freefalle 0 #1 January 21, 2003 okay cam gods and computer guerus. I have above average computer skills and basic understanding of hardware and software so this shouldnt be too complicated for me, but it seems to be. I have a PC100, I understand people use a "firewire" to connect this cam to their computer and from what I gather, once that connection is made you can bring up software to edit the video and save it to a DVD. is this assumption correct? If so can ya help me out with some questions or a direction to find the answers. 1. where do I get a firewire? 2 what is a good editing software and why do you think its good ( I know the answer to that question may vary but Id like to make an informed decision) 3. Ive heard that not all dvds will play in all dvd players. That being the case what should I look for when buying a dvd burner 4. Im looking at buying a new laptop within the next week or two, what should I look for when buying this laptop as far as hardware thats best suited for video editing as most of the video editing will be done from the lap top thanks as always for your thoughts and advice. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #2 January 21, 2003 One complete solution in one very small package HERE.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 15 #3 January 21, 2003 Hehehe... based on the questions I'd say just average computer skillz The Firewire is actually just a cable you can pick up at Bestbuy, stapes, etc. There is a 4 pin and a 6 pin version. You need 4 pin to 4 pin to go camera to camera, and a 4 pin to 6 pin to go camera to PC. You will also need a firewire card for your PC. A few have them built in but odds are yours does'nt. DVD+R drives seem to work ok in newer DVD players. Quality of media also matters here. You can't burn right to the DVD, you have to store the compiled video on your hard drive along with all the captured clips so you better have a big hard drive empty. Last question is easy... get a Mac! Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
murrays 0 #4 January 21, 2003 Quote4. Im looking at buying a new laptop within the next week or two, what should I look for when buying this laptop as far as hardware thats best suited for video editing as most of the video editing will be done from the lap topthanks as always for your thoughts and advice.If you would like a turn-key solution with Firewire built-in, software for editing dv footage, software for creating DVDs and a drive to burn them on..take a look at one of the Apple Powerbooks with a Superdrive. Available with 12, 15 and 17 {drool} inch screens. Take a look at the iLife suite of software that Apple is releasing this Saturday. This software is all free with a new Mac. (You may have to pay $20 for a CD with this software if the Mac you buy doesn't have the new versions already installed) Everything you need to combine music, stills and dv on DVD.Obviously, I'm a happy Mac user. I think it's a pretty painless route to DV editing and DVD creation. (I am just about to pop a DVD in my Superdrive and burn a DVD of old footage for a friend.) My burned DVDs have all worked perfectly on my year old Sony DVD player....but I know that quite a few players won't read burned discs. newer is better in this regard I think.Good luck with your decision.-- Murray "No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cajones 0 #5 January 21, 2003 Important Question: How much money do you have? The laws of physics are strictly enforced. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
newshooter12 0 #6 January 21, 2003 Darn Mac users.....I'm not looking to buy a computer any time soon, but you've got me convinced that I need to leave Microsoft PCs behind me. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rredman 0 #7 January 21, 2003 yup, avoid frustration, get a mac! I bought an e-mac last september, and the time from cutting the tape on the box till my first finished video (although still a little rough) was 3 hours... and I had never used a mac before. I was a proud PC dude... notice I said "was". Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
XDV 0 #8 January 21, 2003 You didn't convince me...... I will stay on PC, for all the + I can get and do with it, in the past the PC wasn't good for video editing or imaging but with the new generation of PC it work really good, it's so much easier to get spare parts, software, and help for troubleshoot I respect your choice.... may be you will convince me one day ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rredman 0 #9 January 21, 2003 I couldn't agree more. The old imovie and idvd were great, and this new suite looks even better! I can't wait for it to come out.. btw, I burn DVDs and play them on my 2 year old panasonic and they work fine.. but then, they are "slightly ahead of their time!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nacmacfeegle 0 #10 January 21, 2003 "Important Question: How much money do you have?" Important question #2: How much video do you intend to edit and for what purpose / market? Cajones hinted at it, you can spend a LOT of money on this stuff. In my experience, its best to work out what job you need doing, in what timeframe, and then equip yourself with the tools to do it. By the way I use Premiere, because thats what I learned on, it works for me.-------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Deuce 1 #11 January 21, 2003 Beware Premier LE! I just recently got a Sony Vaio editing computer that came with Premier LE. It doesn't have the MPEG2 compression software that I need to put a 45 minute video onto DVD. The full version upgrade is $299. You need at least 200 gigs to really work with video and pictures too. I know many of the folks here are more efficient in using their computers, but for novices it sure looks like the Mac is a better option for video editing. If I didn't have to use a PC at work, I'd be using that small Mac notebook for sure. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 15 #12 January 21, 2003 >You need at least 200 gigs to really work with video and pictures too. Unless you are editing hour long video's, 20- 30 gigs should get your average video edited. 200 is in the range of professional where a real time render card is needed too.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #13 January 21, 2003 QuoteYou need at least 200 gigs to really work with video and pictures too. Nawww, you're off by at least a factor of 10. DV25 (the stuff we use via FireWire) is about 4 minutes per gigabyte. I only have a 10 gig drive in my iBook (ok, it's getting a bit old now), but it's just fine for most small skydiving video projects.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Deuce 1 #14 January 21, 2003 Well, I think my problem is mostly caused by working with uncompressed video, which is all I can do with the software I have. The Eloy video I'm working on has 18 minutes of the 6 formation loads (3 cameras) and then about 20 minutes of zoo dives and hybrids, and 5 of fluff. About 45 all together. I write the project to AVi, because I don't have MPEG2, and Viola, an 11 gig file. When I get the full version of Premiere, with the compression software, I guess my problem will be resolved. I was just thinking you could only keep a very few projects on your hard drive and you'd use up your space really fast. I think I'll get it eventually, but I'm making some bonehead mistakes right now. I appreciate everybody's input. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
murrays 0 #15 January 22, 2003 Quote it's so much easier to get spare parts, software, and help for troubleshootI respect your choice.... may be you will convince me one day ! I guess I look at the huge number of choices available for pc's in a different light...As a person who has been caught a couple of times in the hell of the software vendor blaming the operating system (Windows) who is blaming the hardware maker who is blaming everybody else for a problem I think that a person buying a Mac for the purpose of video editing is in a much more comfortable position for getting good tech support because:Apple sells the hardware, writes the operating system and writes the software. There is only one place to call. Apple's tech support is good, evidenced by the fact that in the most recent PC World magazine Service and Reliability survey Apple got the best marks in the desktop category.(No rating in the Notebook category...no reasons given.) Still need more convincing? Blue skies,-- Murray "No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
