#Brand New
When I started looking around in the same way a few months ago here's what I
came up with …
For home quality editing the new low cost capture cards from Miro ($600 for
DC1 with new DC20 PCI card due out June or so along with a rash of
competition in PCI 'broadcast' quality capture cards) and ///FAST ($1000
Movie Machine Pro … but some have noted significant software problems) are
ok for NLE. Somewhere between VHS and SVHS quality if fed hi band signal.
Watch out for that PCMag 4/11 review since it mixed cdrom/multimedia mostly
video capture cards with the Miro DC1tv. Only the latter is truly made for
video ouput. Software for NLE is Adobe Premiere and it's usually bundled.
For pro work all say it's still tape based editing unless you're willing to
spend $20,000 or so. For this level of video capture Truevision Targa 2000
is considered entry level. I can't help you on this level but others in
BPFORUM, DTVFORUM and CEVIDEO can. Selected vendors have forums as well …
.///FAST, Miro, Truevision, Adobe for examples.
Computer can be either Mac or PC/Windows with lots of heat on which is
'best'. My take is that Windows has the decided advantage but I wouldn't
want to argue this point. Mac is fine. It all started with Video Toaster
for Amiga. Now Commodore is out of business tho a German company has
purchased them recently and pledges to bring them back in the marketplace.
Basically you can't have enough CPU, memory or hard drive. For PC most say
486DX2/66, 16mb ram and 2-4 gigabytes of fast HD (E-IDE or FAST SCSI-II) ok
for starters. Bottle neck for NLE is hard drive sustained transfer rate.
For tape based editing nearly everyone is positive about ///FAST Video
Machine. A/B roll. Everything you need except the decks. Lite version for
$2500 MSRP. FutureVideo V-Station 3300 ($1000) comes up often too. EzV2
often mentioned as bargain VISCA software controller at $250. A safe low
cost entry to get your feet wet would be Gold Disk's VideoDirector edit
control software. Windows based and has multiple protocols including VISCA
for $100 … of course at this price it's straight one source assembly of
cuts only.
Stand alone edit gear (ie., non-computer based) … All I know is that
Videonics is the only serious prosumer stuff and I've seen a lot of messages
from satisfied owners. I've been advised that 'illegal video' makes this a
less than satisfactory brand if you're after true broadcast quality.
Panasonic, Sony and JVC often mentioned at pro level. This is way out of my
league anyway. <g>
March '95 issue of Videomaker has a nice overview with product lists in each
category (storyboard, capture, overlay, NLE, hybrid, tape editors). The
last couple issues of Videography have focused on first Mac and then Windows
based editing. I haven't seen a good book, at least on the prosumer level.
A multimedia cdrom called 'How To Shoot Video Like A Pro' for $30 is supposed
to be a good intro.
As you already know camcorders are Sony TR-700 for top consumer palmcorder
and reads and writes RCTC for $1250. Prosumer level is Sony VX-3 and Canon
L2 at about $2,500 (and up for Canon with interchangeable lens). Panasonic
AG-455 is popular in SVHS format. Everyone craves the Sony Hi8 EVW-300 at
$5k. VX-3 and EVW-300 are 3 CCD camcorders.
Decks are Sony EV-S7000, CVD-1000 and EVO-9720 for Hi8. The latter has two
transports and works nicely for simple editing self contained or A/B roll.
About $3500. The former are about $1400 with second being VISCA. SVHS is
Panasonic AG-1970 for starters. When single frame accuracy needed Sanyo
GVR-S950/955 is usually mentioned.
There is a lot of gear out there. What I'mm learning with is the TR-700,
two CVD-1000 and a Magni genlock card. Software is VideoDirector and EzV2
for edit control with Curtain Call and PrimeTime CG. For me this is a home
editing hobby but even so I saw that I needed a separate record deck rather
than use the 700 and also a TBC to steady the video stream. I'm planning to
add NLE when the PCI video capture card offerings firm up, 4 GB E-IDE drives
come out and down in price and Pentium P90 or P100's prices fall a bit.
Probably Q3 this year.
B&H Photo NYC handles it all. 800-947-9925.
Oh, having lots of money can be useful. <g> But today's gear is considered
a bargain for what it does compared to what it once required for the same
tasks.
Hope this helps.
-jts