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Pinnacle Studio 8?

Discussion in 'Video to DVD' started by Kaileen, Mar 6, 2005.

  1. Kaileen

    Kaileen Member

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    Okay, I have a problem. I'm trying to make a DVD of a home movie (my sister's high school play). I've tried making this using Pinnacle's Studio 8.6, but the program freezes up somewhere near the end of the rendering before it finishes creating the DVD files. I come back to find a message similiar to this:

    "Studio 8 has encountered an unknown error and must close. We apologise for any inconvinience"

    Can anyone tell me why this is happening, and how I can get it to work? I'm still very new to the program. Thanks.
     
  2. dvdauthor

    dvdauthor Guest

    8.6? i'm not familiar with that patch....but I suggest going with 8.8 - that one is usually problem free. What I will tell you is that #1 - while Pinnacle has A LOT to offer, it usually lacks stability. here's a review I wrote on Amazon.com so I don't have to explain it...:

    I bought a VERY high end Gateway computer, specifically for video editing, and what program came with it?....you guessed it, Studio 8....well, being a begginer, I was up for a challenge, and I just couldn't get this program to work, AT ALL...turns out, that for the first couple months of owning this program, it was WORTHLESS!...it wasn't until the "free upgrade" was available that this program would work (It wasn't me at all)...yeah, that's great, pay [money], and wait three months for it to work properley?...I don't think so! So, anyway, I learned everything on the program, and I would say i'm pretty experienced now....but with 99% of the projects, you (or I at least I do) will encounter some type of freak error that will occur for an "Unknown" reason....Studio shuts down automatically, causing you to loose your work, even with "autosave" Hours and Hours are wasted using this software, but I continue to use it because #1. I paid for it already, and it can't go back #2. I have learned almost everything about the software, and #3. Eventually, every project I make can be burned to a DVD....just not on the first try. If I get the error, I know certain tricks to have it work the second time...but as I stated, you need patience, because this product could drive you CRAZY! I could go on forever about the program flaws...but let me leave it at this, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone...I'm sure there are many reliable products out there with the same great features...and they probably work each and every time!. Also, forget Tech support...that's a complete joke! They might as well not even have a phone number, because you'll never get a hold of ANYONE!


    I'd also recommend uninstalling completely and then re-installing (which is pretty much all tech support would ever tell you). However, you run the risk of loosing your work...so I hope you feel like doing it twice.

    so you have 2 options here: re-install or download a later patch.
     
  3. Kaileen

    Kaileen Member

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    I went looking for the version I have: 8.6.26.0

    Thing is, this is how it came straight from the install CD. I've tried updating it, but I can't get it to (It even asked me to update when I re-installed it the last time . . . but nothing ever happened.) Any recomendations on where to get the patch for 8.8? Seems like Pinnacle's site isn't too much help to me.

    I did finally get it to actually finish rendering a DVD. But, just my luck, I'm still having problems. Toward the end, the DVD constantly skips.

    I would have just used Nero's Vision express (which I also have) if it didn't give me problems with the audio/video sync. I thought perhaps Pinnacle might solve that problem . . . well, while I didn't lose A/V sync this time, the skipping is almost a worse problem.

    Either way . . . I agree, Pinnacle doesn't seem to have been worth the money I paid for it *sighs*
     
  4. dvdauthor

    dvdauthor Guest

    hmmm...you must have purchased your software later than I did - mine came with 8.3 out of the box. Go here for patches.

    http://www.video777.com/studio8.html#patches

    umm...ok now you said it skips at the end of your dvd? have you tried different media? and what speed are you burning at? it could be your media - try something else - and to keep the coaster rate down, burn to an RW first - and then copy from the RW to the R when you know your video is perfect.
     
  5. dvdauthor

    dvdauthor Guest

    also, there are a few different 8.8 patches - I like 8.8.12 - but you have play around with them and see what one works for you - it may take you weeks and tons of projects to find the right one that works best for you (also, it's best not to stack patches - so before each install - you should (you don't have to) but you should uninstall the software, and then re-install for each patch.

    with me, one patch will work - and then i'll get a few projects done, and then it somehow goes bad - and then I have to try another - or uninstall and go back to the same one....

     
  6. Kaileen

    Kaileen Member

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    DVDAuthor,

    I wanted to thank you for the links and the advice. I finally found a patch that allowed me to finish the burning process, and after thought, found out that apparantly Pinnacle didn't like the DVD-R's that I had been using. The same video works perfectly with DVD+R's, no skipping, no sync problems. I've saved the link you sent me to the patches, though, just in case, as you said, several projects down the road, Pinnacle decides to do the same thing again.

    On another note, I'm beginning a new project, also done from a home movie. This one though, I'm trying to import a separate audio track into the video (my camera's audio screwed up, but I'd done a separate audio using a Mini-disk recorder)

    Now, I've gotten the disk transferred, I even figured out that in order to overlay the track in Pinnacle, I needed to burn it onto an Audio CD, which I've done.

    The thing is, in the preview, the audio/video is out of sync toward the middle of the video, though it's fine in the beginning. You can see where the people's lips are not moving, but sound is there where it's not supposed to be (hope that just made sense.)

    Can anyone give me any hints on how to properly sync the sound between Pinnacle and an Audio CD? Thanks!

    Kaileen
     
  7. dvdauthor

    dvdauthor Guest

    You're welcome...glad you finally got your project onto DVD - I know it's a great feeling when you are finally finished and happy with the results. The audio synch problems you were experiencing doesn't have anything to do with the DVD's you were using - that is caused by an error in the rendering proccess. Then, the DVD files that are rendered go on your DVD messed up. Yes, Pinnacle can be funny about what media you use - that's another joy of Studio 8. I think I may have mentioned that I rarely let Pinnacle burn directly to a DVD-R or +R - I don't trust it. I use an RW first and then use Roxio or ULead to copy that to an -R. You never know when Pinnacle will decide to say "disc burning failed with unknown error" about 20 minutes into the burning process leaving you with a coaster.

    Yes, save that page with the links - If that website ever goes down, the product is useless to me, and probably to most people who have to use the patches constantly. But i've already told you my story, so I won't go into that again.

    Ok, onto your next issue - you really didn't have to put that audio file on a cd first, I believe you could have just opened up the sound file by going to the sound button on the left hand side in the toolbox area and searched for the file (it's where the sound effects are - not the music, but the sounds with like, the birds chirping and the loud bangs and stuff like that) - you go in there, and then search for your file (you can select the folder you keep it in)...of course, getting it on cd is probably the safest way because that way you know that Pinnacle will accept the file type. Just a little tip for the future though.

    Ok, so basically you took out the original sound completely, and you are using the cd audio for their voices? That is a tough one because you have to match it up EXACTLY as it was originally recorded - not an easy task...however, you said you have it right in the beginning, so in theory it should be fine all the way through...but in your case it get's messed up in the middle. The slightest glitch in the video is going to set the audio off - even by a second...how bad is it out of synch? As i've said, it's very hard to match up a seperate track to a video and make it match people's mouths - you have to be right down the the exact frame otherwise it will look funny.

    One thing I will suggest is try locking the audio track - if you don't know how to do that, just ask...it's very simple. Once you do that, you can't touch it unless you unlock it - so no matter what, it's not going anywhere. I do that before I render sometimes to help with the out of synch issues, and believe it or not, it works.

    I hope I helped somewhat, I know I rambled on a little...

    but i'll check back and see if you have any questions later on...or if you have any success stories, I'd be glad to hear them as well.

    goodnight :).
     
  8. Kaileen

    Kaileen Member

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    Well, I *thought* I had it figured out.

    After three burns with no sound at all, I gave up on the CD theory. I did try your suggestion, which worked, and I actually got a burn with sound.

    For this project I gave up using write once disks and pulled out one of my very short supply of re-writeables. Good thing too or I'd have coasters laying all over the house now.

    Anyway . . . the sync had been off in the preview by maybe about a second. After looking at some of my earlier work, I noticed there was a slight sync problem in the first project I created - but it was only like a fraction of a second, so I had not worried too much. This one is a little worse.

    After realizing I couldn't use the CD theory, I took your suggestion and added the sound from my hard drive. I still can't get them to sync in properly, which makes me think that one or the other isn't right. The very beginning is fine, no problems, but about the point where my second and third chapters are, you can see it's gone out of sync by about one to two seconds.

    *Sighs* So it's back to the drawing board again. I've even tried matching it up scene by scene and making AVI's from the original file with the new sound, and then blending it all together - but the sync is still off. At the beginning of each chapter it's fine, then shortly in, again, back out of sync.

    And I did try locking the audio track. *Shrugs* Still no luck.
     
  9. dvdauthor

    dvdauthor Guest

    hello,

    sorry to hear you are still having problems...

    i've had the sync be off in some of my movies before around the 2nd or 3rd chapter - because Pinnacle's rendering through it off...are your AVI's OK synch wise? The way I udnerstood your post was that they were OK, but when you blended them together in another project they rendered wrong synch wise? if that's the case, then it's Pinnacle's problem, not yours. You've done NOTHING wrong. If your AVI's are out of synch, it MAY be time to uninstall and reinstall. (you MAY lose some work though - not your AVI's or anything, but the ACTUAL project may not open).

    I'll think of more suggestions and write more later...

     
  10. emp015

    emp015 Member

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    I just started using my Pinnacle Studio 8 today. After having for over a year. When I went to burn the DVD the feature wasn't available. I went online and found the 8.12.7 Patch. Installed it and the features are now available. I am currently in the process of rendering and hopefully it will burn the DVD when its done doing that. Any suggestions????
     
  11. emp015

    emp015 Member

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    One more question. For DVD Burning I am using a DVD+R. Will this work on most dvd players. I don't think studio 8 regionalizes. will it work on dvd players from other regions??
     
  12. dvdauthor

    dvdauthor Guest

    Ok, first, the feature for dvd burning probably wasn't available because Pinnacle sells products that AREN'T finished yet. You can't use it "out of the box"...you NEED a patch for it to work. The one you downloaded, I must say has not worked well for me... AT ALL. It is their most recent one though. Personally, If I were you - I'd let it render and see what happens, but if it doesn't work out for you (you'll see a flaw (big or small) on your dvd and KNOW it didn't work out for you) I'd say uninstall - re-install ... and the use the link I posted above and try 8.8 or 8.10 - one of those usually work well for me. But, like I said, since you started rendering, might as well see how your system reacts to the patch.

    I'd also like to (again) stress the fact that you REALLY should use an DVD-RW - NOT an -R on your first try - I don't trust Pinnacle to burn perfectly - and I certainly don't like wasting perfectly good dvd-r's - so what I do is copy to an -RW and then use Roxio and burn an "exact copy" to an -R - works like a charm.

    as far as the +R situation, it should be fine on most players (standalone and computer dvd rom's)...the myth is the -R is the most compatible, but i've been told that's not always the case and that they are pretty equal. I only burn on -R's - although I probably should give a +R a try sometime.

    DVD-R/DVD+R's are, to my knowledge, region free. Can a consumer actually MAKE it a region 1 or 2 dvd - hmm...I don't know, certainly not with Studio, but with the really advanced programs, you may be able to. .... but really, you don't need to.

    let me know what works for you ... i'll be back later to help if you need some suggestions.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 22, 2005
  13. oracle

    oracle Member

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    If I remember well in my home I use studio 8.10. something upgraded fom 8.6 SE. That was the last free upgrade from studio 8 versions. Unfortunataly I has purchased the studio 7 version which does not compile dvd's. Luckely my dvd burner came with the formentioned version. I had a lot of problems compiling with Pinnacle's software in the past so I decided to use studio only for create mpeg files which can be compiled with other products. Personally I believe that the DVD Lab pro is among of the best, which is used also by our firm.
    Nero Vision Express expirienced similar problems some times.
     

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