avid xpress dv 3.5 and what hardware?

[Adi Head]

ok. i've made my mind up about software and will get the AVID XPRESS DV 3.5. so now all i have to do is build my pc around this and make sure all components agree with eachother.

videoguys.com reccomended i go with the DELL PRECISION 340 WORKSTATION.

avid.com/products/xpressv/specs/pc.shtml state a number of work stations:
HP workstation x1100
IBM intellistation M pro model 6229
Compaq Evo W4000 and Compaq Evo W8000 workstations

on the dell precision 340 they say the following:

DELL PRECISION 340 WORKSTATION: use ATI Radeon VE graphics card. NVIDIA Quadro2 1 also supported for v3.5 only.

they also say that i'll require the following minimum specs:
- windows xp
- pentium III or penium 4 processor, 750 Mhz or higher
- 384 MB system memory
- 20 GB internal IDE drive. (additional media storage is recommended, such as an opt Ultra2/Ultra3 SCSI drive or firewire drive. if SCSI drives are selected, use an Adaptec controller)

then they go on to reccommend DV in/out cards and graphics cards.

has anyone had experience with xpress dv and a dell precision 340 workstation?

has anyone any comments?
suggestions?
reccommendations?

i'm gonna need lots of storage, making long documentaries. no big effect extravaganzas. mainly straight forward cutting.

what good sound software works well with avid. protools?

i know i've been asking similar questions in this forum before, sorry. i hope that i'm becoming more and more specific as i narrow it down to what i will finally purchase. please be patient. thanks.

[Adrian Douglas]

You won't need SCSI disks unless you plan on doing D1/Uncompressed work. For DV25 (XL, VX200, PD150 etc) ATA100 IDE disks are fine. To be one the safe side, make sure they are 7200rpm; an 8MB disk buffer is a big help to.

[Jason Wood]

There are a number of folks at Avid's Xpress DV forum running XDV3.5 with the 340. With the latest upgrade, 3.53...everyone I've talked with is having success with the Dell 340.

Yeah, get plenty of hard drive storage. XDV does not have an offline resolution so you're going to need it. I have around 14 hours of video space with two 100 gig WD 7200 RPM drives.
I could use always another 100 gigs.

[Adi Head]

thanks. would like to hear more about successful setups for xpress dv 3.5...

[katelins]

Could also start by looking at turn-key Avid Xpress DV 3.5 machines and build from there. For example, www.dvline.com has a few Avid machines and I like how they list every component they use. You can then tailor your machine accordingly as well. Visit a few and you'll probably get a good idea of what to build for.

Be sure to check out the Avid compatibity list as well. The ADS Pyro is one of the firewire cards Avid certifies. Its very cheap. You'll find the 8MB cache IDE drives primarily from Western Digital, termed SE for Special Edition. The 120GB drives have really come down in price.

[Adi Head]

thanks. yeah, that's what i was hoping to do. get the specs on a workstation, then order the parts and put it together (with the help of a friend).

by the way, does xpress dv have any problems running on the same system with VV3? i know that premiere and xpress dv don't agree and was wondering if there is a similar problem with VV3.

[Bob Deming]

Another option

Visit http://www.lairdtelemedia.com

Take a look at their P4 products. You get the same warranty and good service just like Dell. Then contact Empire Valley Consultants at evc@starband.net are great for prices.

I have a rackmount from Laird. It is cool. plus they burn these things in for ya. Dell won't and if you want to go pro you can't beat Laird.

Bob

[Richard Alvarez]

I am not sure how computer savvy you are, how comfortable you are with going in and "tweaking" an os for maximum efficiency.

I'm not comfortable at all, that's why I went with a turnkey from DVLINE

Dual athlons, a gig of DDR Ram, Pyro card ,40 gig system drive, dual 120 gig media drives, Matrox G550. Connected with a Canopus advc100 for transcoding.

Combine all that with the Avid XpressDV powerpack and bonus software, and I couldn't build it for the same ammount by purchasing components from Fry's. (WHich sells components CHEAP)

And I sure as heck couldn't have "tuned" it up properly.

But that's just me.

Definatley check into a turnkey system. Promax, Laird, there are some real deals out there. I went with DVLINE because of price, and service. (Lifetime free tech. And yeah, they answer the phone)

[Richard Alvarez]

Sorry, one more thing regarding loading VV and Premiere with Avid. Avid does not play well with others. (Or rather, others don't play well with avid if you like) They utilize system resources and different drivers, so they tend to struggle with each other. Those people who run both on the same machine, usually choose to do a "dual boot" . That is, partician the hard drive with different systems, so you essentially shut down, and switch configurations for the reboot between apps.

[Bob Deming]

You should be able to get these prices (or better) on equipment.

Laird LTM-DVC1-YUV Workstation
$4,439.00

Laird OPT11, 512K Ram upgrade (1gb total)
$279.00

Laird LTM-ER4DX IEEE 1394 Expander Module
$829.00

Laird DVC-OPT1: 120 Gig drive replaces 60Gig HD
$165.00

Laird DVC-OPT10: Silver DVora 7 bay rackmount
$437.00


You don't have to buy the software from a Laird dealer. You can send Laird the software and they will install it for you as long as it is new and you discuss it with them first.

You can call Laird direct and buy direct from them but they will only discount 10% on the equipment. Their dealers can do better. The other turnkey guys will do the same.

If you are in a situation where you have visitors to your studio as I do, then you will want to look professional. It is like going into a shoot with a little hi8 camera vs a XL-1 or JVC 550. People want to see hugh cameras. When the visist your studio they want to see "cool and complex" looking stuff. Many people are just weird.

It doesn't matter who you buy the Laird from because they install the software. Their dealers just take orders over the phone.

I believe that Ocean Systems is the same. They too have a good reputation.

Also, these mfgs also will help with your software problems if they installed it. They won't go over-board for you, but they will assist if it is in the set up that they made when the system was sold to you.

I'm new at editing (but not computers) so I wanted the system set up for me. I didn't want to play games with sound and codec stuff.

I have heard and read some of the problems with Avid but many times the problems end up with the installation of the software.

Shop around before you do anything. It sounds like you investigated the software. Avid is great.

So like a chicken I had someone install everything for me and make sure it works. Plus I like the colour of Laird equipment.

[Adi Head]

i don't know anymore. i'm know computer genius. farm from it. but i have some buddies that know their way around a pc more or less who say that putting together a machine isn't difficult at all and that all you really need is a screwdriver.

(from previous replies:)
-----------------------------------
"I have a rackmount from Laird. It is cool. plus they burn these things in for ya. Dell won't and if you want to go pro you can't beat Laird."


"Combine all that with the Avid XpressDV powerpack and bonus software, and I couldn't build it for the same ammount by purchasing components from Fry's. (WHich sells components CHEAP) And I sure as heck couldn't have "tuned" it up properly. "
-----------------------------------

what does "... they burn these things in for ya" mean?
and what is "'tuned' it up properly" mean?

is there anything more i have to know about than just putting the the parts in their correct places, hooking them together and installing software?




what does configuring hardwar

[Robert Knecht Schmidt]

To "burn in a system" means to test it out and make sure all its functionality is available to an end user, that way when the end user receives the system he or she won't have to spend time troubleshooting problems in a brand new computer. For a video editing workstation, this usually consists of leaving the operating system running for a day or two just to make sure the computer is stable, and then performing a few simple tasks like inputting video, cutting it together with some transitions, and then printing it back out to tape. (I'm a bit skeptical that those who claim they burn in a system really do as thorough a job as they say. Of the three computers I've bought in the last five years, only my Dell worked without fail out of the box, and my two custom jobs--a video editing workstation and in internet server--both had problems that I spent MONTHS sorting through. So it's up to you whether you think the extra money charged by "system configurators" for is really worth it to you. All I can say is make sure their tech support is free for a least a year.)

Besides plugging everything in in the right place in the system, there may be a few tricks, such as assigning IRQs and configuring the BIOS, and the occasional dip switch setting on the motherboard and/or hard drives. And indeed, you're going to need to take some simple precautions like grounding yourself while you work. There's nothing more embarassing than buying a new motherboard only to damage it with static charge while you're installing it.

After my experiences with custom-built computers, I'd rather build everything myself and then ask for help here or on Usenet when something goes wrong. At least I'll have learned something in the end and I won't feel distressed about having thrown away money for configuration services that may or may not have solved all the problems in a machine. (I'll save the particulars of my horror stories for when somebody's really interested.)

[Bob Deming]

Robert

I can agree with everything you said.

I don't know about all of the turnkey guys. Right now I am upset with Lairdtelemedia.com.

Notes for systems. I too think that I would rather build a system for basic editing. I chose Laird because of the audio and video outputs and their tech support.

But like I say I am very upset with the company to the point of accusing them of "fraud".

This matter is being resolved but not right away. I'm going to let the stew for awhile. Then I will decide to call their CEO.

Anyway back to putting systems together. Hard drives baby. Ya need some good ones. WD1200JB are nice and have good ratings. The board could be a Abit At7 max2. That is what Laird uses. You can buy it for 159.00.
Drives are 179.00.

After looking at my Laird again I am just going to copy what they have in their box. The most expensive thing about Laird is their A/V inputs. And it is nice. But not necessary for most people.

BTW don't buy a WE1200BB. The BB means it only has 2meg of chache.

Enough...let someone else talk about their preferences. Ask questions!

[Richard Alvarez]

Tech support is really important from the turnkey guys, if you are not getting it... let people know.

I've been real happy with DVLine. Had some trouble with my DSL modem (Supplied by my ISP) conflicting with the system, and DVLINE helped me work it out. Of course, they also send a rebuild disk which was a godsend a week after I got the system. Picked up a nasty virus from the net, and just did a complete rebuild with the disk, no problems. (Remember, your media is stored on seperate drives.)

Addressing the other thread concerning DUAL athlons, yeah, I am running them. And no I don't think avid supports them. But then again, you are trying to save money right? So calling avid at - like $50 an hour - to work out a problem you might have is not going to happen even when you use an approved system right? SO take your questions to the avid forum, and people will happily make suggestions and offer help.

I really did look into seriously building myself, and it just wasn't worth it for me. But if you have lots of computer buddies willing to build your system, and are keen on making the system tweaks and changes to avoid conflicts, and maybe you have access to some "inexpensive' version of XP Pro, then you might could save some money.

[Adi Head]

ok. thanks for all the help.

i have a question regarding a dual boot set up.

since avid and adobe software tend to come into conflict when run on the same system, i have been told that the best way around this is to build a computer with dual boot.

what exactly do i need two of for fixing a dual boot in my pc?
two motherboards? two hard discs? two processors?

what are the down sides to dual boot systems?