[thelist] Advice on video editing

Shawn K. Quinn skquinn at speakeasy.net
Tue Dec 7 09:53:34 CST 2004


On Tuesday 2004 December 07 08:15, Brooking, John wrote:
> Hi, all,
>
>    Hope this isn't off-topic. (Video editing produces output that can
> be posted to websites, eh? ;-) ) My sister is interested in getting
> some video editing software for her husband for Christmas, and asked
> me for some advice because I "know about computers".

Quick aside here: I encounter this mentality and is a huge irritant. 
Because I am known as the computer geek, I'm expected to know how to 
program every model of VCR and TV by other people in the family. I have 
taken to asking for the owner's manual, sometimes just to stall for 
time, sometimes because I actually don't know how!

Same with computers; I quit running Windows on my PCs a couple years ago 
now, and people seem to think "computer expert" implies "Windows 
expert" (it does not).

> Of course, I know nothing about video editing; I don't even own a
> camcorder. thought maybe some here might have some quick thoughts. The
> situation is that her husband owns a Sony Digital Handycam and a Dell
> 4600 Series, but he's not a video professional, so I'm assuming this
> will be mostly for home use.

This is a good assumption. Generally "professional" camcorders cost 
$2000 or more.

>    First, software. She's seen reviews for Pinnacle Studio 9, ULead
> VideoStudio 8, and Roxio Easy Media Creator 7. Anyone had experience
> with these, and can recommend them? Or any other recommendations?

I will tell you I had some really bad experience with one of Pinnacle's 
older offerings. No idea about the others.

This is not really a recommendation, but I personally use Kino on Debian 
GNU/Linux.

>    Also, neither of us are certain about connection the camera to the
> PC. I did a little reading on "Firewire", which my sister saw
> referenced somewhere, and also on MemoryStick technology, which Sony
> mentions on its product description for the camera. Are either/both 
> of these technologies involved in interfacing the camera and the PC?

Memory Stick is a storage medium for still photos and perhaps short 
clips. "Firewire" is an Apple trademark for IEEE 1394 and that would be 
the connection technology.

> Probably the PC doesn't have an interface for either of them already,
> so I'm assuming that a card of some sort will have to be bought for
> whatever technology the camera requires?

Some new PCs might have a 1394 port. It will probably be next to the USB 
connectors if it does. If not, 1394 cards are pretty cheap.

It might be a good time to buy a separate hard drive just for holding 
the video for editing. Five minutes of DV format video takes up a 
gigabyte, so that's 12 gigabytes for a full hour-long tape.

-- 
Shawn K. Quinn


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