Ulead VideoStudio 6 DV Combo Pack

A full version of VideoStudio, as well as the hardware needed to get you editing from a standing start, are in this pack.

Price: £79

Manufacturer: Ulead

Ratings

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Verdict

Good points:

Good all-in-one package for beginners
DVD authoring included
Good value

Bad points:
Interface is sometimes confusing
FireWire must be added

Overall:
This inexpensive bundle is a good buy for novices

Jonathan Parkyn, Computeract!ve 16 Oct 2002

Digital camcorders and computers are a match made in heaven for those who want to do a spot of Hollywood-style editing, aren't they? But wait - where's the digital video socket on your PC?

Chances are there isn't one. Apple computers get FireWire ports as standard but for whatever reason, very few Windows-based computers come with that magic video input.

Thankfully, PCI cards that add FireWire to your PC have plummeted in price. Most of these come with freebie video-editing programs too, but these tend to be cut-down, limited versions of commercial products.

What Ulead has done with its DV Combo Pack is put the software first. The full version of popular VideoStudio 6 is the most important part of the bundle.

This program is aimed directly at beginners and attempts to simplify many of the complex issues normally associated with video editing.

By and large it succeeds, allowing you to capture, piece together and output your footage to a wide range of media - including VideoCD or even DVD, should you be the proud owner of a recordable DVD drive.

The pack's other main component is a FireWire card. It has three sockets, meaning that you can also connect devices such as fast external hard disk drives - useful when you're dealing with oodles of disk-hungry video footage.

While Ulead's entry-level editor might not be the best product of its kind, it's one of the cheapest and is a perfect springboard for editors starting from scratch.

DETAILSPrice: £79

Contact: Ulead 01327 844880
www.ulead.co.uk

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