Update on our Outstanding Video Editing Accessories

With 2009 nearly in the books, we just realized that the CompuSports Software News and The Coachs Advisor, our two blogs, had yet to publish and update to one of our most popular articles – Outstanding Video Editing Accessories.

In order to do justice to the topic, we’re going to publish a new article in early 2010 that explains some of our recent “findings”, particularly when working with Windows 7 and recent versions of a few of our previously recommended products. Specifically, we’ll talk about Corel’s replacement for DVD Copy 6 Plus – their Digital Media Suite 2010, DIVX 7 for Windows, the latest version of a suite of products that we have liked for a number of years and the latest versions of Rip DVD Plus and Digital Media Converter Pro – two products from Deskshare, a company with a long track record of producing video editing software and utilities.

Until the new article arrives, a few previous articles and a link to our Amazon Store are worth checking out.

 Our Amazon Video Editing Accessories and Software Utilities "store" is stocked only with products specific to video editing, and is located at  http://astore.amazon.com/compusportsonlin .  The store was updated earlier this month (Dec 2009).

Previous versions of our Outstanding Video Accessories articles are here (2008) and here (2008)

In these articles, we list and describe some of our recommended and supported products and display accessories for capturing video, connecting capture devices and choosing and connecting digital video camcorders.

Easy-Scout Professional Version 2.71

Last month, we began shipping Easy-Scout Professional 2.71. We expect this will be the final release that adds features or functionality until after the coming (2009) football season.

Version 2.71 adds two features to Version 2.7, both significant.  Version 2.71 is available as a free update to registered Easy-Scout Pro users of any version equal to, or greater than 2.6, which was released in November 2008.  This is consistent with our policy of providing updates based on the “football season”, as opposed to on a calendar-year basis.

Intelligent Default Wizard

Of the two new capabilities in Version 2.71, the one most noticeable is the new Intelligent Default “wizard”. The name was chosen for the “intelligence” that it extends to the scouting data and video editing screens.

Intelligent Defaults TM have been part of all Easy-Scout products for over 20 years, and have been included in Easy-Scout Professional since it was first released in 2006.  Until Version 2.71, however, the time-saving, and accuracy-checking benefits of Intelligent Defaults TM  were available only when using Easy-Scout’s special “ADD MODE”, which saves video and play information, increments the Play Number, and creates a new play with Intelligent Defaults TM .

In short, the Intelligent Default TM wizard has the ability to adjust the values of the Down, Distance and Field Position for any play, at any time, based on the results of the Previous Play.  This is particularly useful in what we call “2 pass editing”, when a game is first “cut” into ODK, and then later, revisited to record additional data for each play – either to produce tendency reports or to expand the “search” criteria that can be used for video analysis and producing cutups.

Combined with the new Quick Cut editor screen added in Version 2.6, the Export Video module added in Version 2.65, and the Split Game Utility added in Version 2.7,  the Intelligent Default wizard completes a new set of functions that collectively represent significant improvement in the Video Editing, Video Analysis and Tendency Reporting capabilities of the program when compared to last season’s version (2.5).

Time based Registration module with License Transfer support

Another significant, but less obvious improvement that has been implemented in Version 2.71 is an optional Registration Module that supports “time-based” licensing.   In short, the new registration module can be configured either for “license purchase” customers – which have historically represented 95 percent of Easy-Scout Professional users, or existing (grandfathered)  Season Pass subscription customers.

Season Pass was a program we offered as a pilot program last season and discontinued due to insufficient interest (due largely, we believe, to the highly affordable price and low cost of ownership for Easy-Scout Pro when compared with other video editing software for football coaching).  With the improvements in Version 2.71, we are considering a reintroduction of a “new and improved” Season Pass program for next season.

For existing users (the 95 percent that purchase an Easy-Scout Pro license), the license transfer option in Version 2.71 adds a low cost, and in some cases, no-cost way to add license portability in a way that can mean significant cost savings.  In short, the License Transfer option in Version 2.71 makes it possible to avoid having to purchase an additional license when a computer is replaced with a new one.   Additional details about the License Transfer option is available by contacting a Technical Support representative.

Version 2.71 availability

Users of Easy-Scout Professional will be contacted with information about updating (free) or upgrading (reduced cost) their Easy-Scout Professional software to Version 2.71.   Full details are available also by visiting the CompuSports web site at www.compusports.com

New DVD ripper from Deskshare gets our vote of approval

In just a few weeks, we’ve become big fans of the new DVD ripping product from Deskshare – a company that has published a number of affordable, general purpose video editing products for quite a few years.

First announced in an article in the Coach’s Advisor Journal in early July,  Rip DVD Plus really grew on us quickly.  This is not to take anything away from the other products we have recommended in recent years – we just really like a lot about this new product.  As pointed out recently on the CompuSports web site, Rip DVD seems easier to learn, faster and more flexible than other products we have worked with.

Most importantly, its ability to create a single .avi or WMV (Windows Media) in varying combinations of file size and video quality make it ideal for football coaches who increasingly exchange video on DVDs or receive just-played game video on a DVD shortly after the contest.

Rip DVD Plus is not to be mistaken with most of the other DVD ripper products that are really more like file converters than DVD converters. These less-capable, file-based products can be “hit or miss” for coaches in particular, since the video for a football or basketball game is normally split between two or more “vob” files (vob files are the MPEG 2 based file fragments on a Video DVD ).

Rip DVD Plus joins DVD Copy 6 Plus as a supported DVD “ripping” products for use with Easy-Scout Professional and Easy-Cut. 

For Easy-Cut users, multi-purpose Digital Media Converters such as the DIVX Converter – included in the Divx Pro for Windows bundle (with MPEG 2 plug in option) – available from www.divx.com , and Digital Media Converter Pro, also from Deskshare are excellent alternatives and also CompuSports – supported products.

Coaches can be confident when choosing a supported capture or conversion product, since we have invested our time and money to test, purchase and learn how to use them with our video editing software products on both Windows XP and Windows Vista.

 

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