Opinion -- Should I Purchase PowerDirector 16?

Leesburg_Dave

Newbie Joined: Mar 08, 2018 12:59 Messages: 1 Offline

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Mar 08, 2018 13:40

Hello. I am new to this forum and came here after some extreme frustration with Version 12 that came with the Diamond MM NTSC Video Capture device I just purchased. By the way, that device is awesome -- has done a great job of capturing old VHS and 8mm Video. The PD12 license that came with the hardware has worked OK for the captured NTSC video, but it's become a real frustration trying to use it for more modern video coming from my Sony HD Camcorder (.mts files). It seemed to just choke on them, not produce any audio, etc., so I tried converting them to .mp4 using HandBreak. That enabled PD12 to at least be able to work with the files. However, after stringing together several clips to make a single movie (of a kid's concert), the program crashes frequently, especially when related to fades. I'm therefore wondering if it's worth the investment to buy the upgrade to PD16. I have Windows 10 Professional with 8GB RAM and plenty of HDD space, both on the SSD and the "spinner." Processor is Core i5-3360M at 2.8 GHz with dedicated video board. (HP EliteBook laptop)

My chief complaints about PD12 has been:

Can't work with native .MTS files from the Sony HD camcorder (1080 HD) -- needs to first convert to .h264 using handbrake.

Won't install in 64-bit mode no matter what I tell the installer to do. It always ends up installing 32-bit mode (I presume 64-bit mode would work better).

It frequently crashes whenever I try to insert a cross-fade between clips.

In your collective opinions, if I take the plunge and buy the Version 16, would these issues go away?

Thanks!

GGRussell

Senior Contributor Joined: Jan 08, 2012 11:38 Messages: 709 Offline

Mar 08, 2018 14:38

Quote after some extreme frustration with Version 12 that came with the Diamond MM NTSC Video Capture device I just purchased.

Usually the version that comes with hardware is not the full version so could be limited to certain file formats. You can find better discounts on full versions of PD 14 or 15 that should work well with .mts files

The Shadowman

Senior Contributor Location: UK Joined: Dec 15, 2014 13:06 Messages: 1831 Offline

Mar 08, 2018 16:00

Quote

Quote after some extreme frustration with Version 12 that came with the Diamond MM NTSC Video Capture device I just purchased.

Usually the version that comes with hardware is not the full version so could be limited to certain file formats. You can find better discounts on full versions of PD 14 or 15 that should work well with .mts files

Have a look here. https://forum.cyberlink.com/forum/posts/list/65031.page select issue 7 and look at the Newbie Room article. It is not a review, rather my thoughts on upgrading from 13 to 16.

I hope it will give some confidence
Robert

Roland vl

Newbie Joined: Nov 23, 2017 03:44 Messages: 39 Offline

Mar 09, 2018 11:09

Quote
In your collective opinions, if I take the plunge and buy the Version 16, would these issues go away?

Thanks!

All depends on your requirements.

I am using 10 years VideoStudio (and before it was PowerDirector), but....
Last year aI bought a new Dell-pc on which PD14 was pre-installed. I was impressed about de speed and possiblities of this product, so I bought the upgrade to PD16.

After some tests with all kind of material (old and new source material, interlaced/progressive framing, m2ts, mp4,avi,xavc,...), my workflow in video editing is somewhat mixed.

If I have interlaced source material (dv-avi, m2ts) I do not use PowerDirector, but VideoStudio because PowerDirector can not produce real interlaced material.

If I have progressive material (60p, 50p) I use PowerDirector16 because of the speed and the quality of the render and the new formats (like mkv) and soft titling.

That's my opinion.