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 | DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998 Posts: 2707 NorthWest NJ 
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2002-06-29 39910
I just bought my first video camera, a digital mini DV, and I was wondering if anyone out there has been doing any digital editing by moving from the digital tape via firewire to a computer and editing.
I need to get a new home PC and am wondering what cpu processor speed and memory size I need to be happy with editing video on the PC. When you look at Dell and others it seems they are pitching their fastest boxes at 2.5ghz.
Dennis
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| DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998 Posts: 2707 NorthWest NJ
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2002-07-07 40121
The answer seems to be get a large drive 5 minutes of tape = 1GB of disk. You need a 2.4 ghz processor and about 512MB memory and a firewire sound card to move the tape to the PC.
It seems you don't have to have a DVD writeable drive, but if you do get a dvd-r the saved version can be done without compression to mpeg-1 or mpeg-2 and it will be complete match of the tape. If you go to Video CD then you use mpeg-1 or mpeg-2 which has some small level of degradation due to compression.
That's about all I have learned.
I think I am going to wait until I shoot more tape before I make this move, prices should be lower when I am ready.
Dennis
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 | BrentB
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 21 Illinois 
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2002-07-07 40126
Hi,
I've been editing mini-dv movies for a couple of years now. I am using a 700mhz athlon with 128 Mb memory, and 32 mb graphics card. The software I'm using is Ulead Video studio 4.0 under Windows 98.
I save all my videos to Mpeg-1 at 340 x 240 (half screen) size, and they look great. Much better than what you'd get if you have ever tryed to edit a vcr analog tape. I don't use MPEG-2 because most computers won't run them smoothly. This is probably not the case with computers faster than mine, but 2 years ago mine was a pretty fast horse.
I don't have specific times for you, but it probably takes 4 hours to render a 20 minute tape with my system. That's okay, because I just start it at bedtime, and its there for me in the morning.
I'm curious what editing software you plan to use. Does XP come with that software?
I guess the point I wanted to tell you was you don't have to have a 2 ghz machine to do this... but I'm sure it would be nice.
By the way, I burn the movies to cd, and watch them on the computer. I don't worry about getting them to work in a DVD player.
Regards,
Brent
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| DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998 Posts: 2707 NorthWest NJ
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2002-07-08 40142
Thanks Brent,
I can save or postpone about 4-500 for the dvd-r. I also learned that most dvd players can play video CD or CD-rs and super cd now as well as dvd.
The only reason dvd is useful I guess is if you need to make an exact digital copy of the tape.
My sister in law has one of those LCD dvd players for the kids in her GMC. Can you copy a movie to CD or do you have to burn a DVD to play it. Does a mpeg1 or 2 hold a full movie??
I have two kids and their noise quotient in the GMC went down to zero with the DVD player on 6 hours of driving making the car dvd player I once thought ridiculous, very appealing.
Dennis
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| BrentB
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 21 Illinois
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2002-07-12 40297
I can only get about 30 minutes of mpeg1 movie on a normal cd. A DVD burner can get much more on its cd.
On the other hand, 30 minutes of home movies is as much as anyone can stand!
Brent
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| DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998 Posts: 2707 NorthWest NJ
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2002-07-12 40308
Brent,
Your right about not being able to watch more than 30 minutes of Home Video. To try to counter this I am shooting only minimal amounts of family tape a regular intervals, and trying to get new perspectives every 5 to 10 seconds max. This way it's taking me a long time to fill just one tape. I think if I edit it with the computer it will wind up being less than 20 minutes int the cut version.
Because I am seriously looking into getting something to entertain the kids with I was also considering the Dvd, but I guess if you are willing to stick in a cd every 30 minutes you could bypass it.
Dennis
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