How long should it take to edit DV video?

[jlietz]

Hi,

I'm using the MSP 8 trial right now, but am wondering if I'm doing something wrong because of the time it is taking to edit a short clip. The clip itself is DV type-2 "captured" from a MiniDV tape using WinDV. The clip is about 13 minutes long. I have cut off the beginning and end so that the new clip is only 8 minutes long. When I go to File-->Create-->Video File, I don't change any of the settings (I assume MSP 8 will render to the same specs as the original file unless I choose a template), which look to be the same as the original file specs. However, the editing itself is then taking about 4 minutes. That seems a little long to me, but I'm used to working with MPEG video, which is quite a bit smaller (in regards to file size.) Is this normal? At that rate it will take 1 hour to edit a 2 hr video. When editing MPEG-2 with Womble's MPEG Video Wizard it only takes about 8 minutes for a 2 hour video. BTW, my relevant PC specs are P4 3.0 with HT, 1 GB RAM, and 200 GB SATA HD.

Thanks.

[Devil]

How long is a piece of string? I have edited a 1 h video in a few minutes. OTOH, I have often taken many hours to edit just a couple of minutes of video or less. It depends on what you want to do, how you want the results to appear, the number of effects etc. In short, your question can never have an answer

[jlietz]

Let me clarify...the only thing done to the original DV source file is to cut off the beginning and end, leaving only an 8 minute clip. I'm not adding any effects, transitions, etc., just creating another, shorter DV file. The MSP help area seems to indicate that editing will be quick. From the help file:

"Render your project with exactly the same attributes as your captured video. The project should render very quickly and the quality will be the best you can get."

4 minutes for an 8 minute video isn't quick. So, am I doing something wrong? Should it take 4 minutes for an 8 minute video that has only been trimmed without adding effects, etc., and is output to the same format as the source?

[Gorf]

4 minutes for an 8 minute video isn't quick. So, am I doing something wrong? Should it take 4 minutes for an 8 minute video that has only been trimmed without adding effects, etc., and is output to the same format as the source?

No, it should take longer.

I recently rendered a 1h 25m film to DV (I usually go straight to MPEG) with no transitions or filters. There was no rendering needed. It told me it was going to take 1h 10m to render.

I rendered instead to my second hard drive, on a different IDE controller, and the render time went down to 15min.

If you're outputting unchanged DV to the same drive as the source material, I'd say that even for SATA you're doing well.

[heinz-oz]

It all depends on your project settings. Just because you edited a DV-AVI file and create a new one from that, does not mean that you will get DV-AVI file again.

Check your project settings and make sure your output settings are the same. You cannot assume that all is the way you intend by default.

BTW, why do you use DV type 2? The prefered format is DV type 1, it has the sound embedded in it while type 2 has a separate sound file. Some people have had problems with type 2 in the past.

[Devil]

OK, I think we are talking about Smart Render here (nothing to do with editing, which is why I was misled).

If you take a DV AVI into a timeline and the project settings are identical to the file settings, you will see yellow (V) and green (A) lines appear on the timeline. If you now cut off slices and do nothing else, the lines will remain on the remaining part. This indicates that, if your smart render box is checked, previewing in HQ or creating a new file does not require a new render. This allows MSP to create the new file by copying the appropriate part(s). This is done as fast as your system and disk(s) will allow: there is no software action. As Gorf rightly points out, if the read and write are both on the same disk/controller, this will take much longer than if they are on different ones. This is why I always have source, temp and working files on three different physical HDDs, which are separate from my system and software HDDs. Having a HDD for each function is definitely the best.

If you don't see the yellow/green lines, the Smart render box is not checked or you change the settings when creating, then the software kicks in, along with the codec, and the creation of a new file must be the result of a new rendering (or encoding) and this takes time, typically about real time on an uncomplicated project on a reasonably modern machine.

[jlietz]

BTW, why do you use DV type 2?

I don't know...I don't usually work with DV and was following a "how to capture with WinDV" guide over at videohelp.com.

If you take a DV AVI into a timeline and the project settings are identical to the file settings, you will see yellow (V) and green (A) lines appear on the timeline. If you now cut off slices and do nothing else, the lines will remain on the remaining part. This indicates that, if your smart render box is checked, previewing in HQ or creating a new file does not require a new render. This allows MSP to create the new file by copying the appropriate part(s). This is done as fast as your system and disk(s) will allow: there is no software action.

I get yellow and green on the timeline and smart render is checked I guess I've just been spoiled in the past by exclusively working with smaller MPEG-2 files and Womble's MPEG Video Wizard, which as I said earlier flies through the whole thing, piecing together dozens of bits of video in just 8 or so minutes for an entire 2 hour video.

Thanks for the help all.