SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION


                             Washington, D.C. 20549


                                    FORM 8-K


                                 CURRENT REPORT


                       Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
                       the Securities Exchange Act of 1934


        Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): March 11, 1999


                             PINNACLE SYSTEMS, INC.
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             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)



            California                     0-24784                94-3003809
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(State or other jurisdiction of   (Commission File Number)     (IRS Employer
 incorporation or organization)                              Identification No.)


            280 North Bernardo Ave., Mountain View, California 94043
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   (Address of principal executive offices of Registrant, including zip code)


                                 (650) 237-1600
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              (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)



Item 2.           Acquisition or Disposition of Assets

      On March 11, 1999, Walsh Merger Corporation ("Merger Sub"), a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Bernardo Merger Corporation  ("Bernardo"),  in turn a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Pinnacle Systems,  Inc.  ("Pinnacle"),  merged (the "Merger") with
and into Truevision,  Inc.  ("Truevision"),  with Truevision being the surviving
corporation  in the Merger.  At a special  meeting of  stockholders  held on the
morning of March 11, 1999, the  stockholders of Truevision  approved the Merger.
As a result of the Merger,  Truevision has become a  wholly-owned  subsidiary of
Bernardo and an indirect subsidiary of Pinnacle.  Truevision designs,  develops,
manufactures,  and  markets  professional-quality  digital  video  products  for
Windows- and Macintosh-compatible computers and operating systems.

      The Merger  occurred  pursuant  to the terms of an  Agreement  and Plan of
Reorganization  dated as of December  16, 1998 (the "Merger  Agreement")  by and
among  Pinnacle,  Truevision,  Bernardo  and Merger Sub.  Pursuant to the Merger
Agreement,  each share of Common Stock of Truevision ("Truevision Common Stock")
outstanding  immediately  prior to the Effective  Time (as defined in the Merger
Agreement) was converted into the right to receive 0.0313 (the "Exchange Ratio")
shares of  Pinnacle's  Common  Stock.  In  addition,  all  options  to  purchase
Truevision Common Stock outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time were
assumed by Pinnacle and converted into an option to acquire 3.13% as many shares
of Pinnacle  Common Stock,  at an exercise price per share equal to the exercise
price per share of the  Truevision  Common  Stock under such  Truevision  option
immediately prior to the merger divided by the Exchange Ratio. Additionally, all
outstanding  warrants  to  purchase  Truevision  Common  Stock  were  assumed by
Pinnacle  and  converted  into a warrant to acquire  3.13% of as many  shares of
Pinnacle  Common  Stock,  at an exercise  price per share equal to the  exercise
price per share of the  Truevision  Common Stock under such warrant  immediately
prior to the merger divided by the exchange ratio

         In connection with the Merger, Pinnacle issued or reserved an aggregate
of  approximately  506,000 shares of Common Stock,  including shares issued upon
conversion of the above-described warrants and the shares issuable upon exercise
of outstanding  options.  The Common Stock of Pinnacle  issued in the Merger was
registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities  Act"),
pursuant to a Registration  Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-71959) which the
Securities and Exchange  Commission  (the  "Commission")  declared  effective on
February  10,  1999.  The Common  Stock of Pinnacle  issuable  upon  exercise of
options to purchase  Truevision Common Stock was registered under the Securities
Act  pursuant to a  Registration  Statement on Form S-8 which will be filed with
the Commission in March 1999.

         The Merger  constitutes a taxable  transaction  for federal  income tax
purposes and will be accounted for as a "purchase" by Pinnacle.

         The Merger is more fully described in Pinnacle's Registration Statement
on Form S-4 (File No.  333-71959)  (the  "Registration  Statement").  The Merger
Agreement  was  included  as Appendix A to the Proxy  Statement/Prospectus  (the
"Proxy  Statement/Prospectus")  contained in the  Registration  Statement and is
incorporated herein by reference as Exhibit 2.1.



Item 7.  Financial Statements, Pro Forma Financial Information and Exhibits.

         (a) Financial Statements of Business Acquired.

                  (i) The audited  consolidated  balance  sheets of  Truevision,
Inc. as of June 27, 1998 and June 28, 1997, the audited consolidated  statements
of operations,  of changes in stockholders' equity and cash flows of Truevision,
Inc.  for the years ended June 27, 1998,  June 28, 1997 and June 29,  1996,  the
notes related thereto, and the Report of Independent Accountants thereon are set
forth at pages F-2 through  F-19 of the Proxy  Statement/Prospectus  included in
the Registration  Statement.  Such financial  statements,  notes and reports set
forth at such pages are incorporated herein by reference.

                  (ii) The unaudited  consolidated  balance sheet of Truevision,
Inc.  as  of  December  26,  1998,  the  unaudited  consolidated  statements  of
operations,  of changes in  stockholders'  equity and cash flows of  Truevision,
Inc. for the six months then ended and the notes  related  thereto are set forth
at pages F-21  through  F-25 of the Proxy  Statement/Prospectus  included in the
Registration  Statement.  Such financial  statements and notes set forth at such
pages are incorporated herein by reference.

         (b) Pro Forma Financial Information.

                  The following unaudited pro forma combined condensed financial
statements  of  Pinnacle  and  related  notes to  unaudited  pr  forma  combined
condensed  financial  statements are  incorporated  herein by reference from the
section captioned "Unaudited Pro Forma Financial  Information and Notes thereto"
on  pages  72  through  77 of the  Proxy  Statement/Prospectus  included  in the
Registration Statement:

                  (i) Unaudited pro forma combined condensed balance sheet as of
December 31, 1998.

                  (ii)  Unaudited  pro forma  combined  condensed  statements of
operations for the six months ended December 31, 1998.

         (c) Exhibits.

             Exhibit No.       Description
             -----------       -----------

                 2.1           Agreement  and  Plan  of   Reorganization   dated
                               December 16, 1998, by and among Pinnacle Systems,
                               Inc.;    Truevision,    Inc,    Bernardo   Merger
                               Corporation   and   Walsh   Merger    Corporation
                               (incorporated  by  reference to Appendix A to the
                               Proxy   Statement/Prospectus   included   in  the
                               Registrant's  Registration  Statement on Form S-4
                               (File No. 333-71959).



                23.1           Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

                99.1           Press release of Pinnacle  Systems,  Inc.,  dated
                               March 11, 1999.

         Pursuant to Item  601(b)(2) of  Regulation  S-K,  the  schedules to the
Acquisition Agreement have been omitted. The Registrant agrees to supplementally
furnish such schedules upon request of the Commission.




                                   SIGNATURES

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended,  the  registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf
by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

                                        PINNACLE SYSTEMS, INC.



Dated:  March 24, 1999                  By:  /S/ Mark L. Sanders
                                            ------------------------------------
                                            Mark L. Sanders, President and
                                            Chief Executive Officer




Dated:  March 24, 1999                  By:  /S/ Arthur D. Chadwick
                                            ------------------------------------
                                            Arthur D. Chadwick, Vice President,
                                            Finance and Administration and
                                            Chief Financial Officer