Nothing really included with PD16, if you bought one of the "Bundle" type options or periodically CL offers CD as a add on for minimal cost, this is the full CD version at the time. So, if you bought the "Ultimate Suite" product of PD16, you got CD6 as part of that package. However, if you bought "Ultimate" PD16 product, you got no CD.

The Essentials is a scaled back time bomb version for evaluation. However, since it does allow evaluation of a more recent product, one could say it's an upgrade for those features, but overall, it's an evaluation, really CL's new name for trial.

As far as making PD run slower generically, not that I know of. However, if you use some of the CD features, they can be very frame intensive and will slow down editing playback and producing final video, just like frame intensive features in PD like video stabilization.

Jeff

Hello Thrustman1,

Edit: JL_JL & I were responding at the same time. Thankfully we haven't offered conflicting advice.

ColorDirector Essential (free) is a scaled back version of the full ColorDirector software, so it has some limitations (e.g. no 2K/4K H.264 & no import/produce of H.265 video).

Personally, I've never installed or used it so I cannot speak from experience. When you read the information under the Download or Product links, there's more detail. Some of that detail is a little confusing: e.g. "Enjoy a 30-day trial of premium features from ColorDirector 8 Essential, including:" It's unclear to me, from that, what specific features are part of CDR Essential or a trial version.

Your question asks whether it's a real upgrade over what's included in PDR16. Well - yes it is - because it has some features not available at all in PDR16. Whether those features are free & permanent or part of a trial isn't clear from the page I linked above.

I'll seek clarification from CyberLink.

PIX PIX YouTube channel

Thanks guys. For me its very important not to bring in anything too CPU intensive as Im still using a 3gh dual core PC. So speed is a real issue for me . Been looking at some I7 . But the site said free so I thought I would investigate. My needs are probably unique to this forum. Until a few years ago I was a Jazz guitarist and now my grandson has convinced me I should create more YouTube videos for my old CDs and vinyls from a few years back. From reading this forum I realize most on here are talking about, I guess movies.