There was a time when semi-professional video editors and home-video enthusiasts had little choice but Adobe Premiere. Back then, video capture and output depended on proprietary hardware, which often only worked with its bundled software.

Not only slightly cheaper than the last version, but now Encore CS3 and OnLocation CS3 are included too.

Canopus first made its name providing top-notch 3Dfx cards. Realising the deadly competitiveness and pace of that market, however, Canopus has moved on and repositioned itself as a company specialising in video editing.

Try the new advanced video editor

Excellent features and performance, but it’s pricey and you need a suitably powerful PC to make the most of it.

A new interface, smart albums, guided editing and photo merging keep Photoshop Elements ahead of the pack

As it focuses more on the new user, beginners will find this release easy to get to grips with.

Video editing and DVD creation suite

Video editing and DVD creation suite

Not content with dominating the semi-professional end of video editing, Matrox has reworked its 'Power of X' technology for a more humble audience.

Yet another leap forward for After Effects, which cements its status as the leading PC video compositing tool.

Not so long ago, Pinnacle concentrated on manufacturing graphics hardware and bundling third-party software with it. These days the company provides its own digital video editing software and makes no bones about competing with Adobe's Premiere.

It's the return of the twin graphics chip powered laptop, but this time Core2 Duo power is under the hood.

Great real-time performance, particularly with high definition footage. But the EDIUS Pro software still needs a few more features to usurp the competition.

This version brings some real improvements, but there are still a few features missing.

The format wars continue as Blu Ray comes to a monster laptop at a monster price.

Benchmarking PCs is a tricky business. You need to ensure that you stress the systems, but also that the results you get will be relevant in the real world. Previously we have relied heavily on BAPCo's SYSmark2002 for simulating home and office use, with programs such as Excel, Word, Outlook, and web content through Adobe Premiere and Macromedia Dreamweaver. However, due to SYSmark's history of instability as well as the sheer length of time it takes to complete a run, we have put it on the backburner in favour of PCMark04 for this Labs.

Home videos are great fun but we seldom manage to record each scene on our cameras in exactly the right order to create a flow of video and sound that is pleasing and easy to watch. In many cases it could bore the socks off most viewers.

Vegas has a huge array of editing features for the money, plus powerful bundled DVD authoring.

HDV support and seven video tracks make this a massive upgrade, but only for the plus version.