Setting up an old system for a friend -1gig Athlon- once my old video editing PC. He has just got a DV cam and wants to play around. It has been awhile since I edited at this level (moved on to HDV and various other lossless codecs) and want to recommend some software to him that is lean/fast/simple is compatible with older CPU's. Premiere 6.5 was the last NLE I used on that system, but that may be a bit much for him, and I don't know what other software has developed since then that will play well on old hardware.
Any idea's?

I woudl suggest Vegas.

I've been an Avid editor forever and just got my hands on Vegas 6 to see what it was like. It's "different" and sometimes I can't see the forest for the trees (like how to fade a text clip in and out, I kept trying to add an effect instead of just grabbing the handle.) Many have said its intuitive to the uninitiated.

I have to say with my limited exposure so far, I like it.

Thanks for the reply. No restrictions on older hardware with Vegas? Anyone know what version is best suited to a 1Ghz XP system?

Tried to find out myself with no luck. In doing so I noticed the price. Ouch! This isn't what I'm looking for. The key point of my first post is, "He has just got a DV cam and wants to play around." Heavy emphasis on play! Buying software that is worth 3X the system doesn't make sense here. I need simple simple simple, but not utterly lacking in any features. You know a step above Windows movie maker (although I have never used this software) and under $100. Preferably even less.

Vegas will run on just about anything-I've used it on a P3 750 machine with 128 RAM and a 40gig FW HDD. Certainly not ideal but other than the render time being outlandish it ran just fine. IF you can still get Version 6 that should be fine UNLESS your friend is looking to do HD then you really need Ver 7 or if 6 isn't there anymore then you're limited to 7-
Don

If you're "playing around", check out Vegas Movie Studio Platinum - it's more in the range of other consumer stuff and works much the same as the full version... Steve

Vegas or Edius.

Thanks for the reply. No restrictions on older hardware with Vegas? Anyone know what version is best suited to a 1Ghz XP system?

Tried to find out myself with no luck. In doing so I noticed the price. Ouch! This isn't what I'm looking for. The key point of my first post is, "He has just got a DV cam and wants to play around." Heavy emphasis on play! Buying software that is worth 3X the system doesn't make sense here. I need simple simple simple, but not utterly lacking in any features. You know a step above Windows movie maker (although I have never used this software) and under $100. Preferably even less.


Maybe an older version of Pinnacle that someone still has sitting around? (I might still have one if you'd like me to look for it.)

Mark

Thanks for the offer, very kind of you. Should be fine though. I will tell him what his options are and he can pick what he wants. I might just dig out my Premiere 6.5, and he can pick between that an Windows movie maker.
Cheers

Premiere Elements, I believe might meet the price point??? Isnt' that a stripped down version of Premiere?

No ifs ands or buts, Vegas is not hardware dependent and will work well on just about any system. For DV work, I found Vegas 4 to be rock stable and a joy to work with. If you need HDV capability, move up to vegas7

You can still get vegas 6 from B&H for $99...

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=Search&A=details&Q=&sku=434966&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

I think that Canopus Let's Edit kicks xxx for something like $100. Very simple. Very Fast. I think it rocks!