Description: NOTE: NO SOFTWARE IS INCLUDED. Only the hardware & cables shown in the photographs are included. The review (below) describes how this product works.ReviewThe digital world has embraced still photography, as evidenced by the growing popularity of digital cameras and PC-based photo editing. But digital video hasn't made the same strides. Your choices are limited to $100, low-quality digital video cameras for videoconferencing, or $2,000 digital camcorders with FireWire (1394) interfaces that won't plug into existing PCs. There's not much in between, except for low-quality video digitizers that convert video signals into MPEG I or AVI files.That's why Pinnacle's Studio 400 is such an ingenious system. It's a hardware/software combination that uses your computer to control the video editing process, including such effects as transitions, titling and sound. It conveniently leaves the basic video source alone and simply copies the edited video to a new videotape.Setup process is complicatedHowever, setting up Studio 400 is complicated. You have to connect a video source (a camcorder or VCR that can be remotely controlled) and a video destination (a VCR or camcorder) to the Studio 400 Mixer (an external hardwa re box). Then, the Mixer is connected to the PC via the parallel port, and a "smart" cable for source and destination video control is connected to the serial port. This cable can control video devices that use the LANC jack (found on all recent Sony camcorders as well as those made by other manufacturers, such as Canon), the Panasonic five-pin jack (a similar control for Panasonic camcorders) or an infrared remote control built into the cable. Those methods can be used to directly control the majority of VCRs and camcorders on the market.The Studio 400 software tests your video hardware and connections to see how precisely it can control them. In my case, that took about 5 minutes, and the device was able to make near-frame-accurate edits by precisely timing how long it took for my equipment to actually start recording or playing back after the record or play signal was sent. Then, the Studio 400 analyzes the source videotape, detecting sudden changes in scenes and where the tape has been stopped an d started. The entire tape is digitized in a highly compressed form (Intel Indeo video compressed at 160x120 resolution) so that an hour of videotape takes up 150MB of hard disk space. Each scene change is stored as a separate clip, so you end up with a source library of video clips to use. And the Studio 400 records accurate time codes with every clip so it knows where to find each clip on the videotape. Once I had everything tested and set up, I simply set the Studio 400 to analyze 90 minutes of video while I did something else.When I returned, I was able to combine the video clips with high-quality transitions, titles, sound effects and background music. Once you arrange the final tape by organizing and editing clips stored on the hard drive using the editing software, then add effects, you tell Studio 400 to actually create the final tape, and it pieces everything together onto the destination tape. It uses the compressed version on the hard drive to find precise time codes and uses them to reference the original videotape on your VCR or camcorder. After a few test runs, I was confident enough in Studio 400's capabilities to allow it to just do its stuff.Editing videos is easyStudio 400 makes it easy to edit and create new videotapes from archives of source material. It gives you complete control over titles, which can be fully edited, as well as the chance to pick from well over 100 high-quality transitions. You can add your own sound effects by dubbing, or you can use canned sounds. You can also use the included copy of Sonic Desktop's SmartSound for Multimedia (see Reviews, August), which lets you create seamless background music in a number of styles in any length desired. But everything depends on your existing video equipment. If it is very old or can't easily be controlled externally, then Studio 400 won't work well.Keep limitations in mindAlthough the resulting video quality produced by the Pinnacle Studio 400 is much higher than that obtained with any digitizing solution, such as the FutureTel Video Sphinx Pro (see Reviews, June), you are limited to using videotape as both the source and destination for your productions. It's clearly not for demanding professional work, but is intended for the casual business user or SOHO user who wishes to edit and compile a library of videos as painlessly as possible. -- from Winmag I have many more fine items listed & discount combined shipping. Check out my other items! International Buyers Please Note: Import duties, taxes, & charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding or buying. I want you to be satisfied with your purchase. So if you find any issues with the item you purchased, contact me so I can satisfy you, rather than leaving negative feedback.
Price: 29.99 USD
Location: Creedmoor, North Carolina
End Time: 2023-12-23T17:04:00.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 USD
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Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 60 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Number of Devices: 1
Type: Video Editing
For Operating Systems: Microsoft Windows 95
Brand: Pinnacle Systems
