Sony Vegas 6 + DVD

Before Sony bought Sonic Foundry and all its video and audio editing technology three years ago, Vegas Video had a small yet extremely loyal following, with many video editors appreciating the solid performance and complete multimedia focus of the program.

Sony has continued to develop Vegas as a high end video editing solution, adding several Sony specific touches such as a stronger focus on Dolby Digital AC-3 on the audio side and output support for hardware platforms such as Sony's PSP platform.

Vegas + DVD is a complete PC-based, multitrack video-editing software package combining a streamlined interface with powerful feature-set allowing users to quickly and easily create and edit video content and output the finished project to a number of media outlets including the web, DVD or even Sony PSP systems. The program also has some of the strongest audio production tools available in an off the shelf application.

Editors can work with video of different sizes, frame rates, and formats on the same track without conversion, and render to just about any resolution. Superimpose video on multiple layers and apply key-frameable transitions including Wipes, Dissolve and Crossfades. Rotate, resize, stretch, flip, or morph a video track and preview the effect in real time.

Despite big improvements in competing video editing applications, Vegas continues to impress in the way it allows the editor to view changes natively off the timeline, without conversion or rendering. The fact that Vegas was never an Apple application is a big plus for Windows users as the interface has a strong Windows flavour.

Vegas Video is dominated by a timeline area with user definable video and audio tracks. The bottom half of the interface provides you with a choice of workspaces. The Windows-like Explorer window is a good place to start, where you can quickly find video, audio and graphic assets on your hard drive. The video monitor window on the right of the screen allows you to quickly preview the various media assets at your disposal.

Tab selection allow you to switch through various workflows with the Clip Trimmer, Media Pool (a bin showing all the clips in the project) and a Transitions Palette placed neatly behind the Explorer window ready to be brought forward when needed. These windows also have the ability to float free, which makes the desktop completely customisable depending how you want to get the job done.

The Explorer window provides information about the media assets you are working on, with details of frame size, colour depth and frame rate for videos and sample rate, bit-depth, and mono/stereo channels for audio.Once you have worked your magic with your footage and are ready to create a DVD, the DVD Architect 3 application is ready to develop the appropriate DVD menus and integrate your video to make a movie DVD.

Through the use of Vegas 6, DVD Architect 3 and the supplied AC-3 encoding software, it is possible to create compelling 5.1 multi channel surround sound movies on a home PC.