iMovie HD Page 2 of 2

Addition of HD Editing Steals Limelight from Other Useful Improvements

An HD Primer

iMovie HD actually supports a comparatively low-end variety of high-definition video called HDV, which is high-definition footage with MPEG-2 compression applied to it. HDV comes in two varieties, both of which iMovie HD supports: 1080i provides 1,920-by-1,080-pixel interlaced resolution, while 720p offers 1,280-by-720-pixel progressive-scan resolution. (The Sony Handycam HDR-FX1 camcorder on the right is a 1080i model.) Although it’s highly compressed, HDV currently offers more than enough image detail and sharpness for most nonprofessional editors.

Product:
iMovie HD
Rating (Scale) 5 - Superior 4 - Very Good 3 - Good 2 - Fair 1 - Poor

Pros
Improved performance and stability; sup-port for HD, wide-screen DV, MPEG-4, and iSight video; Magic iMovie feature; better drag-and-drop capabilities.
Cons
Audio glitches; Ken Burns Effect needs more controls; sketchy performance on older Macs, even those that meet its system requirements.
Company
Apple
Price as rated
$79 as part of iLife ’05
Best current price
$29.99