CyberLink have recently announced an upgrade to their main video products in the form of optimized performance for the AMD A-Series APU family.

According to the press release they are “excited!” Their offices aren’t too far from here so I am sorely tempted to actually go around there right now and check to see if they are in fact… “excited!”

I have a feeling they are probably mildly pleased or somewhat happy but I have my doubts about them being excited.

Anyway, just in case you were wondering, APU stands for Accelerated Processing Unit and basically it means further development of the software’s ability to harness any processing power offered by the processor on the video card.

Their software doesn’t just use it for better playback but for any other process the software may need.

These types of processors that are part of the video card are essentially hundreds of micro processors in one and are particularly suited to small individual tasks which is perfect for rendering (outputting) your final video files.

The other area they are of benefit is in the application of filters and special effects.

The bottom line here is that this is how CyberLink are getting the impressive rendering times they have been exhibiting since the release of CyberLink Power Director 9.

If you want to take a look at that software in more detail there is a Power Director Review here. 

They have implemented the technology across a large part of their product line up but my main interest is in the video rendering / special effects and filters aspect of things.

To get more of the technical data click the link for the CyberLink Press release.

Click here to take a look at CyberLink Power Director 9.

Click Image for the Best Deals

Ok! I just received an email from the folks at CyberLink announcing a bunch of discounts on their products for the holidays.

I read it… read it again and then gave it one more shot. I can clearly state they are offering discounts. What I am uncertain of is exactly what they are discounting and to whom!

There seems to been a wide variation in the discount structure depending on whether you are looking for video editing software like PowerDirector 9 Ultra or maybe multimedia software like Media Suite.

Added to that is a another variation based on your location. Some deals for the U.S are different to the U.K and on and on.

I have to admit this whole marketing and sales crap really doesn’t appeal to me so I find it hard to get interested enough to decipher emails like this. I am sure there are some good deals in there somewhere… for someone… who is located somewhere!

So to make it easier for you… ok, that was a lie. To make is easier for me I found a link to Cyberlink that will just direct you to the best deals on offer for the holiday period.

Oh… forgot to mention that I like CyberLink products a lot and can recommend them without having to go shower after doing so.

Click this Link here for these once in a lifetime never to be missed deals!!!

(You can tell I have been studying my marketing stuff cos’ I used three exclamation marks… no need to say anything. I know… it’s a gift.)

Video Editing Software Company Has Major Meltdown. Listens to Users and Tries to Make Video Editing Fast.

After a few years of following the sometimes sloth-like progress of the consumer video editing software market one tends to get lulled (not lol’d) into a kind of hypnotic trance.

The steady to and fro of the various players in the game swapping back and forth between each other trading features and minor oneupmanships (OK, if that isn’t a word it now is cos’ it’s my blog and I say so!) settles into a steady, rhythmic pattern.

It’s like watching a prize fight between two octogenarians… in slow motion.

One adds Dolby then the others add Dolby, one adds transitions in the overlay tracks then the others follow and on it goes.

I have another website where I list my choices for best video editing software at the consumer level. The actual order of the list has not changed for two years now!

They all keep improving but it seems that they do it at exactly the same rate. I keep waiting for one of them to do something outrageous, something unexpected… in word something intelligent! They never do.

In the background throughout all of this operating systems have been fighting tooth and nail to get ahead, hardware has been aggressively improved and changed and video file types have been transformed completely.

So too have the expectations and needs of the consumers.

All this time the video editing software makers have just kept plodding along tweaking and polishing the same old products built on the same old architecture.

Why? Because it’s cheaper and easier to keep on flogging that same old dead horse rather than burying the poor thing and getting another horse.

The truth is that even I hadn’t noticed this happening until just the other day and what alerted me to it was discovering an upgrade to program where they actually did it.

CyberLink PowerDirector 9 Ultra is not just a bit of spit’n'polish applied to PowerDirector 8 and packaged in a new box.

It is a major rework of the software and with it they went for something that consumers have been wanting for ages… speed.

This is not a review but in the trials I ran on this software it simply smoked everything else in its category.

They have added a bunch of other stuff as well and you can click here to see the full CyberLink PowerDirector 9 Review or the link below to take the trial version for a spin around the block yourself.

CyberLink PowerDirector 9

I just recieved an email from CyberLink who are running a special on PowerDirector 8.

For a limited time if you purchase PowerDirector 8 they will throw YouCam 3 in for free.

PowerDirector 8 is my top choice for consumer level video editing software so you can’t go wrong there but the addition of YouCam 3 is rather a tasty deal.

YouCam 3 is a direct capture software for webcams they put out a few months back. Great for capturing from your webcam, editing and either uploading to an online service or sending to another editor for further processing.

Over the past few weeks there has been a spate of releases from the major video editing software manufacturers. There’s nothing really special about that except that many have come out with very simplified versions of their video suites squarely aimed at the home user that has modest demands.

This tends to make me think that the software makers have been actively surveying their customer bases and by these releases are seeking to plug a gap in the market.

By the looks of the products themselves it appears that gap is the person who wants to make video and get it on to DVD, Blu-ray or online fast and is not too concerned with being able to apply all the “bells and whistles” effects etc offered by the average consumer video editing software program.

It is easy to understand how this has happened. Over the past few years the big software companies have been engaged in a development war with each other for the consumer level video editor market. In the heat of battle the consumer has definitely been the winner in that the capabilities of the current batch of consumer video editors is very, very advanced.

Possibly the cost in all of this has been that now, anyone entering this market at a beginner level or at a level that they are not really that interested in the whole editing process would find the current programs a little daunting. Five or so years of relentless addition of features tends to result in video editing software programs that seem quite complex!

In answer to this Magix, Corel and Cyberlink have released video editing products that are very simple to use, have the basic features needed to get the job done and include all the tools necessary within the package. Of course Roxio has had similar features within it’s multimedia suite for a long time now.

Here’s a quick round up of the field as it stands for easy video editing software.

Magix Video Easy

A very easy to use wizard driven interface for video editing with lots of help functionality. Magix seem to be banking here on the usability of the program and the exceptional ease of use. The wizards and help are impressively extensive.
It includes AVCHD support for burning to disc (Check the minimum specs first.) as well as ability to handle MPEG2 and MPEG4 files and output.
There is basic editing  providing transitions, titling and the ability to import audio. The program offers very little in the way of features compared to traditional video editing software but hey!… that’s the point!
You can export to DVD, Blu-ray or upload directly to YouTube

Click Here to Take a Look at Magix Video Easy

Corel Digital Studio 2010

Another easy to use video editing software package offering the cut down functionality of their main product range.

It combines a video editing module with an image editing module and and overall output module that allows the creation of DVDs and direct uploading to YouTube etc.

What separates it from the rest is that all of the functions within the program are accessible through one user interface. It doesn’t matter what you are doing the interface always looks the same.

Additionally it is rated to work with the new Windows 7 touch functions.

Click Here to See Corel Digital Studio 2010

CyberLink DVD Suite 7

This one is probably my favourite of the bunch. Although it originates from the viewpoint of a DVD creator Cyberlink have gone to great lengths to include some great features and functionality.

It combines cut down versions of PowerDirector (video editing), their image and audio editing programs and ties up the package with great DVD and disc authoring capabilities.

The Ultra version comes fully loaded for Blu-ray creation and of course the necessary codecs for online video.

Slightly less smoothly integrated than the Corel product and far more advanced than the Magix product without introducing needless functions and complexity.

Click here to See CyberLink DVD Suite 7

Roxio Creator 2010

Roxio Creator 2010 comes with video, audio and image editing tools.

The beauty of Roxio Creator has always been that although the various media modules are separate, they integrate very well together. Because of that you can tweak a photo from within the video editing program or use all the power of the audio editing module the same way.

Obviously the DVD burning module and DVD authoring features are very good because that’s how the software came into being in the first place.

Feature-wise it is on a par with the CyberLink product and there is probably not much to separate the two.

If your emphasis is on disc creation rather than video editing then possibly this would suit more.

Click Here to See Roxio Creator 2010