What's the best/most stable VS version, X7 or before?

[ehbowen]

While I use the current VideoStudio Ultimate 2020 on my editing and rendering computers, my capture computers run Windows XP 32-bit. (Hackers, take note: They're air-gapped and there's no personal information on them anyhow.) They cannot be upgraded because Microsoft broke the drivers which the capture hardware needs with the upgrade to Vista more than ten years back.

I'm currently using Ulead VideoStudio 11 (OEM version which came free with a FireWire card) on my FireWire capture computer when I want to capture/copy from DV; it's got a more convenient interface than the other alternatives. But I was thinking that a slightly more up-to-date version, if it was stable, might still be an improvement. I have licenses for X5, X7, X9, X10 and the more recent versions, although it looks like anything more recent than X9 is 64-bit only. Which of the 32-bit versions do others report having good success with?

[Davidk]

You haven't really been clear about what you want to do. But from the information provided, you
- have a camcorder that records on DV tape, which is then played via firewire to the Xp computer
- use a win Xp computer to capture video data, which presumably you save to some transportable medium like a usb drive or memory card/stick, and then use that to
- import the captured files to a win10 computer for editing.

The root cause of your issues with the Xp capture computer seems to be that DV camcorder. Have you actually checked that specs for the camcorder, to see if it can also use Sd cards? I ask because I once had one, that did both, but the sales store said use Dv tape and in my ignorance I did, and had the same type of transfer mechanism as you outline. At least, until the tape wrapped it's way around the internal transport system of belts and pulleys, making it unusable for anything but scrap: then I found the SD slot. So check it. If an option to record using SD card exists, use it immediately: they are much more flexible, universal in application to computers for the last 20 years.

I did note - 10+ years ago - DV tapes were so hard to get, and the equipment which uses them hasn't been sold for a decade or more.
Whilst discarding a working system is not generally a recommendation I make, in this case an investment in a new camcorder - even a second hand one from an electronic store - that records using Sd cards would make your xp computer redundant, thus removing any need to worry about driver support or upgrade the version of VS it uses to capture . . .

And Sd cards recorded on a camcorder can be removed and attached directly to modern computers either directly or via a usb card reader, enabling any data thereon to be copied/imported directly in data folders that VS on that computer can directly access.

[ehbowen]

Hi, David. I'm just wanting to use the older version of VideoStudio as a front end for capturing MiniDV tapes via FireWire on an XP computer; I've had difficulty installing a FireWire card (driver incompatibilities) on my Windows 10 machines and anyhow I prefer to keep capture separate from rendering and editing.

I'm not using a camcorder at all; actually, I'm using a Sony Video Walkman (GV-D1000). I'm not recording videos live, or if I do I use my Nikon camera with an SD card. No, I normally work with tapes which have been on the shelf for 20+ years. Mostly VHS or 8mm, which is why I use a pair of ATI All-In-Wonder cards and VirtualDub to capture analog, but that workflow doesn't work well for MiniDV. I get the raw video data from the capture computer, save it on a hot-swap HDD and sneakernet it to the render machine for post-processing with AviSynth, and then work on the final video using VideoStudio.

I have, as I stated, been using ULead VideoStudio 11 on one of the XP computers for DV capture. I was thinking about moving up to a slightly more recent version, that's all. Just looking for recommendations, although after taking a look over the promotional literature I'm thinking about going with X5. Reason is that's the last version I have a license for which used the SmartSound system before switching to the present Auto Music. Auto Music is pretty good most of the time, but you can't add any new songs to it. Secondhand SmartSound CDs are readily available on eBay.

[asik1]

I don't understand why you don't use XP's movie maker 2.1 or windv for capturing DV. The best for the task.

[lata]

Like Asik1 comments....
Try using a free program called WinDV, dedicated to capturing DV.Avi.
http://windv.mourek.cz/

The program has not been updated in a while but its worth a try with windows 10, nothing to loose.
The advantage of WinDV is the ability to name the captured AVI, something that older versions of VS did not allow.

I seem to recall Ulead 11 having some issues with analogue capture, never had that version so cannot check, besides my All in Wonder is long deceased, purchased in 2000 ish

Smart Sound, was it that long ago when the program dropped that option I guess X5 would be your preferred version, I do recall X7 being pretty good as well.