Studio has been around a long time. I first encountered it when I bought an analogue capture card called a DC10+, which came bundled with version 1.01. I was next aware of a free upgrade to version 7, which had some very useful addtional features including, ISTR, the ablity to perform split A/V edits.
By version 9, the program was quite well featured for the time. I was using it to make VHS showreels. Pinnacle by now also have a “professional” program called Liquid (acquired from FAST systems), more expensive but still capable of running onaffordable hardware. Studio 10 was a major rewrite; the buzz was that it used the “engine” from Liquid. By now DVD authoring was a major feature. For a numner of years after, speculation about a new combimed version of the two programs was rife, with the working title Next Gen.
Avid bought out Pinnacle and proceeded to develop NGStudio, releasing it alongside Pinnacle Studio 15 as Avid Studio. This was a very different program to the “classic” Studio, with true multi-track features, a very sophisticated Library system, aimed to fit below Avid media Composer. Liquid was discontinued. The next upheaval came when Avid decided to get out of prosumer and consumer video entirely and sell the pinnacle range to Corel. Now there was no space for the classic Studio alongside Corel’s other product Video Studio (CVS). Avid Studio was given a light rewrite and renamed Pinnacle Studio 16.
Development has continued on what was NGStudio, with a number of fetures being shared with CVS – notably the Multi-cam editing package. Corel positions PS above CVS price-wise, but both programs have loyal user bases.
At the time of writing Studio 23 is the latest release, available in the Basic, Plus and Ultimate versions. over the last few years a new version has been announced in the late summer, so it is well established by the “Holiday Season” sales boom.
From Studio 8, then 9, I migrated to Pinnacle Liquid Edition and its far superior features. Liquid had a very loyal and experienced following and there was much shock and disappointment from its userbase when we heard of its pending demise. I edited some major documentaries on Liquid (first released on DVD and which are currently available on Amazon Prime). It was simply a brilliant NLE. However it was only made for the Windows XP, 32-bit platform – what a commercial opportunity missed not to upgrade it to 64-bit!
I have just purchased Studio 24 Ultimate, together with Jeff’s excellent book, in the hope that some of the functions (eg hot keys) are the same as I am/was used to in Liquid. Time will tell, but initial reactions are reasonably favourable.
Incidentally, why is Studio referred to as “NGStudio”?
NGStudio is the Process Name that appears in the Task Manager. It stands for Next Generation Studio – the working title given to it be the programming team that started development.
Thanks, Jeff. When you know it, it’s obvious- but it was nagging me as I didn’t!
I wonder when the Team started using “NG” – ie which Studio version they considered “Next Generation”?
PS: Just seen your comments re NG in the post below about Avid Studio, which explain when NG came in.
Yes, i started with v10. Upgraded upto 26, BUT i my ‘go to’ was always Studio v15. It was the ‘easiest’ (never got the new UI designs) and most stable (burning).
I’m moving to a new PC and don’t have the old DVD’s (always did online upgrades mostly)…Corel support doesn’t help, so anyone know by chance where i could get v15?
thanks in advance.