In this our third look at "entry-level" video capture/editing suites, we rolled out a copy of Sonic Foundry's VideoFactory, eager to see what one of the original pioneers of digital audio had come up with in the easy-to-use video field. The results were, well, interesting...

First, some ad whiz misadvised the company on how to sell its product: Sell it cheap and tell 'em it's a simple no-brainer. "Make Movies In Minutes," says the packaging. Unfortunately, perhaps, this company has brains and shows it - and this product, though not a blindingly complex professional suite, is not for the simple or the thoughtless. As a result, consumers looking for a quick video fix may be disappointed while users who want an unusually versatile product for a great price will be delighted.

Like its competitors' basic video suites, this appears to be a simplified version of the company's professional editor, VegasVideo, which sells for roughly six times the price. And because it is surprising in its number of options and detailed control of operation it is a good step on the road to the world of professional video.

Read The Manual, And The Help
For that same reason, this is not a terribly good way to begin your video editing experience from scratch, unless you're the more patient and scholarly sort. Before putting this to use, you should not only read the manual through, but also read the help section thoroughly to see what's at your fingertips and what you might unwittingly trap yourself in if you just blundered through. Injudiciously fooling with the controls on this vehicle could land you in the ditch without a tow truck. The pop-up intro run-through, alarmingly short and unhelpful, would lead you to believe otherwise. Turn it off. It was likely designed by the same ad folks who thought this was a no-brainer.

Instead, spend a few days of careful experimentation with the program's many options and you'll be rewarded with a wealth of concepts gleaned from the professional world of audio and video recording and a tool to utilize them selectively and creatively.

Before getting into all that, some requirements. You'll need a Firewire (IEEE 1394/DV) video capture card to input video, unless you've got one built in (as many new PCs do). Also a minimum of 128 MB RAM, but better more, plus loads of storage and a fast CPU. Got those? Then go on to the next space...