Well, I did get the download of CS3, and I immediately dropped in an .asf mpeg4 clip from my Aiptek camcorder...something that would literally lock up 6.5, and it worked just fine. Without trying anything else, premiere is in the lead, though I do need to see if my old effects work with it...
I've been running Premiere 6.5 after upgrading from 6.0, which came bundled with a Pinnacle DV500+. Since XP SP2, the Pinnacle hardware hasn't worked, and the performance of 6.5 on my new system has been less than stellar. I don't know if it is a difference in hardware, or if the newer codecs...