Video Capture Device Review: Pinnacle Systems Studio MP10

Joe McCleskey
March 2000

Pinnacle Systems has entered the parallel-port MPEG-creation market place with their Studio MP10, a product that extends their successful, easy-to-use Studio line of products into the multimedia CD-ROM and Internet video marketplace. Like other parallel-port MPEG-1-creation systems, the Studio MP10 is a video capture device that doesn't require you to open the computer's case to install it. In theory, all you have to do is plug in the MP10 to the parallel port, connect power, install the software and start capturing (In practice, it's not always so simple; more on this below).
Like all Pinnacle products, the Studio MP10 box emphasizes both form and functionality. Its curvaceous design and flat blue coloring fit in well with most home computer setups, yet it's designed to provide easy access to inputs and outputs.

Our first attempt to install the Studio MP10 was unsuccessful. Following the directions in the manual, we plugged the box into the parallel port of our test computer (Pentium II 400MHz, 64MB RAM, Windows 95), plugged in the power cable, turned on the computer and installed the software. After installation, we received a persistent "Studio MP10 hardware not found" error, and after delving into the BIOS setup for the parallel port and several other places where the PC-timid should not go, we gave up and tried again on another computer. Still, we could not get the device to operate. Only a call to Pinnacle and the shipment of a new unit solved the problem. Buyers should beware that there might be a few non-functional MP10 boxes out there, so if you purchase one, keep your receipt and be prepared to trade it in for a working model. Once our new MP10 began working, however, it worked flawlessly.

The Studio MP10's capture software uses a graphical approach that gently guides beginners through the potentially confusing process of recording video onto the hard drive from a camcorder or VCR. The video capture control window looks more like a point-and-click black box than a computer software window; the manual refers to this portion of the interface as the Diskometer. A pair of buttons marked with unmistakable icons for Video and Audio settings provide access to the majority of the MP10's capture controls, including audio levels, composite or S-video input, brightness, contrast, sharpness and saturation. On the top side of the Diskometer, a pie chart indicates space remaining on your video capture drive, and four buttons give access to the Studio MP10's four available capture resolutions (Internet/E-mail, Video CD, VHS Video and User Defined).
One of the key user-friendly features of the Studio MP10 is its use of Pinnacle's SmartCapture system. SmartCapture will automatically detect shots as you capture video, reducing the whole capturing process to a single long step. All you have to do is rewind your tape to the beginning, start the capturing process, then walk away as SmartCapture splits your video into individual shots and stores each as a separate clip. The process works surprisingly well, and is only troublesome when adjoining scenes are too dark, or when the video contains flashing lights or blurred motion (such as a whip pan).

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