Features

• More than 140 contracts and forms .
• Over 60 interactive forms -- create essential documents with simple step-by-step interviews.
• Five completely searchable Nolo business bestsellers.
• State-specific information.
• Your information remains private.

Features

• This special set of lessons and exercises is designed by professional guitarists, to show you exactly what you need to know
• Understand the basics by reading & playing along
• Turn the guitar tabs you read & play into standard notation, for easier reading & transcribing
• Fast creation of your own signature riffs
• Create your own lead sheets and post your songs on the Internet

Reviews (9)

Better than I expected
Being a teacher and bandleader, and new to computers, I needed an easy program to help me prepare lessons, and more importantly to make my originals readable on the job, usually in low light situations. Some of my tunes have twists and turns, and my handwriting isn't beautiful. My computer-savvy colleagues spoke highly of Sibelius and so I gave G7 a shot. It does the work I need simply, elegantly, and most importantly, I found it easy and fast to figure out. It certainly does a lot for the money, too. I'm very satisfied.

Save Time, Effort and Money
I run a Master's Degree Program in Instructional Technology and am always impressed when a program can teach well. The animated fretboard in G7, and the ability to seamlessly go between standard notation and guitar tablature are superb. As a guitarist, I'm stunned by the number of uses I have already found for G7. It is also incredible for eliminating "grunt" work which guitarists, teachers and students have always had to go through. I almost feel guilty for having paid so little for it...almost. If you play the guitar and don't have G7, you are wasting time, effort and money.

Excellent software for songwriters
This software is great.
The documentation is excellent and I was up and running really fast. You can input notes from a MIDI keyboard or MIDI Guitar, as well as clicking or typing the notes in (using a,b,c,d,e,f,g!).
You can add lyrics, chord symbols and chord diagrams, and there's a guitar guide with it to help you learn even more. FABULOUS!!

Very poor functionality
This software is a MAJOR disapointment. I've tried for 4 hours (learning curve) to build a simple lead sheet and I can't get past 16 bars. This software is full of bugs. I tried to add lyrics but when I came to a half note at the start of a measure that was tied to a note from the previous measure the lyrics jumped to the following measure, skipping 4 eighth notes, making it useless. You have no flexiblity in the lengths of measures. They seem to take on a life of their own. Not only do they become either too long or too short, the page jumps all over the screen when trying to stretch or shrink the measure.

I didn't find this software to be hard to use, only the buggiest software package I ever owned (hope to get a return). The functionality just isn't there. The manual and help are weak. The manual and help say one thing but the program does another. I can't continue to fight with the package and try to figure out why something does not work the way the manual says it should.

This was just a couple of things I found bad, believe me there were more.

I believe that this software was written for a Mac, based on the manual and user interface. Maybe it works for Macs but if you have a pc, forget it.

this does not live up to the hype
I purchased this product one week ago,,, after several hours
a day and talking to there support i find this program not anywhere
near intuitive, the reviewer that said it has a tall learning curve was not kidding,
i think he was being nice! this program doesnt do what it claims
(it doesnt play all guitar symbols i even have email from them stating that)
it is very difficult to even put a bend on tab and get it to sound right.
the scanning software does not work at all (if it doesnt crash it doesnt even get 20% of the song right)
I am going back to guitar pro it cost half as much and is so much easier. ... Read more

Features

• Over 100 lessons from a Guitar Institute of Technology graduate
• Hosted by radio personality Steve Rock of KISW’s “Metal Shop”
• Techniques include movable power chords, hammer-ons, distorted riffs & more
• Equipment tips include using distortion, whammy bar, feedback, wah pedal & more
• Over 90 songs & riffs to learn

Reviews (1)

A Great Graphics Labeler For Many Needs
At the time this review was written, a product description was not provided above. If this is still the case I would suggest you go to the Version 4.0 of this product listed on Amazon. You will also find customer reviews, lacking here at this time. The latest Version of this Product, is Version 4.3. Maybe the number was rounded.

Some items included with this package worth noting are: Label applicators for 5 ¼ Discs for both full and standard hub labels. In terms of ease of use for centering or placing the label correctly I would give Sure Things product a better rating than the Stomper or Fellows applicator I have used. It also comes with an applicator not listed on the box for something I am not familiar with.

In addition samples of the label stocks for the CD/DVD needs you might have are also provided. This might suggest they are more interested in selling labels than software. After using and seeing the output this software provides with the ease of use you might see why.

If you are looking for a product providing intuitive menus leading to great graphics and labeling, this is one from my limited experience I would highly recommend.
... Read more

Features

• Learn musical concepts and develop important listening skills
• Hear musical differences in endings, repetitions, and variations
• Challenging, fun-filled games adjust to skill-level of user
• Parent/teacher management tool tracks a child's progress
• Easy to use; integrated audio offers guidance where needed

Reviews (1)

More fun than piano lessons...
Want to teach your kids to enjoy listening to music, especially classical? Then try this program. Easy-to-use interface, wonderful tunes, great exposure to classical music in these sad rap-and-brittney times. Not for the faint of heart, however. Despite its simple interface, kids used to story lines and immersive environments will find this more like a standardized test than fun software, at least on first blush. However, if you are willing to sit down with them and help out, then the game becomes lots of fun. I liked the way it adjusts itself to the capabilities of the player. At the higher levels the game is quite challenging, even for adults. When my kids sit down to play, the music that comes forth is a great alternative to the mind-numbing drivel that normally accompanies video games. I actually enjoy listening to them play. If you have a decent set of speakers, then it sounds really nice. I wish I had this to play with when I was taking first grade piano lessons... ... Read more

Features

• Create maps that you can alter for Personal use or business presentations -- add company logos, text, titles and more
• Document Linking attaches Digital pictures, spreadsheets, documents, and more to locations
• Share map information across networks or through email, with friends and colleagues
• Includes valuable demographics data for better sales and business planning
• The Info Tabs provide easy reference -- browse multiple maps with a mouseclick

Features

• PDF Create! and PDF Converter for Microsoft Word combined
• Create industry-standard PDF files; password protection
• Convert PDF files into editable Microsoft Word documents and forms
• Easily extract charts and graphs from PDF files for use elsewhere
• Automated batch creation; merge documents; watermarks and stamps

Reviews (3)

Awesome!
PDF Converter 2 Professional is an awesome product! I have been using it for a few weeks and it leaves Acrobat in the dust. I creates PDF files much quicker and with a lot less set-up and hassle. Why hasn't somebody created a product like this before?

Better than Adobe!
Our company has searched high and low for an alternative to Acrobat because we didn't like Adobe's arrogant take-it-or-leave-it attitude about pricing. We couldn't find a product that offered the same functionality from a reputable company until this came along. This PDF Converter product offered the features that almost everyone in our company needed and was much less expensive than Acrobat. When we pilot tested it, everyone found it easy to use. Based on that decision alone we swapped out Acrobat for PDF Converter and saved about $100,000. Now I think I need a raise!

PDF Create rocks!
PDF Create rocks! As a student, I don't have much money and couldn't afford to spend $300 for Acrobat. My teachers wanted papers sent to them electronically in PDFs so I had to go to the library every time I needed to turn something in and use their computer to create one. It was really inconvenient, plus I couldn't go to the library late at night because it wasn't open. One of the staff told me about this product that would create PDFs for $50 from ScanSoft. I bought it and figured I'd just return it if it didn't work out. After I installed it I found it was really easy to use and saved me from having to go back to the library to create PDF files. It's the best $50 I've ever spent. ... Read more

Features

• Comprehensive layout program with easy-to-use tabbed interface
• Photo realistic 3D renderings of landscape plans with 3DTrueView
• Take a virtual tour of the yard with Walk Around view tool
• Easily create structurally sound, fully framed deck plans
• Powerful design capabilities and extensive reference resources

Reviews (4)

So Much for Creating a Plant List for my Garden!!
When I purchased this program, it had only one review from the cad fellow who said "skip it" because it was not user friendly. I disregarded his review because of the program's extensive plant encylcopedia --9500. Well, I had an old Sierra Garden Design program that turns out to have been MUCH MORE useful. The new program allowed me to search by plant and soil properties, but I couldn't figure out how to print the information it provided,never mind save it!! I wanted a print-out of plants and plant pictures to add to my water logged garden site. This program stinks. Then I tried to draw my garden, it was hopeless. This is truly one program to skip. Trust the reviewers. There are four of us now saying dump this one!!!!

Skip this one
Wished I'd researched this turkey before purchase. If you need to use the terrsin/3D features - you're done for. If you need to design something in real life and you use this program - you're done for.

Time consuming and difficult to manipulate
I struggled with this software for a couple of weeks then gave up. I'm no rookie-I am familiar with AutoCAD, Access, Excel, Word, Adobe Photoshop, Powerpoint, Project etc etc and this program just didnt seem to follow any of the rules. Realizing that a 3D image(incidentally there was no house template anything like mine) was going to take about as long as it took to landscape a garden, I tried 2D-hoping to superimpose walls and vegetation on a photo of my house...hours later i still couldnt easily construct the scene.
If this were any other type of product, I would be retuning it for a refund-but with software you dont get to take it back.....so unless you want to spend many hours in front of your computer-rather than in the yard I suggest you pass on this.

Stunningly awful - NO "Stars"
I've drawn all sorts of garden plans and elevations by hand for years, but I was in a hurry to kick out a piece of work this weekend. I purchased this program because I thought I'd be able to quickly draw simple features, plop in a few basic plants and render elevations. After all, version 3 of this program, although pretty clunky, was fairly basic and easy to use. The newest version MUST be much more intuitive.

WRONG! The tools operate NOTHING like any human being I know actually draws. If anything, this program is LESS intuitive than earlier versions. Way too much emphasis on "catalogs" and automatic features and not nearly enough on ease-of-use. Amazing how software actually keeps getting worse instead of better.

The folks who write these things really need to rethink from scratch how people create these types of drawings manually. At this point, pencil, ruler and quadrille paper are faster and easier (and cheaper)and yield better results. Don't waste your time and money on this. ... Read more

Features

• Amazing virtual makeovers on your own image
• See yourself in your favorite celebrity looks
• Try on the hottest hairstyles and accessories
• Experiment with the coolest cosmetics
• Create your own model perfect e-cards

Reviews (9)

I absolutly love this!
I like this program, because I can use the pictures to bring in to the hair salon to get exactly what I want. Plus I get to see it before I get the hair cut. I hope they come out with more!

Makeover Magic
It was ok, but it was hard to try on the hairstyles.

fun looks!
The hairstyles are good because you can size them exactly to your head and you can change them to different colors. You can also change your eyebrow color, which really helps see how you'd look with different styles.

A++++ !!!
This is the only makeover program i've tried that lets me try on foundation and concealer. I like it alot!

Cool makeovers!!
I really like Makeover Magic! I've never used a makeover software before where I could change my photo background, which is cool to get a better idea of what you look like. ... Read more

Features

• Advanced map customization and printing
• Automatic routing on trails and roads
• Nationwide campground information
• GPS compatibility; USGS digital map data
• $50 of free aerial and satellite imagery included

Features

• Features nearly 5 million towns, cities and streets throughout Europe - also covers nearly one million points of interest
• Built-in route calculator helps travelers calculate new routes to avoid roadblocks
• Huge overview map shows the total territory at your disposal
• Connect your GPS to your laptop or desktop serial port, for complete directional and locational guidance
• Multilingual interface for directions in several European languages

Reviews (1)

Utterly useless...
Honestly if I hadn't spent the better part of eighty bucks on this thing, I'd be laughing. The search couldn't find the town in Italy I'm visiting. So I thought I'd widen the parameter and just put Florence (which it is near.) No luck--that just brought up a bunch of streets in the UK. So I tried Rome. Nope, can't find that. How about the country? Italy? No, that just brings up some hotels, etc.

So I tried to zoom in on the area the town is in and did manage to find it, though I still can't find Florence (despite knowing exactly where it is geographically.)

I am not a computer map neophyte here. I've been using MS Autoroute for years, but it won't run on my PowerBook. I bought this thinking 'how bad can it be?' The answer: Worse than I could have ever imagined--and I'm a pretty cynical guy.

Buy a paper map or get Virtual PC and run the MS stuff. Honestly, this is bad enough that I feel ripped off. (...) ... Read more

Features

• Six popular Microsoft home products in one, easy-to-use package
• Microsoft Works, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Money Standard, Encarta standard, and more
• Task Launcher brings all six products into an easy-to-use interface
• 500 pre-designed templates for personal, household, school, and community related tasks
• With Works Suite you can qualify for discounted upgrade pricing for Microsoft Office 2003

Reviews (15)

Just too much to ignore
Now that I have my copy of Works Suite installed I can't see how anyone can be dissatisfied with it. The copy I obtained through Amazon's "Used and New" section was definitely no upgrade and installed quite happily. I didn't get the retail packaging and the manual was on-line, but the price was trivial. And now I see that buying the full retail package through Amazon direct is almost as cheap.

What should be stated clearly is that you get a full copy of Word 2002 (XP), which is almost the same as Word 2003. Also, you're now eligible to buy Microsoft Office at an upgrade price. Either of these two advantages can save you hundreds of dollars.

That's in addition to getting four applications that are useful every day - Encarta, Money, Streets and Trips, and Picture It! Although Works itself is maybe not as strong as I'd need (I'm used to Office), all the programs show considerable signs of features and design for ease of use.

I've used other examples of the programs here (including Photoshop for picture manipulation) and all the Microsoft offerings really show up well. If they lack any features they make up for it with ease of use. You can even load the data files for Encarta onto your hard disk to run without the DVD or CD-ROM.

Whatever your understanding of computers this is a great addition to your programs, especially at this price.

There's a bargain here - and it's not OpenOffice
It's remarkable that anyone would recommend Open Office. The sole thing in favor of it is that it's free. It's a poorly executed attempt at an alternative to Microsoft Office, but it misses out all but the most basic features. In addition it is a CPU hog, often using 100 percent of the processor.

Works Suite has a whole bunch of programs that don't come with the typical Office suite, and they're often the best of their class. The cost of them (Money, Streets and Trips, Picture it! and Encarta) would come to more than the cost of Works Suite. In addition you get a Works program that has been designed to be easy to use, plus what is arguably the world's best Word processor.

Unless you're locked into an ABM (Anything But Microsoft) view this is a great bargain, and if you don't want Microsoft take a look at the WordPerfect suites.

What upgrade?
I can't understand where people are getting the idea that this is an upgrade. I searched Microsoft's site and there is no mention of an upgrade version.

You can use an installation of Microsoft Works to get Microsoft Office at upgrade prices, but there appears to be no qualification to use Works itself.

The only caveat is that certain sellers in the "used and new" section are selling OEM copies at very low prices. The OEM copies do not provide tech support unless you bought a computer from the company named on the CD or DVD case. However, you can (as I have done) installed an OEM copy and used all the software including Microsoft Word without any problems.

Again, given in my review I believe this to be one of the bargains of software, I don't see any reason why this shouldn't be on your computer. I am about to sell my computer and I am buying a new copy for my new computer. I'm sure the person who buys my old computer will think it a bargain that so much software is legally included.

Truth in Advertising
Nowhere in AMAZON.COM's write-up of this product is it mentioned that this is an upgrade that cannot be used unless you already
have certain Microsoft software on your PC. Maybe most MS home users already know this, but still it should be shown as prominently as the system requirements. The write-up did not give me enough information to make a good decision. I will probably not buy software from Amazon.com again.

great combination of appropriate software
If you considered this suite upon the merits of just two of the programs contained inside, the price is a real deal. For me, Money 2004 and Streets and Trips were the two programs I really wished to get. I was not disappointed. Microsoft really needs to be commended for the excellent work they have done in selecting some very useful programs to put together. On the other hand, Word comes with 500+ useful templates and that also made the suite a wonderful deal. I enjoy the Works program itself because it is simple and functional. I don't need much more for home use. If I was a corporate user, I would buy a corporate license I suppose, but this is a great combination. It is also discounted now. Give it a try. You will not be disappointed ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Show business loves its archetypes. One chestnut that won't go away is the image of the feverish screenwriter, hunched over a word processor, ideas flying so thick and fast that the chore of punctuation would invite creative disaster. Hollywood Screenwriter is a script-writing program that promises to simplify the mundane stuff--like proper script formatting--so creative juices can flow freely.

The only keys a writer needs to move between script elements in this program are TAB, ENTER, and (. Since scripts have a logic and order that's fairly standardized, the program can intuit what's next, placing time of day after scene headings or formatting for dialogue or a parenthetical after a character's name. This is a less-complicated program than some of the more expensive screenwriting programs out there, but it doesn't do as much as those other offerings either.

Hollywood Screenwriter is designed for writing spec scripts: speculative screenplays designed to get the attention of stage or screen producers. This program will help you format your script correctly, ensuring that it won't get tossed out based on appearance. But if someone decides to produce your masterpiece, you won't be able to make a production script with this program. Then again, if that happens, you might feel flush enough to go buy one of those spendy programs that does A and B pages.

No other place clings to dated stereotypes of how things are done quite like Hollywood does. Included in Hollywood Screenwriter's instruction manual are painstakingly detailed instructions on how to assemble a script correctly. Which begs the question: Are there really people out there who would reject a possible Oscar winner because it's not punched by a three-hole press and bound by two solid-brass Acco No. 5 brads? --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Great starter program
For a quarter to a fifth of the price of the full programs, you get a fine spec script writing package. Like Movie Magic 2000, Final Draft and Scriptware, you get the TAB and ENTER system of entering Scenes and Character Names. You'll lose some of the higher end features (like card view) but for basic script input (especially for spec scripts) Hollywood Screenwriter will probably do what you need, especially if you're a beginner.

You do need to download the latest updates from Screenplay Systems, especially if you are using Windows Me, 2000 or XP (othewise you might get an "Error 32 Message"). You should also look at the new spec script formats that can be downloaded from Screenplay System's web site. They allow you to stop using Character CONT'Ds in your scripts, as this is becoing outdated.

Hollywood Screenwriter doesn't have as many export options as its bigger brother, Movie Magic 2000, but it *does* have RTF and ASCII, which means it should interact with just about any Windows word processor or Screenplay software.

For the price and features, Hollywood Screenwriter is a great program. Check Screenplay System's comparison chart for feature differences between it and Movie Magic 2000 before buying, but there's a good chance that if you are writing a spec script, Hollywood Screenwriter will do the job.

Disappointed
I bought this to import a script from MS Word and have been very disappointed. It's not very intuitive, lacks a clear description of the elements and has limited help functions. I am used to using MS Word and found this very frustrating. I just wanted a simple program without all the bells and whistles of the more expensive products, but am disappointed in this. Perhaps it could be different if I was starting from scratch and hadn't imported my script.

Great product, great Tech Support!
I entered the Project Greenlight screenwriting contest three years ago and needed a program immediately so I could retype my screenplay into the exactly perfect formatting of "standard industry format," which was a rule of the Project Greenlight Contest (a rule they never enforced). I didn't have money to buy a program at that time and discovered that Hollywood Screenwriter had a free trial period so I downloaded it.

I somehow missed the part where either the free trial did not allow saving or if it did, I didn't understand how to do it. I had no problem whatsoever using Hollywood Screenwriter, it was easy to understand right from the start. But the deadline to enter the contest at Project Greenlight was only one more day away and there I was, stuck with a screenplay that I could not save to the required .pdf format.

I got in touch with Tech Support and these guys were absolutely wonderful and supportive of me. They emailed back and forth with me for half the night, trying to figure out how to get my script to .pdf format. They finally hit on the idea of saving my script to .rtf then going to Adobe for their free conversion to .pdf. Although the Adobe conversion alters page breaks, that's not Hollywood Screenwriter's fault.

I will never forget how nice their Tech Support was and how much effort they put into helping me and I was only using the free trial version! There are many companies out there who wouldn't go to all that bother even for their paying customers.

If there is any part of this software's interface that you don't "get," or if you have any problems at all, be assured that their Tech Support will go to any lengths to help you. I wouldn't worry about the interface, though. As I stated, it is very easy to use, very quick to learn.

Not having to worry about formatting really frees up your creativity. I do recommend this product.

A cheap program with some big gotcha's
Sure, this program is [cheap] compared to [the expensive] Movie Magic Screenwriter 2000 or Final Draft, but this program is so loaded with technical glitches and gotchas that I can't recommend it unless you're planning to write and print a single short screenplay for a school assignment or something like that. The documentation says you can export your text into other programs, but you can't! So whatever you write is locked into this limited-feature program forever, unless you want to retype it all. There are lots of other things promised by the manual or box cover but not delivered in the program. If you have any fantasies of actually writing and selling a screenplay, don't buy this product. Save your money and buy one of the industry standard programs instead.

I know why the other reviewers hated this product-I LOVE IT
This software is great for writing scripts for movie you want to sell or make yourself! It is so easy to use just press TAB and ENTER to go to diffrent sections of the script. The reason why other reviewers disliked this product was because they didn't have the upgate. Just ... download a small upgrade so it will work on all the computers it says it will and will not give you an Error 32 message. This program is great for all users! ... Read more

Features

• Simply, powerful, and complete desktop video editing
• Make cuts, build special effects and 3-D transitions, and create your own soundtracks
• Easy DVD and CD authoring
• Watch your movies on TV, share on disc, or post them on the Web
• Cut, edit, and create titles

Reviews (2)

"The Best Buy"
I have searched for months for a cost effective and feature-filled video editing program. I looked at Pinnacle, Ulead, Cyberlink, and so on. Magix's movie edit pro seems to be the best product out there for under $100. This program is loaded with features. First off, there is a bonus content cd with tons of extra video and audio clips. Plus, the installation cd has many more video clips, audio clips, and transitions that are either included in the program installation or just on the cd, totalling up to around 2,000 media files. The options are endless integrating those media files into your own videos.

The program itself is incredibly awesome. I have only run into a few problems (such as one crash and some glitches) during the time I have owned it. You can do things like add commentaries, reverse the film, do picture and picture effects, add 3-D transitions, do green, blue, white, or black screen effects, and many more. Another really cool features that you don't see in cost-effective video editing programs is the ability to create video menus on DVDs. I recorded about 30 minutes of DV footage onto my computer, and there were no dropped frames.

I would say that this programs only competitor for a similar price range is Apple's Imovie. Although, this program comes with many more specific features, which almost puts it in the catagory of the higher priced video editing programs such as Adobe Premier Pro.

Another feature I am particulary interested in is it's ability to function in real time. I am running a 2.8 GHZ processor with 512 ram, and it seems that the program always runs pretty smooth.

I called this program "the best buy" because programs like pinnacle studio 9 and Ulead Video Studio 7 lack some important features that this program has.Overall, Magix's Movie Edit Pro 2004 is a fun, and professional tool to edit videos.

Not bad
I like this product. I have tried several movie editing/DVD burning software products trying to find one that meets my needs without costing me an arm and a leg. I am working on a project that involves converting the contents of old VHS tapes into DVD. My PC is equipped with the following hardware:
1.0G AMD processor
1G memory
2 - 120G hardrives
Hauppage WinTV 250 video capture card
HP DVD burner

My problems with video software seemed to occur after I tried to edit the video. I don't know what happened but I believe that each software product has a different compression method because the quality of the video never was as good after being processed (ArcSoft Showbiz, Ulead MovieFactory). I downloaded a copy of Ulead MediaStudio Pro and it performed great. The quality of my movies was just as good after editing as they were before. MediaStudio Pro is expensive. I read about Magix and their other video editing products got decent reviews so I thought I would give Movie Edit Pro 2004 a try. The price was right and I have not been disappointed. First off, I was shocked that I actually received a usable user's manual with the software. The tutorials provided are helpful. The user interface was intuitive for me (but I have used several products now, I have and idea of what to expect) There are a few screens that use terms that are confusing especially some of the audio and video cleaning screens. The video editing functions are very easy to use as are the DVD menu creation functions. After a great deal of trial and error, I was able to create some decent DVDs from my VHS tapes. I also created some clips for use on the web.

This software is not without problems. There are quirks. I think every piece of video software that I have tried has had some issues. Sometimes the audio and video would get out of sync. Unexplainable white flashes would occur during scene transitions. The audio/video thing can be dealt with but it is annoying to play a DVD (4-6 hours to process and burn) and find that half-way through the thing, the audio gets behind the video. Magix has a decent user's forum on its website. You might want to check that out before purchasing the software. It gives some insight to the kinds of problems users are finding. ... Read more

Reviews (34)

Better than the rest.
So I bought a MiniDV Camcorder with FireWire (IEEE 1394) out and I wanted the best video editing software, but I also wanted something intuitive and fairly easy to use I also wanted something stable that wouldn't lock-up or crash my computer all the time. In my quest for the perfect video editing, burning package I tried Unlead VideoStudio, Sonic MyDVD/Mr. ShowBiz, Pinnacle Studio 8 and then finally ScreenBlast MovieStudio. All the other programs mentioned I found extreemly unstable (save Sonic MyDVD) and while some of them were super easy to use (e.g. Pinnacle Studio 8) that easy of use came at the price of flexability.

For video editing (primary what I was looking for) ScreenBlast Movie studio stood out above the rest with drag and drop video editing, it was the only program I found that took a multi-track approach to video and audio editing, this provides a great iterface for some of its FX (some of which are common only to high-end packages, such as Choma-Keying/bluescreening), the core engine of ScreenBlast MovieStudio is the same of Sony's higher end Vegas 4 product (Vegas 4 is the video editing counterpart to Adobe Photoshop and ProTools in my book, it has no equal for what it does), perhaps a better name for ScreenBlast MovieStudio would have been Vegas 4 Lite, but Sony wanted to make this product target a very specific market.

DVD burning is only average (this is the reason I'm only giving this 4 stars), Screenblast renders the MPEG-2 then hands it over to another program to burn the DVD (Sonic MyDVD actually), so you're limited to the average consumer grade menu editing structure, this is the weak point of this software, but you can always use a seperate program to burn your DVDs and author your menus (I perfer TMPEG DVD Author). This design seems awkward, but it's required because ScreenBlast Movie Studio (like Vegas 4) were designed to be a general multi-track audio/video editing software package, MPEG-2 (DVD preped video) is one of many codecs supported, the reach of this program goes out much further (you can even use it as a multi-track recording studio and ignore the video editing all togeather) the higher end Vegas 4 doesn't even come with DVD authorware unless you buy Vegas 4+DVD, you have to keep in mind these two products are both developed by Sonic Fondary and started off as the same application.

So if you want the most simple all-in one solution and you don't want to spend any time learning you might look elsewhere, if you want real power in the video/audio editing department (beyond cheesy effects) and you don't mind investing a few hours, look no further.

Great Value for the Price, with Some Exceptions
You get a lot for your money in an easy to use package. The instructions are easy to follow and the timeline approach is the best. Integrated Mpeg 1 & 2 output is a strong plus.

I have two gripes regarding this software. The software opens correctly, but as soon as I move the cursor over any area of the Media Pool window, the program instantly shuts down and exits back into Windows. This consistently happens after dozens of attempts to access the Media Pool window. There are no error messages. I can move my cursor over and access any other area of the screen including accessing the Transitions, Video FX, Text & Backdrops and Explorer tabs. I can still use the software using the Explorer tab, but this one bug still bothers me. I've heard from others that this is a fairly bug free and stable program, but I have run into this bug.

The claim that this software has "integrated" DVD burning is totally false. It comes with Sonic MyDVD 4.5, which is a purely standalone package and not a good one at that. Sonic should have included a lite version of DVD Architect with this package.

Excellent Editing Very Good Output
I've used Adobe Premiere in the past, excellent but too expensive, I tried Ulead what a horrible experience, pinnacle reviews said crash after crash. Based on the reputation of Video Vegas I gave this product a try and it is really excellent.

I've used it so far to create 2 online projects for work documenting team meetings and posting the video online. It's easy to work with different pieces of the timeline and then output them in an appropriate format like Windows Media 9.
Excellent integration with external codecs - quicktime, wmv, mpeg1 and 2, and real video. The only drawbacks I've found so far are no control over the output only fixed templates. For example if you wanted to fine tune the audio bit rate, SB will not let you do that. Oh well I guess it is an entry level package. Secondly, the outputted MPEG is a little bit halo prone. It's supposed to be main concept encoder, but since you are not allowed to tune it at all, there's no way to fix it.

Lastly the NTSC mpeg2 video it creates is actually non-compliant for DVD production, since it only supports mpeg audio. In the US you really should output either PCM or AC3 Stereo. Neither of those are an option. I've filed a bug against Sony, but they have not responded. If sony would allow a little more control over the output I would definitely give this package 5 stars.

First the pros: excellent stability, very easy to use capture, good editing capability, easy to generate output.
Cons: lack of control over output.

Get this if you want a "better" home movie.
Look, you want to make your home movies interesting to watch...right!? You want some flexibility in your video effects and transitions...right!? You want to score your clips to existing CD tracks...right!? You're not afraid of spending a few hours on your PC instead of using a cut/paste video editor...right!? Get Screenblast. This software is great for someone who is interested in quality video editing. Even if you're a beginner, the tutorials will walk you through every step. The only part I didn't like about the package, is the DVD authoring software from Sonic DVD (Not part of Screenblast). It's like working on Windows 98 with 32MB of RAM. Buy the cheaper version of Screenblast without My Sonic DVD and find something that let's you display more than five buttons per screen. Anyway, good luck and enjoy this crash-free, easy to use video editor.

Frustrating
I wish I had not purchased this software. It has many flaws. One, if you have several pictures on your timeline and wish to extend or shorten the play time of that particular picture, you have to edit ALL the pictures after it. Not much fun when you have 50 pictures up there! Pinacle automatically moves surrounding pictures, much easier! ... Read more