Which would you recommend or have experience with?

I just bought a camcorder and initially would like to put home movies together, but my initial attempts have turned into fun so it may develop into something more.

Would like to burn to DVD and also file (avi/mov/mpeg) output.

I've used both, along with Ulead. My preference is for Adobe. Pinnacle had a number of items in the menu that required additional payment to activate. I felt that I was using a piece of shareware with nag screens rather than the expensive piece of software I thought I had purchased.

Adobe has given me fewer crashes, is better coordinated with Photoshop, has better chromakey results, and is (in my opinion) easier to use. I've used many of the advanced editing features and found them better accessed than Pinnacle. Try to get a deal on the bundle with photoshop elements if you don't have that yet. The biggest drawback to Adobe is the extensive menu system, it can be difficult to find what you need if you're not using it frequently and the screen is busier than Pinnacle.

If you're just doing simple movie editing try using the Windows Movie Maker editor that comes with XP. It's simple, but fine for making a quick movie edit. Best of all it's free.

I have a preference for Adobe products in general, they work quite well together....
I'll have to say though, Apple's iMovie is pretty impressive for an app that comes with the computer. On XP, windows movie maker is fairly capable for a free download too....but you have to XP, unfortnatly to use it.

To address the specific question, I really like premier. Its got a clean interface, it works well with photoshop and is pretty easy to pick up.

I used to use Studio v. 7.0. Since then, I've strictly edited in Premiere and then Premiere Pro (not Elements). Studio has always been finnicky, running very well on some computers, crashing and burning on others. Everything I've read suggests that Premiere Elements is far more stable.

I'd also make the following suggestion, if you are really concerned with getting the best quality video. Both these programs are "all in one" do-it-all packages, meaning they everything okay, but not necessarily well. Both programs were initially designed as (or built from) editing packages and, as editors, are quite capable within their limits. This is the work flow for going from video source to dvd:

1. Capture
2. Edit
3. Transcode to mpeg2
4. Author
5. Burn DVD

I'd recommend using inexpensive standalones for each step.

For capture, take a look at Scenealyzer Live. It is extremely robust, can run in the background (an important feature, as video is captured in real time) and offers considerable control over breaking up bulk captures into individual clips. It is particularly good if you're digitizing from an analog source and must depend optical scene break detection.

For editing, either program is fine (assuming you can get Studio to run on your computer).

Transcoding is going to effect final DVD quality more than any other step in the process. The choice here is an easy one: Tmpgenc (either 2.5 or Express 4.0). The program is inexpensive and easy to use. It produces transcodes of the absolute highest quality -- to get anything better, you'd have to spend between $500 and $1,000 on software. The only downside is that it is slow -- it takes up to 20 hours to transcode 2 hours of DV-codec-encoded AVI on my 3.1 GHz P4 computer. However, it runs just fine in the background. Information on setting Tmpgenc for the best video quality can be found here:

http://dvd-hq.info/Compression.html

I can't make a recommendation on authoring software (perhaps someone else can). I use Adober Encore, which is fairly expensive.

For burning, I use Nero. It's very reliable, inexpensive and never produces a coaster. It also runs in the background, allowing me to do other things.

my wife wanted media suite 10.5. it is only $30 if UG from studio 10+. Carries caviet that will not run correctly unless 10+ is loaded on computer. so I found one on ebay for $20.

ordered hard copy of PMS 10.5 ug. Surprise!! It came with a copy of studio 10+..........

I don't know if she likes it, but it certainly keeps her busy.

Keep in mind that Premiere Elements v3 (along w/ Photoshop Elem v5) is supposed to be released tomorrow. Here's more info on it http://www.adobe.com/products/premie...wfeatures.html

Even if you buy v2, you will get version 3 for free, but it takes some jumping through hoops to claim the free upgrade.

Have you thought about final cut pro? I think it is a much better product than the ones you have metioned.

FCP is (1) a Mac OS program that will not run on the OP's computer, and (2) not an entry-level program in any way comparable to either Elements or Studio. Sure it's a better program -- for more than 3 times the cost of the others, I would hope that it would be. Premiere Pro is also a better program (and probably better than FCP), but not a practical alternative either.

Well I am trialling Pinnacle SP right now (when I have time to anyway) but the majority of opinion seems to be for Adobe Premiere.

Thanks all.