Re: BEST PC for Video Editing???

LP wrote:


oh boy... I'm in *way* over my head
LOL
all I really want is to edit raw VOB from my DVDs made from my old
home movie VHS tapes using fade ins, outs and dissolves with perhaps
some nice titling and DVD menus and burn DVDs
I would *love* to have the Sony Vegas Pro but at $400 I'm pretty sure
it's overkill... as it is I believe I must spend at least a grand on a
new PC <sigh>

You don't need a RAID array from day one. Start simple. Use a single
disk, experiment with your software first. You can always add a RAID
array, if circumstances show it is necessary.

Motherboards can have RAID capability, added by the basic chipset on the
motherboard. So in at least some cases, there is no hardware to add.
You connect two or more disks, install the appropriate driver, and
it works.

An alternate mechanism, if you wanted RAID, is a plug-in hardware controller.

Motherboards have expansion slots in them. Each slot type has a different
characteristic.

A common slot type for years, was PCI. On a desktop computer, it handles
133MB/sec. For a lot of uses, it is enough bandwidth. But RAID hardware
cards come with many different interfaces on them, and plugging into a
desktop PCI slot may not be the most common interface.

Newer motherboards now, include PCI Express slots. Those are not compatible
with the older PCI - the signalling method is different. PCI Express slots
start at 250MB/sec for the tiny x1 slot. All the way up to 4000MB/sec for
the x16 slot. The 4000MB/sec is typically used for video cards, but
will also take a PCI Express RAID card.

So RAID can be added virtually for free (via RAID capability of the
chipset on the motherboard), or can be added by plug-in card. When
selecting a motherboard or a computer, it is important to understand
what expansion slots or expansion capabilities it has, in order that
you have room to add to your system.

We could take this motherboard, as an example. Click the Specification
tab on this page. It lists (2) PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots,
(3) PCI Express x1 slots, and (2) PCI Slots. It also lists (6) SATA 3Gb/s
meaning six disks can be plugged into the motherboard, and the Southbridge
on the motherboard supports "SATA RAID 0/1/5/10". That means both
redundant and speedy options for RAID are available on the motherboard
itself.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131227

There is a picture of the motherboard here. The two large white slots, are
the older PCI slot type. That motherboard already has a Firewire connector,
so you might use the PCI slot for a capture card, for converting analog
video (composite or S-video) to a file on your hard drive.

http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggImage/productimage/13-131-227-22.jpg

You would use the large blue slot on the left, for your video card (that
drives the LCD monitor). The second large blue slot, could be used for a
fancy RAID card. The smaller PCI Express x1 slots, can also be used, but
PCI Express x1 still isn't as popular as the older PCI slot type, when
it comes to buying plug-in cards.

Even if you are buying a pre-built computer, it still pays to understand
what capabilities the motherboard has. For example, years ago, many cheap
pre-built computers shipped with no AGP slot, so you couldn't upgrade the
video card properly. Many people were shocked to discover that easy
upgrading was not possible, with their purchase.

If you need help understanding what is inside a machine, there are plenty of
hardware groups where you can ask. Just provide a URL (web link) to where
the product is on display, and someone can explain it.

In terms of information sources, Wikipedia can give you some information
on the subject. For example, there is a picture of a Sony Vegas editing
window on this page.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Vegas

Trials for Sony software can be found on this page. Some, but not all
software manufacturers, make trials available. The trial may work for
a limited time, or may have restrictions like not being able to save
your work when you're finished. (I use a trial version of Photoshop, as
a picture viewer application, as the trial will not save any edited work.
Other trial software stops working after 30 days.)

http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/download/trials

And an overview on video editing, can be seen in these links.

*******
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non_linear_editing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_video_editing_software

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_video_editing_software
*******

HTH,
Paul
.

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