Hi everybody

I have been out of the NLE circuit for a few years now, I still have my DPS Perception in storage, wich was the card I used to work with.

now computers have gotten faster, that it seems we dotn need dedicated hardware anymore ?? (for dv editing)

I see Vegas for a software only platform is an excellent contender .. but how is the quality of a software only solution ? is there any loss of resolution ?

on the hardare side, I would not even know where to start .. what can you guys/gals recommend on a card for dv editing / 3d animation playback with good quality that wont cost an arm and a leg.

Quality wise, you lose NOTHING by going software only. In fact, the Vegas codec is regarded as one of the best around. The ONLY thing hardware will get you is faster rendering time (and faster CPUs are reducing that margin all the time).

What about video output for previews or simply to record to a non DV deck ?

Software only does a decent job (using Vegas from experience) of previewing. As effects get more complex, framerate drops to compensate. As for output, that is NO problem but you DO have to render first.