Sony Vegas 8 operates seamlessly without guesswork. It is a powerful, stable program that provides everything a video editor would want and need, from beginner to pro. We'd like to see Vegas become a little more aesthetically pleasing, perhaps offering the option to darken the interface, but maybe that'`s the artist in us coming out.

OS: Windows XP SP2 or Vista
Minimum CPU:1.0GHz (2.8GHz for HDV recommended)
Minimum RAM: 1GB
Minimum Hard Drive Space for Installation: 200MB
Capture Formats: DV, HDV
Batch Capture: Yes
Automatic Scene Detection: Yes
Number of Video Tracks: Unlimited
Number of Audio Tracks: Unlimited
Nesting Tracks: Yes, project nesting
Audio/Video-Level Envelopes: Yes
Audio Scrub: Yes
Keyframe Animation: Yes
Background Rendering: No
Real-Time Software Previews: Yes
Optimized for Dual Processor/HyperThreading: Yes
Third-Party Plug-In Support: Yes
Encoding Formats: AA3, AC3, AIF, ATRAC, AVC, AVI, FLAC, MOV, MP3, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, M2T, M2TS, Sony MXF, OGG, PCA, RM, W64, WAV, WMA, WMV
DVD Authoring Software Included: DVD Architect 4.5
Trial Version Available: 30 days

• User-friendly
• Powerful audio editing
• Comprehensive interface
• AVCHD support, M2TS import

• No significant weaknesses

Sony Vegas 8 is powerful, intuitive and perfect for anyone wanting to edit video, beginner or professional.

Brent Holland is a wedding/event video producer and owner of a video production company.

Sony Creative Software
1617 Sherman Ave.
Madison, WI 53704
www.sonycreativesoftware.com

$700