eightyeightkeys Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 My father-in-law is at his wits end trying to configure his PC system for video editing. His current PC is too slow so he needs a new one. I'm on the MAC so I can't help too much. He's gone to many sales people in his area to ask their advice on a good PC system for video editing but everyone gives a different answer and sometimes completely opposite advice. So he's totally confused. He thought that I might be able to help if I asked around....." to a find a person who is doing video editing on a PC and simply ask what their system/configuartion is." Can anyone offer some help/suggestions/systems that work w/o too much messing around ? Basically a "plug & play" type deal. Many thanks. eightyeightkeys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doug osborne Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 Editing video seems to have many of the same requirements and issues as recording audio, so browse this board and others for tips on choosing or building a good DAW computer. He'll probably go a little lighter on the sound card and high-end on the video card. In this case, a Dell system configured with an appropriate video card might be right up his alley. Vegas from Sonic Foundry is a great application for both, and is easy enough for a moderate user to learn and actually in use in many professional situations. Adobe Premier is a little more intense, and Avid has a "lite" version coming out that might or might not suit him. Doug Osborne Music on Bandcamp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceF Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 [quote]Originally posted by d-dmusic: [b]...PC digital video... Can anyone offer some help/suggestions/systems that work w/o too much messing around ? Basically a "plug & play" type deal.[/b][/quote]The easiest way to get going editing video on the PC is to buy a Sony Vaio. It works great "out of the box". I use a Vaio laptop for video and I just bought a new Vaio for the studio for $1100... P4 2.4 ghz, DVD-RW/CD-RW, firewire, usb 2, sony media card slot, 512 mb ram, Premier 6 LE built in, built in camera control/editing. This desktop would probably be a perfect choice for desktop video, but I use it for digital audio only. A $250 firewire drive will give you great performance although you can use the internal drive if you choose. Main point with the Vaio is you don't have to add anything to the system to get going. All you need is a digital video camera that'll connect to the firewire port. The Sony Vaio is the single best (IMHO) "unpack and go" video editing solution on the PC market. Lawrence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie-brm Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 Hey D, is that Markham, ON? I think we've e-mailed before. Anyway, "it depends". What does your dad really want to do when he says editing? I'm guessing he has a miniDV camera and wants to save the good parts, either back to a miniDV, VHS tape or MPEG1 file on a CD or for sending out on the internet. Add some captions and titles, mix in some background music. If that's close, he could get by with a Pentium 3 800 Mhz and 256 MB RAM, really. I know today it's more realistic to get a 2.4 GHz P4. Into that add a C$100 Pyro DV IEEE-1394 capture card for going to and from the camera. For software he could start with under $100, eg. VideoWave. If he doesn't want to be burdened with learning before playing, these kinds of programs are easy to get into right away. Check the software rack at Future Shop or Best Buy. Also those DV cards. A fast video display card isn't of much concern. DV video is relatively undemanding. If he needs VHS (analog video) capture and playback, then yes he needs a fast card, but only because it will be doing captures full screen video without drop outs. He could look into an ATI card that has the RCA connectors for input and output. IDE hard drives spec'd for ATA100 and 7200 rpm are fine. He's better with two separate drives (one for programs, one for capturing) than buying one big drive. DV needs 13MB per hour. I'd pass on anything that only captures to inferior MPEG1 format. With this kind of approach, pick the software first, then check on approved/compatible DV IEEE-1394 capture cards. He could do a lot with that setup before having to get into real money. I did a lot with an ATI All in Wonder card and a VCR deck and VideoWave 3 and other obsolete software. I've moved up to a Matrox RT.X100 system with Premiere 6.5 and a DVD burner. Much more money and much harder to setup, maintain and learn. It's OK to tempt fate. Just don't drop your drawers and moon her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderton Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 That's all good advice. I'm using Vegas on the Leoni machine described in EQ (August 2002 issue). If your dad is really serious about editing, I'm really happy with what I can do with my system. BTW I highly recommend Windows XP for video work, it makes a big difference. Also Vegas knows what to do with a dual processor, which REALLY speeds things up, especially when rendering. I use dirt cheap IEE 1396 cards to get the DV signal in and they work fine. Craig Anderton Educational site: http://www.craiganderton.org Music: http://www.youtube.com/thecraiganderton Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/craig_anderton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie-brm Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 A hundred bucks [i]Canadian[/i] IS dirt cheap. :) It's OK to tempt fate. Just don't drop your drawers and moon her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceF Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 Some afterthoughts to my earlier post. Based on the Sony Vaio ($1100) and a digital camcorder. Add Vegas Video 3.0 or the new VEGAS 4 (note the missing "Video" designation from the title?) $299 retail. Add Ulead DVD Workshop for an easy and very powerful DVD creation program with excellent graphics. $299 retail. Add some M-audio SP-5B active nearfields and your system is complete. I run mine directly from the mini plug on my PC audio card. $229 street. Add an active PC "soundblaster" sub-woofer ($49) for more bass. Total cost for a professional video editing solution with DVD creation? Around $2000! (Without the digital camcorder of course!) Be prepared for long MPEG2 file creation times though. Without a dedicated dsp card high quality MPEG2 files take a LONG time! I render overnight! Lawrence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlahib.no Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 vegas video, with a GUI that makes sense :) love the software.. and i am also using it on a dual processor machine with windows XP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eightyeightkeys Posted February 22, 2003 Author Share Posted February 22, 2003 BTW, anyone working with video editing software called "Dazzle". That is the software my father-in-law started using. It's very straightforward, easy to use in terms of editing but has absolutely no manual to speak of. The part that seems to be the trickiest is the AtoD conversion . All of the parameters need to be set-up correctly before capture but with no manual it's a crapshoot. Right now the picture stutters and has moments of blotchiness/drop out.... ....thought I'd ask. eightyeightkeys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techristian Posted February 22, 2003 Share Posted February 22, 2003 I have used Media Studio Pro 6.0 to do my music video editing and effects. You will need 6.5 version for working with WinME or XP though. It is very good and 1/2 the price of the Adobe package, but if you just want to cut out a few boring parts of family video, ULEAD has much less expensive and simpler packages for use on the PC. Dan The videos at the link below were created with Media Studio Pro 5.2 and 6.0, Kais Power Goo, and MGI Photoworks and can be viewed in Quicktime, WMV and RealMedia. http://musicinit.com/pvideos.html TEACHMEDRUMS.COM My Music Videos RED PILL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaz Posted February 23, 2003 Share Posted February 23, 2003 Hey d.... Many software companies no longer print out a manual with their software because everything can be found in the Help file. BTW...My best friend used Dazzle for his brother's web site (John Witherspoon). He did all of the video editing, etc. with the Dazzle interface and software. Anything he needed to learn about the software, he got from the Help files. Hope this helps. :cool: Haven Music Productions Tampa, FL www DOT havenmp DOT com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankieP Posted February 23, 2003 Share Posted February 23, 2003 Another vote for Vegas Video 3.0! I find it similar to Acid when it first came out, just dig in, no need to read the manual for the basics. very easy to use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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