COMPUTER VIDEO EDITING MAGAZINE CLOSES ITS DOORS
Editor Bob Crabtree moves onto the net, relaunching DVdoctor as  "world-best" video editing & authoring site
Computer Video Editing magazine was closed without warning in early December 2004 and the extracts you see on this page are from the last issue published - Feb, 05.
The magazine's launch-to-burial editor, Bob Crabtree left publisher HHC mid January and has been working since to set up what he and his colleagues at DVdoctor intend will be the "world's best" web site for video editing and DVD authoring and all associated hardware and software.
Check out phase-one, on the home page, and by visiting the new-look, enhanced DVforums available for help 24/7.

DIGITAL VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE
Pinnacle Liquid Edition 6 Pro
With version 5 of Edition Pro, Pinnacle introduced a combined AGP graphics card and real-time accelerator. For the new, feature-packed, V6, this is replaced by an external box with no acceleration - requiring the user's PC to already have a powerful CPU and graphics card.
In the previous incarnation of Liquid Edition Pro - V5 - Pinnacle provided an AGP graphics card that doubled as a real-time accelerator. This was a good solution, feeding video overlay out through analogue channels for high-quality monitoring on a TV set, but the board had the disadvantage of only supporting one computer monitor, and left users stuck with one particular graphics card rather than being able to upgrade to something better. More...

DIGITAL VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE
Pinnacle Studio Plus 9
The latest version of Pinnacle's well-spec'd budget video editor adds a lot of welcome new features, but is it any more trustworthy than what's gone before?
Pinnacle has always amazed us with its Studio software for entry-level DV editing. Unlike many other programs at this level, Studio has been designed with the actual job of editing in mind, rather than simply being loaded with tacky special effects. The interface is visual and intuitive, and the package on the whole has always been packed with genuinely useful (and often quite ingenious) features. In recent years, however, we've been equally amazed at the program's flakiness and Pinnacle's inability to keep Studio's head above water. More...

THREE-CCD CONSUMER CAMCORDER
Panasonic NV-GS400B
Panasonic's NV-GS400B looks to be an appealing package, but is it good enough to steal the Sony DCR-TRV950's mantle as the best low-cost, semi-pro three-chip camcorder?
Although the top end of the prosumer market is hotly contested by Sony's VX2100 and Canon's XL1S - along with some of the cheaper professional models - there are fewer choices for those with less than £2,000 to spend. Canon's XM2 is a great camcorder, but for value, Sony's three-CCD DCR-TRV900 and its replacement, the 950, have been hard to beat. However, Sony has discontinued the TRV950, and replaced it with the DCR-HC1000. But this is aimed at a slightly different audience, leaving vacant an important slot in the market. More...

THREE-CCD CONSUMER CAMCORDER
Sony DCR-HC1000
Can Sony's new sub-£1,000 three-chipper live up to the hugely popular DCR-TRV950 it replaces?
The DCR-HC1000 marks a change of direction for Sony. Even though it's supposedly the successor to the DCR-TRV950, it's a rather different beast. For a start, the TRV range has been discontinued in favour of HC, which is rather more consumer-oriented. As a result, the HC1000 is intended to be a lot more automated, while maintaining the high video quality its heritage would imply.
The camera body itself is a completely new design. The combined tape transport and hand stock rotates, like a Sharp Viewcam. More...

GRAPHICS TABLET
Wacom Intuos 3
Wacom's graphics tablets have found a home in many video editors toolkits since they started coming available so cheaply, but do higher-spec'd models merit attention? The Intuos 3 range boasts increased sensitivity and a programmable keyset. We take a look at the A4 version.
The appeal of graphics pads that enable direct input with a stylus is clear when they cost less than £50 - as was the case with the Volito when we looked at the A6 version. The last Wacom package to grab our attention was the A5-sized Graphire 3 Studio XL - which was made even more attractive by the inclusion of Pinnacle's Studio editing program and Adobe's Photoshop Elements image manipulation software, although it carried a weightier price-tag of £180. More...

» Download the 'lost' Feb 2003 issue