CompuServe Messages

John/Paul: >I'm a rank amateur (and 25 yrs with 35mm photography) shooting Hi8 with a Sony TR-700. I am looking for a good video editing suit, preferably PC/Windows based but I would accept a non-computer solution if need be. I'm having a very hard time getting a fix on decent amateur gear … anything good appears to be in the pro ranks only and consumer photo/video shops do NOT carry any of it. Performance is the primary consideration but price follows as a close second.< Mind if I pop in here a sec? Since I haven't followed this thread from the git-go, I'm not sure how you intend this stuff to end up, John. Are you, like Paul, doing public-access/special-occasion video level stuff, or are you aiming more for low-end industrials? Is it a requirement at this point for you, either financially or creatively, to be using DTV at all (and how soon do you anticipate it becoming a requirement)? And how hard would it be for you to upgrade your VCRs? Except for Gold Disk's Video Director, I can't think of any computer-based edit controller solutions that don't require some type of control better than synchro-edit or IR remote (which the Mitsubishis use). Since the Video Director *only* does "cuts only" and can't be upgraded past that, it might be better for you, right now, to get an editing VCR or two that can accept either Panasonic 5-pin controllers (the AG-1970) or LANC controllers (I think Sony makes a couple editing models that work in S-VHS). OTOH, if you need to do transitions and titles right now, and need it fairly cheap, and don't mind VHS-level quality, the Studio Magic being discussed elsewhere isn't a bad option for computer-based editing. It'll do titles, fades, import some graphics formats, has its own genlock, and it costs only $450. Also, if you're in the market for a special effects box (non broadcast quality) and want a lot of flexibility inexpensively, the Videonics MX-1 does a lot of stuff for a little over $1,000. As for titles, you can always "key" titles shot off title cards w/the MX-1, or any of the Panasonic SEGs (AVE-3, AVE-5, AVE-7, MX-30, MX-50). While I think the Fast Video Machine is probably as near the ideal as you'll get (it can "print to video" titles, graphics, animations, etc., in addition to doing all sorts of transitions and edit controlling besides), keep in mind that you'll need both input and output VCRs that are controlled via either LANC or Panasonic 5-pin. Hope this helps, Tim Liebe