Sony Vegas Pro 8.0 vs. Vegas Movie Studio +DVD Plat.

I'm trying to decide if the slimmed down Vegas Movie Studio +DVD Platinum version would be enough for my needs vs. Vegas Pro.8 which is nearly 5x in price. My needs are pretty limited with most of my HDV output going to "vacation" DVD's for friends or online.

Sony has a feature comparison of the 3 Vegas versions but it's a bit hard to interpret for a layman like me.

http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/produc...&PageID=110

The main differences I see are:

1) 32 bit float video processing

2) Comprehensive window docking options, recallable window layouts

3) Burn Blu-rayâ„¢ disc from timeline

4) Simultaneous video monitoring (local and external monitor)

5) various Audio mixers + 5.1 sound

2-5, I could live without, but could someone explain the benefits of "32 bit float video processing" and how that translates to real world results?

I've never used Vegas Movie Studio so I can't comment on what it's missing versus the full version.

Have you tried the trial versions of each ?

For my uses, 32 bit processing is not worth it. I do notice transitions are smoother than 8 bit processing, but the render times of 32 vs 8 are horrendous. So much longer than I decided to edit my Belize videos in 8 bit. My Roatan videos were done in 32 bit.

I have a quad core Dell.

For what it's worth I've been using Vegas Movie Studio Platinum for the last month or so and find it great. Havn't had crashes, and render times for HDV have been very reasonable (on a quad core desk top). The colour correction filters seem to work pretty well for my underwater footage. So overall, I definitely recommend it. I can't comment on the benefits of 32 bit, but have been very happy with the quality of the 1080 wmv files it's been kicking out.

For my uses, 32 bit processing is not worth it. I do notice transitions are smoother than 8 bit processing, but the render times of 32 vs 8 are horrendous. So much longer than I decided to edit my Belize videos in 8 bit. My Roatan videos were done in 32 bit.

 

I have a quad core Dell.

thanks Ron & Ferge... that's what I suspected. I remember when I tried Vegas Pro 8 on my short Maldives video, I noticed the render time was horrendous (Intel 6600 dual core). Will try out the trial of the Platinum version and give it a shot.