Datatalk / Magix.
Magix repacks and resells other products. Some of those are great (Xara comes to mind) but Magix often manages to screw up their installation and support procedures. And don't get me started on license issues...
And in several ways they did it again... sigh.
Hitfilm Express
Anyway, Magix offered me Video Deluxe 2021 for €9.99, and at that price I'd give it a go, even though I prefer Hitfilm Express (though they pretty much bungled up their installation procedure as well, especially if you own an older version and are not interested in a subscription model).
You know, perhaps I have an option to fall back on with Video Deluxe if I can no longer find a working copy of Hitfilm Express...
Video Deluxe isn't Video Deluxe
Right.
It's Magix Movie Edit Pro. They can't even get the product name right. And it's unclear what the license includes and excludes. If you look at the Xara license that one is rather disgusting (you effectively lose all updates after your install if you do not renew).
You can't download an installer
Instead, you can only download a downloader who handles further downloads before installing. Which means that, if Magix ever takes down the downloadable files, you're royally screwed. You'd be screwed if they'd take the authorisation server down as well, I know. Another reason why I don't like online authorization and installation.
Where do the installation files go?
There's unfortunately no way to tell where the downloader / installer placed the downloads. I suspect some bits are here: c:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Temp\MAGIX\ but there's not enough there. Frankly, I have no idea, but there's 1.5 GB of data stored *somewhere* and it's left behind after installation, as a reinstall doesn't trigger the download again. Great. More useless data to backup.
The installer gets confused
If you cancel your install, or uninstall your applications, then the downloader / installer might get mightily confused, bring pop-unders durinng installation (move those windows around, boys and girls, something might be lurking below if everything has come to a halt), and try to uninstall immediately after you've just completed your reinstall.
Lot's of bloatware
Be careful, or you'll be swamped with other crap whilst running your installation. Only install what you expect, not the other 'freebies' thrown in.
Music Maker seems the only reasonable add on, if that's your thing. Of course, on the first run it tries to update itself, with a pop-under... I suspect yet another race condition, or they simply expect to run as an admin all the time. I had to 'Ignore' some parts of the update, and now I don't know if the update worked or not... well done, Magix.
What's this thing called anyway?
Let's try Video Deluxe... I mean, Movie Edit Pro next. Upon install and first run it may ask you for an admin password and might confirm an activation with yet another pop-under window. Then upon first run it offers you to install additional media... Write down where it installs the stuff, because there's no mentioning anywhere later, and it's not removed when uninstalling. Great.
Maybe here? C:\Users\Public\Documents\MAGIX\Common\Videocontent\
I absolutely have no clue.
As for the product identity itself... It's the 2021 version of the software. The about box says it's the 202 version of Movie Edit Pro. The website doesn't list Movie Edit Pro at all.
On the second run it tries to update itself, launching a 'Renew the Update Service' box... which does nothing but halt? Or maybe it does something, I have no clue whatsoever.
Doubting my own eyes I tried 'Update Online', yet to no avail.
Typcial Magix
Magix, Magix, yet another very poor showing... What a disaster.
All this, and I haven't even started using it!
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