Advice on Buying new PC for Videostudio11+

[oblivion2076]

I have recently bought a high definition DV camera (Canon HV20, I believe) and VideoStudio11+ but I need a computer to go with them. I will be buying a laptop, contrary to some rumors I've heard that I should avoid buying them, because my employer is paying for half of it.

I am fairly knowledgable of computers compared to the ordinary soul, but I'm probably ignorant compared to you folks on this forum. So treat me like I'm ignorant, please. What I DO know is...

*I'll need a computer with more than 512 RAM... preferably around 2 GB.
*I'll need a computer with plenty of hard drive space and/or an external hard drive.

What I DON'T know...

*I've never really understood what processors do and how it's any different from what RAM does. What should I be looking for?
*Video cards. What should I be looking for? Are most new computers already installed with something that should suffice?
*USB 1.1 vs USB 2.0. Is it important that I make sure a computer has 2.0, or Firewire, or both?
*Anything else I should keep in mind? Any known problems with Vista and VideoStudio, for example?

Another off-topic question is regarding 4.7 GB DVDs. On other video editing programs it seems that at the highest quality only 1 hour of video can be burned. I'm ASSUMING high-definition video has twice the information, hence perhaps only 30 minutes of high-quality footage would transfer to DVD?

A response to any of these questions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. [/i]

[Clevo]

[quote="oblivion2076"]I have recently bought a high definition DV camera (Canon HV20, I believe) and VideoStudio11+ but I need a computer to go with them. I will be buying a laptop, contrary to some rumors I've heard that I should avoid buying them, because my employer is paying for half of it.

you'll find some have no problem with laptops at all. personally I'd prefer a desktop but my PC is old and most laptops out-power my PC these days

I am fairly knowledgable of computers compared to the ordinary soul, but I'm probably ignorant compared to you folks on this forum. So treat me like I'm ignorant, please. What I DO know is...

*I'll need a computer with more than 512 RAM... preferably around 2 GB.
*I'll need a computer with plenty of hard drive space and/or an external hard drive.

I recently installed a 400GB harddrive partitioned into 4 sectors.

What I DON'T know...

*I've never really understood what processors do and how it's any different from what RAM does. What should I be looking for?

If you can afford more of both then do so. RAM (Random Access Memory) is just a temporary space for certain bit of information the CPU believes will need to access quicker than if it was on the hard-drive. Go for more CPU is you had to choose between the two

*Video cards. What should I be looking for? Are most new computers already installed with something that should suffice?
I have a low end graphcs card. I don;t thik it comes into play when editing. If you intend playing modern PC games then yeah! get a better video card


*USB 1.1 vs USB 2.0. Is it important that I make sure a computer has 2.0, or Firewire, or both?
USB 2 is standard now but for capturing you'll need a firewire port/card. I believe a dedicated firewire card is better but I have no means to test this

*Anything else I should keep in mind? Any known problems with Vista and VideoStudio, for example?
There are some known problems with Vista compatability, please do a search for posts on this forum. I don;t intend going to Vista for a while yet...put it that way

Another off-topic question is regarding 4.7 GB DVDs. On other video editing programs it seems that at the highest quality only 1 hour of video can be burned. I'm ASSUMING high-definition video has twice the information, hence perhaps only 30 minutes of high-quality footage would transfer to DVD?
Someone else hopefully will answer you this

A response to any of these questions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[sbiller1]

Here are some good links that I found to answer your question.

Good article on video cards
http://www.videoguys.com/DIY-GPU.html

Here are some specs on a do-it-yourself machine which should give you a good idea on the type of machine that may work for you.
http://www.videoguys.com/DIY5updateNAB07.html

Here are some turnkey setups
http://www.planetdv.net/Content/Editing_Systems.asp

Another site that specializes in NLE workstations
http://www.adkvideoediting.com/choose.cfm

Another turnkey NLE configuration
http://www.nlesystems.com/_e/AVID/produ ... te.htm[url]

Hope this helps.
[/url]

[skier-hughes]

I'm only adding to points that haven't been covered, I feel, in enough detail.
Get a lptop with as big a hdd as you can and then buy an external one. I wouldn't bother about partitioning, just use it as one big store.

A good cpu is needed, and at least 1gb of ram. If you can afford more, go for more, and I'd agree with cpu then ram.

Don't get a laptop which uses shared graphics ram, as this will take ram away form your main system, so make sure it has it's own ram. Things like vista aero, movie maker etc make use of gpu (graphics processor unit) rather than cpu.

You won't need firewire for the hv20, as it uses USB2. It is handy to have a firewire port though, so if you get the choice between one with or without, then go for with.

A true HD dvd will be written to a blue ray of hd dvd, unless you are spending a fortune, you'll do most of your work by downconverting your hd filming to sd and edit and write this to a normal dvd. Unless of course you have a hd dvd player/tv then in which case you need to ensure you have a burner to match your player.

A few extra, you'll need a core 2 duo processor not a cheap celeron one.
Get one with a large screen, video editing is murder on a really small portable one!!

[oblivion2076]

Thanks for the replies, everyone!

There are some known problems with Vista compatability, please do a search for posts on this forum. I don;t intend going to Vista for a while yet...put it that way

There are SEVERAL things I feel I need to look into before I buy my laptop, and I feel this is one of many big aspects that's thwarting me at the moment. I wouldn't want to regret buying XP a couple years down the road when Vista is the way to go, plus I wouldn't want to spend the money to upgrade a few years down the road when I could just buy Vista now. Are there any offers on the market that allows you to purchase XP now with an eventual free Vista upgrade or something?

[oblivion2076]

Thanks for those links, although some of it went over my head and created more questions for me... lol. Like I said before, I'm pretty ignorant. First of all, do I need to be aware of any clear differences between computers and "video editing workstations?" Is what I'm looking for something I'd likely have to order special? Some of these brand names in the links I'm not terribly familiar with. And from looking at these links, it doesn't appear there is such a thing as a laptop "workstation".

As for the videocard link, there was no recommendation for VideoStudio11+, that I saw.

[oblivion2076]

Thanks for the advice.

What do I check for (spec-wise) to ensure I'm not buying shared graphics RAM?

"A true HD dvd will be written to a blue ray of hd dvd, unless you are spending a fortune, you'll do most of your work by downconverting your hd filming to sd and edit and write this to a normal dvd. Unless of course you have a hd dvd player/tv then in which case you need to ensure you have a burner to match your player."

What do you mean by "spending a fortune"? Are you merely saying that I'd need a HD TV/player to make my HD projects worthwhile? I don't have these things at the moment, but I'd like my DVD projects to be ready for when I DO have these things in the future. And I'm not sure what you mean by "burner to match your player".

And my Canon HV20 has both USB and Firewire capabilities, by the way.

[Clevo]

Thanks for the advice.

What do I check for (spec-wise) to ensure I'm not buying shared graphics RAM?

"A true HD dvd will be written to a blue ray of hd dvd, unless you are spending a fortune, you'll do most of your work by downconverting your hd filming to sd and edit and write this to a normal dvd. Unless of course you have a hd dvd player/tv then in which case you need to ensure you have a burner to match your player."

What do you mean by "spending a fortune"? Are you merely saying that I'd need a HD TV/player to make my HD projects worthwhile? I don't have these things at the moment, but I'd like my DVD projects to be ready for when I DO have these things in the future. And I'm not sure what you mean by "burner to match your player".

And my Canon HV20 has both USB and Firewire capabilities, by the way.

The way I understand it. If you are going to create HD movies you'll need to watch it on a HD capable TV...so will whoever you distribute your DVD's to.

[oblivion2076]

The way I understand it. If you are going to create HD movies you'll need to watch it on a HD capable TV...so will whoever you distribute your DVD's to.[/quote]

Hmm. I've been under the impression that non-HD TVs simply downgrade the HD quality to regular quality, but still display. I must say I'm not sure why I've been under that impression. I'm probably wrong.

[Clevo]

The way I understand it. If you are going to create HD movies you'll need to watch it on a HD capable TV...so will whoever you distribute your DVD's to.

Hmm. I've been under the impression that non-HD TVs simply downgrade the HD quality to regular quality, but still display. I must say I'm not sure why I've been under that impression. I'm probably wrong.[/quote]

I think you are right. It still shows but not at HD.

So it begs to ask why do it in HD if you or your audience don't have the means to see it in HD?

[oblivion2076]

So it begs to ask why do it in HD if you or your audience don't have the means to see it in HD?[/quote]

I'm just thinking ahead. I'll have an HD TV within 6 months and I figure most people will have one within a few years.

[sjj1805]

......I'm just thinking ahead. I'll have an HD TV within 6 months and I figure most people will have one within a few years.

I have a HD capable TV set - a 32" flat screen that can double up as a computer monitor. I have no immediate plans to go HD. There is a cost factor involved - I receive most of my TV via satellite. To go HD would mean a new satellite receiver and a higher monthly subscription fee.

From my experience the vast majority go for bulk rather than quality.
This is evidenced by the demise of BSB (British satellite Broadcasting) who had about a dozen satellite TV channels who lost out to SKY who had an inferior satellite system but at the time had 3 times the number of channels.

Although satellite and cable TV have been around a long time now, there are still many people who opt for the one of payment of a Digital TV set top box that converts signals from your roof top aerial.

[oblivion2076]

Thanks for the note, sjj.

I guess I'm a little confused, though. If so many people are reluctant to go HD, then why are there so many people (like me and others on this forum) who are interested in HD video cameras and HD editing software? So we can merely watch our HD projects on our computer monitors?

I have an uncle who works with a major media outlet in America and he recently told me that everyone will need HD sets and compatibility by 2011, that all signals will be in HD, and that standard definition equipment will start phasing out in the next couple years. I dunno how true this is, but I just assume that HD is the way to go. I feel like there's something vital that's going over my head right now, and like I said I'm pretty new to this stuff. But I see no reason why I shouldn't create my projects in HD now, that way they're all ready for when the future gets here.