PE7 and MPEG Files ~ Better Than PE4 ???????

[kodebuster]

Was wondering if the new PE7 handles Mpegs any better than PE4 does.

PE4 will NOT handle multiple Mpegs of decent length and will crash, hang, or stupify the program no matter how large, clean, or updated your hardware and operating system may be.

I've got all the info on how and why Mpeg causes the issues and I religiously convert to DV-AVI which solves all of my problems.

As my camcorder only outputs Mpeg to my PC, I'm stuck with the extra DV-AVI convert.
I'm also not to happy about the large AVI file sizes chewing up space like a banchi.

I also tried the other app's that work great with Mpegs (Vegas, Cyberlink, etc.), BUT I'm not too crazy about these programs.

So a simple answer to a difficult question, will PE7 work with Mpegs, or is it the same as PE4 (which basically doesn't work at all with Mpegs).

Inquiring minds would like to know...

[Steve Grisetti]

It's difficult to give an answer to a question like this, kodebuster, that's right every time in every situation.

MPEGs come in a variety of compressions and interlacing methods, and the audio uses a separate codec so sometimes Premiere Elements can work with the video but not the audio, etc.

All I can tell you is that, from my experience, it works with the MPEGs I've put into it. But I also tend not to use MPEGs as source files for specifically the reasons listed.

One thing you can certainly do to increase the odds MPEGs will work with any version of the program is to download and install the K-Lite Codec Pack, a terrific pack of codecs and codec management software that Chuck introduced me to way back in version 2. Give that a try and see if it makes a difference with version 4.

My rule of thumb? If you're having problems working on your source files with the current version, don't expect a miracle fix to make your workflow suddenly function in the latest version. Improvements in this software generally don't work that way, IMHO.

[Paul LS]

I would imagine MPEG support would have been improved in PE7, simply because they now support AVCHD. AVCHD is a "pig" to work with, inorder to have gotten this to work they would have made some fundamental changes to the memory management of the program... which in turn will improve MPEG performance.

[ryan_khoo]

Wow I must be sleeping. I have PE4 but seldom use it as I use Sony Vegas more often. But in such a short space of time Version 7 has come out.

Can I know whether:

a) the Graphical user inteface (I mean the screen interface) in PE4 and PE7 the same ?

b) can I install PE7 without overwriting or deleting PE4 ? I mean can I have both PE4 and PE7 both together in my Vista system ?

Thanks

[Chuck Engels]

Ryan, check out Steves article on version 7 and the video tour.
4 and 7 are very similar, not many changes at all really.

There are also 16 video tutorials using version 7 in the products and complimentary pages.

You can run both on the same computer, just not at the same time

[kodebuster]

My rule of thumb? If you're having problems working on your source files with the current version, don't expect a miracle fix to make your workflow suddenly function in the latest version. Improvements in this software generally don't work that way, IMHO.

I guess I'm in agreement with your statement, which is why unless there is something very compelling in PE7, I'll probably stay with PE4 for a while longer.

As a side note, I do have the K-Lite codec installed, but still run into issues.
With Mpeg projects of small length (<30 minutes run time), PE4 will usually hold up and work okay, but reasonably large projects will tend to have PE4 do some really strange stuff (and eventually hang or crash the app).

And my system is clean and strong in all respects and specifically built and used ONLY for video.

DV-AVI projects work great all day and all night.

Oh well, my only gripe is that if Mpeg source is such a horror show (as the Adobe Forum indicates), why would their marketing spin sell the fact the Mpeg is one if the supported formats.

Also, how come Vegas, Cyberlink, and some others seem to work fine with Mpeg's, but for some strange reason Adobe just can't figure this one out (or just doesn't care to).

As some folks would say on Adobe Mpeg support. "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig"...

[Paul LS]

I would wait and download the trial of PE7 kodebuster and give it a try... but I think you will find it more robust to large MPEG projects.

[ryan_khoo]

One of the reasons why I prefer to use Vegas to PE4 was because I cannot handle Titles in PE4. I got problem editing the Titles in PE4 and I find it cumbersome. But I actually prefer the Timeline in PE4 than Vegas (I actually like the part where there is a box in between clips for you to drag in the transition which I cannot find in Vegas)

Does PE7 has better Titles editing ? I really hope I can be handy in at least 2 video editing softwares, hopefully Vegas and Adobe.

Thanks

[Paul LS]

Some folks had problems with animated titles in PE4. I have had no issues with titles in PE7, however the titles are the same as in PE4.

[Chuck Engels]

I agree that your title problems should go away with version 7, when the trial comes out be sure to download and check out the program.

[ryan_khoo]

I agree that your title problems should go away with version 7

So, the way we operate the Titles in PE7 is different than PE4 ?

[Chuck Engels]

No, it's not different at all, they just fixed it