I just read on Macworld that Apple offers iMovie HD as a free download to iLife ’08 customers. This seems equivalent to admitting that this upgrade is none, why else would you want to download an 18 month old program when you just upgraded?
The referenced article also has a good discussion on the topic. The best I’ve seen to date on this. From this I learned even more shocking news:
- No support for chapter markers for iDVD
- No support for multiple audio tracks
- Themes are gone
- Plugins are gone
- Special effects are gone
The missing support for chapter markers explains why chapter markers from previous versions of iMovie are not imported as pointed out in my previous post. I do not know the details on the missing special effects, but if this pertains to all the video FX then this is a dramatic cut in features. While I usually do not use many video FX, I very frequently use the slow/fast/reverse effect to help with the flow of scenes, or to adjust scenic shots to the soundtrack.
Another comment points out that the export to iDVD share functionality is also missing. What’s up with that? I guess, when you throw together a movie in minutes it is not worth while watching on DVD…