before they become sufficiently familiar with it.

I have FCP and AVID on my macs as I need to cover the industry standard packages if I hire an edit suite out.

I also have over 30 years broadcast experience but have never been able to get to grips with AVID but other editors I know absolutely love it.

I love FCP though and it is my personal edit choice but for audio I am back into the AVID camp with pro tools.

Well, here's the thing. To my knowledge no one's ever seen a great piece of work and said, "Wow! That could have been awesome if only it was edited on XXX." The point is that no one can really tell what a great piece of work was edited on. They only know that it was great.

So, the question should be less "which is best" or even "equivalent" but more "which meets my needs, compatibility and price point."

I think the hardest to answer is compatibility. By this I mean, which will work best with the other editors/broadcasters/peers that I'm working with. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your perspective, there is no "standard" if you look at the production industry as a whole. I work for a local cable broadcaster producing spots and prepping spots from other production houses for air on our system. They moved from Avid to FCP several years ago do to budget concerns. I edit on Adobe at my home studio. I get spots edited on FCP, Adobe, Avid, Vegas, Flame & Smoke and even some consumer-based softwares (spots from non-profits and do-it-yourself advertisers). These days it's so much more about codec management than it is the editing software itself.

That's my 38 cents. Happy Editing!

In my opinion, editing software is like most other things, it's an individual preference thing. You just have to download some trials of different software and see which interface and program's workflow best suits your editing style.

I have always liked Premiere the best because of its ability to integrate with the rest of the Adobe creative suite very well, its interface design and because of its versatility working with multiple file formats.

Other people I work with use Vegas because they enjoy the way that it works, some thing Final Cut is the best. Others only will edit on Avid.

It's all a preference.

While I love DVInfo and it is my main source of things video, Grass Valley/Canopus maintains its own forum where several employees and many very knowledgeable people hang out. And, its been awhile since I've used it, I believe they have an 800 number for support.

Don't let that stop you.

Yes indeed -- don't underestimate Edius. It's a shame they don't have a better presence here since they're
easily my favorite NLE. But they're doing their own thing on their own site. More power to 'em. Edius rocks.

The multi camera support in Edius is terrific - probably better than other mainstream NLE's.

The Edius forum has ALWAYS been a great resource, even before Grass Valley entered the scene. Their email support is also pretty good, at least it was. You'd get the same service rep every time and wouldn't have to re-invent the wheel every time you need assistance.

Kevin, I see you are coming from Pinnacle Studio 12 and you are asking if the workflow is somewhat the same in avid, well there is no comparison. Avid is in a totally different league, not only pricewise but it's a very complex program compared to studio 12. That's why I"m sure that for Pinnacle 12 or 14 users Avid is serious overkill but it all depends on what your future plans are.
If you need integration with other applications, nothing beats adobe, but it doesn't like big projects in HD, it's instability increases with the size of your project. I have been a adobe user for years and it's only the integration part that keeps me with them.
I also have used edius and in terms of stability and speed it's much better then adobe but I found that it's audio capabilities were less good.
There is one NLE that can't be considered to be aside the "top" nle's but I"m very curious about it but you hardly hear people talk about it, it's called "speed edit" from newtek and it has an unique storyboard which should speed up editing changes considerably. As far as I have seen they have not yet a demo available which I think is not that smart and is the main reason that it is not that known.

I'm a real weirdo because I still use Liquid (also a Pinnacle/Avid product, but now discontinued).
I've read that Edius is the most similar NLE to Liquid.
I've never used Studio and suspect that Liquid is quite different, even though from the same stable. But you may feel at home with Edius so it's worth checking out.

Kevin...

Something else to consider is whether you will collaborate with anyone in the editing process. It's much easier if you share the same software -- and the same version -- with the other editor(s).

Just so happens that the people I collaborate with all work with Final Cut Pro. I worked with the old version of Premiere (4.2), spent a few years with Media 100, then moved to FCP just before I started working with HD.

The specific procedures were different, but all the fundamentals were the same.... tell a story with pictures and sound. Some of the greatest films ever made were assembled with little more than knives and glue.

Thanks. Ten years ago back in the Canopus days, that was Mike Downey and me. That's where I learned how to manage a forum and it taught me a lot. In many ways the experience was a big part of DV Info Net's initial success. Much appreciated,