Pinnacle Systems new Pinnacle Expression product can be used by those that want to create photo and video CDs as well as DVDs of their home movies. The $49 software can suck digital video directly in via FireWire and can automatically create scene indexes. Users can add simple effects and music to go along with their video.
Back to The Multimedia ExchangePinnacle Expressions 2.0 sucks big time! I have a Gateway 710X Home Office. P4 HT 3.2 512 with 160GB HD NVIDA 5200 Audigy 2. The best stuff and this program has been a total pain. I installed it and right off the bat it would not open. So then I saw it needed a patch 2.2.1.2. Did that! I manage to capture 9GB of video on my Panasonic DV 1000 camera. Next I went straight to burn a DVD. Here where all the fun begins. I have 4x DVD and it said all I could do was 1x. Oh I have a NEC ND1300A burner! Gateway says the firmware is up to date. Well I look on NEC website and they say there is a update but not for computers you buy from a retailer such as Gateway, Dell, Compac and so on. Now back to making the DVD. After I waited 2 hours for it to creat the disc content. I get an error "Failed to create directory during disc compilation". Then I tried it again and again finally it created the disc content only another error to come up. This time "Failed to complete disc burning. The disc may not be playable." No kidding it only lasted 2 seconds and then the dics ejected. Please everyone make a stand and let put pinnacle out of business for selling a pain in the butt software. STOP BUYING THIS CRAP! Next I unistalled it. Guess what it would not uninstall. So I put the expressions disc back in and clicked repair. Nothing! Then uninstall! Nothing! Next modifiy! Reinstalled pinanncle expressions back. Finally I got it to uninstall but not all of it was gone. Now guess what windows media player would not play DVD movies which the night before I watched one just fine. Now I had to reinstall windows media player. I emailed tech 3 or 4 times at this point. They told me to download regcleaner to remove it all. I suggest if you do this to know how to use this program regcleaner or you could crash your entire system. After reading all the negative comments about Studio 8 you should reconsider to not even install pinnacle expressions on your computer. Because this could happen to you just like it happened to me. After owning 4 Gateway computers and not a single problem that I did not cause I feel that Gateway had nothing to do with this problem. Get this I had to install this software. Gateway not preinstall software before you get the computer. I wouder why. They probably could not get it to work either. Anyone have a patition to sign I will to put these people in court to face the music. Thanks for nothing pinnacle!
Posted by: Shane on July 1, 2004 02:17 AMSame thing here. I have wasted my CPU in many overnight tasks to burn a DVD and after using plenty of hard drive in temp files (about 11Gbps) it shows an "error" and no explanation.
You may want to try several times (6-8 hrs for 57min Videos) until the software decides to be merciful and burn your DVD.
THAT is not funny.
Stay away from it... it's not worth it.
Many thanks for your comments, Shane and Juan. I am in the market for software which will enable me to put digital photos' on a CD which can be viewed on a TV via a DVD player.
I was about to buy Expressions until I read your posting, not any more, I'll look elsewhere.
Cheers.
rim rim
Posted by: rim rim on August 20, 2004 12:48 PMPost a comment
