Frozen in Titles
I have owned Pinnacle Studio Ultimate Version 12 for five weeks and used it for less than a week before it stalled in Titles. I have a top of the line computer for editing video. In fact I purchased a new computer with the idea of editing hi def video. I've been in contact with Pinnacle Support during these last few weeks, and they have yet to solve this problem. I've done everything they have asked of me and more, including hiring a computer expert to also try to help me. I've been a Pinnacle user since version 9, and have upgraded every time it was offered. Version 12 is not up to their standards, or at least not the standards I've been accustomed to. When I asked Pinnacle Support why they stated that their product was compatible with Vista Home Premium 64 bit their response was "well not really".

Probably Awful...
Pinnacle cannot render itself out of a paper bag. Not being able to correctly render your own project files is pretty pathetic..... I do not own Studio 12 but after my experiences with Studio 11 you can bet I never will!!!!

Mixed Experiences
I'll keep it short. I've used Pinnacle Studio since version 8. I've upgraded and used various add-ons and bonus packages. When it works it is wonderful and the best value hands down. When it doesn't work you will be frustrated and have absolutely nowhere to turn - except reviews like this one, and other forums. The Pinnacle support is horrible.

But, as I said, when it is good it is wonderful. I bought Ultimate 12 for the AVCHD support for my Canon Vixia HF100. It works wonderfully for everything except putting AVCHD on DVD's for my blu-ray player. There is currently an aspect ratio issue. However I can produce regular DVD's that are jaw-droppingly wonderful, so I'm not furious, just frustrated.

My advice to you. Read all these reviews. They're mixed, but there is good info there. Regarding AVCHD - make sure you have a honking computer to run this thing. Seriously - you must have a 3+ GHz dual core computer with 3 or 4 GB of RAM and two 500 GB disk minimum. Don't let anybody tell you that you can get by with less. Get the fastest CPU you can possibly afford because AVCHD is a resource hog.

Good luck! When it works it is wonderful and a great value.

Poor Customer Support
In spite of it's reputation of being better and more stable than Pinnacle Studio 11 Ultimate, I have had so many installation issues that it's hard for me to judge at this point. The program crashes upon launch due to bugs in 3rd party plugins that you have the option to buy later installed in the program. I called technical support to assistance and I was told that I should visit their websites for solutions by a technician with attitude. I went to the website and found a fix for the one problem, but I had to go to the ProDad website to get a solution to the other issue. After many attempts I got that resolved.

I also had purchased some additonal effects and content packages, but they gave me a download instead of a physical CD shipment. The 4 of the 5 adds ons installed, one would not install at all. The ones that did install would not accept the serial number provided. I tried chat support this time and they could offer no help in resolving the issue. I asked for a physical shipment of the CDs and they ignored the request entirely. I am very angry as I paid a lot for this program and it's add on, I even purchased a training DVD and they have not been helpful at resolving the issues.

In hindsight I wish I'd bought Vegas Studio 9 Platinum Plus instead. If I can't get Pinnacle to refund my money, I don't think I'll be able to afford it right now though.

Strictly a video editing program
This program will not process any other files except video files. I needed to be able to process any files. Studio is a comprehensive program if you are into video exclusively. Customer service could be better.