Trying to decide which application is superior is a very difficult process. Adobe Premiere is certainly the more widely used and, as a result, there are a wide range of third-party plugins and utilities available for this product. It is currently the software application that I use because it works better with the QuickTime -MOV" file format that is the format supported by my capture card (Bravado DV2000). In Premiere, if the original MOV clip is unchanged, it quickly outputs (streams) the video data into the resultant file without the need to re-render it. Media Studio also supports MOVs but when generating the final video file, it processes (renders) any video segment, regardless of whether filters and/or transitions have been applied. This leads to significantly longer rendering times in Media Studioâ€"up to 10 times longer. (Note that Media Studio does not have this problem with AVI files, and the rendering of the final output is as fast as Premiere's.)
I have a few concerns with the way Premiere has been operating on my system. It is definitely more prone to system crashes than any other software I have installed on the system. Media Studio, on the other hand, has always been a fairly robust application and crashes are rare. I also find Premiere to be a little less responsive to user input (either via mouse or keyboard) than Media Studio. Using the transport controls on the monitor window becomes very frustrating since delays in response are often observed. Media Studio does not suffer this problem at all. There is also the aforementioned problem with Premiere's monitor window not always being placed in front of other windows when activated. In addition, I prefer Media Studio's ability to enlarge an audio waveform on a window to allow accurate audio cueing to be performed visually.
I find that titles I have generated with Media Studio are a little 'cleaner' than those generated with Premiere and the addition of CG Infinity and Video Paint applications allow greater scope for the production of graphical content.
Both applications do their job well and both are streets ahead of online video editing done in the -traditional" way. My personal preference is to lean towards Ulead's Media Studio because my thinking and way of working is more in tune with the way this application presents its options. However, until it is able to write out MOVs more efficiently, or until I obtain a new -AVI-friendly" DV card, I am happy to continue working with Premiere.
Albert Stefani is a computer support analyst, has taught VCE Information Technology and Media Studies, and is also employed by V&C Environmental Consultants as part of their training video development unit.
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