Cheapest computer to edit HDV

Ben Buie · April 22nd, 2005, 12:46 PM

Here is a system we have built a couple of times for HDV editing, it is a solid, stable, and fast system for cheap (prices are from NewEgg):

1) Rosewill TU-155 Case w/ 400W Power Supply - $49.99
2) Gigabyte GA-8IP775-G Motherboard - $68.00
3) Intel Pentium 4 530J CPU - $179.00
4) (2) Rosewill 512MB DDR400 - $35.99 each - $71.98
5) Rosewill Radeon 9200SE Dual-Head AGP Video Card (128MB) - $39.99
6) Samsung SpinPoint SATA HD (120GB for Boot) - $85.00
7) Maxtor DiamondMax 10 (300GB, 16MB Buffer for Video) - $200.00
8) Samsung 16x DVD+/-RW w/ Dual Layer support - $49.99
9) Adaptec 3-port Firewire Card - $37.00
----
$780.95

Keep in mind this is not barebones, 1GB memory, 420GB total hard drive space (and that Maxtor drive with the 16MB buffer is smokin fast), 3GHZ P4, etc. If you wanted to skimp on some of the components you could go much cheaper, but this is an example of a very capable, stable system for cheap.

And for you Mac people, it is actually a pretty nice looking system as well :)

Ben

Graham Hickling · April 22nd, 2005, 12:57 PM

Nice one, Ben!

Further, I would argue that 1) building such a system from those type of components, 2) starting off with a fresh install of XP SP2, and 3) taking sensible precautions with any internet activity will just about guarantee you have an entirely a "rock solid" system - in part because you can escape the bloat of the extra software that creeps in whenever you buy a more expensive pre-installed system.

Kevin Shaw · April 23rd, 2005, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Murad Toor

I agree about the need to run some tests, but I have my doubts about the efficacy of AIC. I've been using DVCProHD as my intermediate codec.

After a recent discussion regarding AIC quality issues in another thread, I'm now convinced that it is not currently a suitable solution for professional HDV editing work. Apparently Apple botched the design of AIC, which is unfortunate for Mac users because that means they'll be stuck editing HDV in the sluggish "native" codec, or taking the time to convert their HDV footage to DVCProHD.

So it would definitely not be a good idea to do HDV editing on a Mac Mini, and we're back to the fact that a decent HDV editing setup (including software) is going to run about $1500 and up on either platform. This also applies to the system described by Ben Buie, which doesn't appear to include either the cost of a licensed copy of Windows or the cost of HDV-capable editing software. Add those two items and you're up to at least $1400 by my calculations, and probably more depending on what software you buy.

Ritesh Krishnamurthy · June 7th, 2005, 11:10 AM

Hi,
I apologise for not being able to reply to my previous posts. And thanks for all the info provided.

Initially I was thinking about a 1.8Ghz G5 Dual PowerMac for editing. I am downgrading, and would like to know if a 1.8 Ghz G5 iMac (1GB RAM, 160 GB HDD) would be sufficient for HDV editing. I intend to start with the HDV Express. Source for HDV is a Z1.

Do all Macs have the AIC problem as mentioned in another post?

Regards,
Ritesh Krishnamurthy

Craig Terott · June 7th, 2005, 11:50 AM

You can use my Commodore 64.

Peter Ferling · June 7th, 2005, 01:11 PM

Ritesh, go to www.hdforindies.com, read the FAQ good starting point for HD/HDV and macs.

Pete

Murad Toor · June 7th, 2005, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ritesh Krishnamurthy

Do all Macs have the AIC problem as mentioned in another post?

AIC is inherently flawed, so it doesn't make a difference if you're on an iBook or a dual-processor 2.7GHz Power Mac G5.

I've gotten good results by transcoding HDV material from its raw transport stream files to DVCProHD, and then editing in Final Cut Pro using DVCProHD. Use Virtual D-VHS to capture and MPEG Streamclip to transcode.

Get Virtual D-VHS from the FireWire SDK (it's in the Developer section of Apple's site). Get MPEG Streamclip by looking it up at versiontracker. You'll need the QuickTime MPEG playback component ($20) and QuickTime Pro might be useful too ($30). For the DVCProHD codecs, I think you;d need FCP to get it, unless someone has figured a way to install those codecs without FCP.

Stefan Jones · June 7th, 2005, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig Terott

You can use my Commodore 64.

yeah i think this would be best...especially if you're editing for television broadcast, its already almost a TV. who needs a graphical interface for editing?? a text readout is more than sufficient.

just pretend you're one of those guys on the matrix that could read the code as it scrolled.

Ritesh Krishnamurthy · June 8th, 2005, 10:45 AM

Hi,
With today's news from Apple on their transition, I am exploring PC options. Ben Buie's PC system seems very affordable.

What are the various software available for editing HDV (from a Z1)?

Anything equivalents to FCP Express to start-off with?

Thanks,
Ritesh Krishnamurthy

Murad Toor · June 8th, 2005, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ritesh Krishnamurthy

Hi,
With today's news from Apple on their transition, I am exploring PC options. Ben Buie's PC system seems very affordable.

What are the various software available for editing HDV (from a Z1)?

Anything equivalents to FCP Express to start-off with?

Thanks,
Ritesh Krishnamurthy

A PowerPC based Mac purchased today will still be officially supported by Apple 5 years from now. Developers will have an easy time issuing software for both x86 and PPC Macs. Apple isn't going to license Mac OS X to PC makers and it will not be installable on regular x86 PCs. Even if someone figures a way to crack OS X and get it to install on a Dell, you'd have to question the stability and reliability of such a hypothetical system, and in a production environment those are risks not worth taking.

Anyway, there are plenty of good options for low cost HDV editing on the PC side, which I don't know well enough to give any guidance, but I wish you well in whichever decision you make.

Ritesh Krishnamurthy · June 12th, 2005, 11:10 AM

Hi,
More info is adding to my confusion to decide between a PC and iMac HDV editing system.

I am inclined towards an iMac (1.8G, 1GB) due the stability it provides. But the AIC problem that I've read on the posts is beyond my comprehension. And I am running out of time, since I need to make a decision asap.

One of the posts said that I would need FCP to work around this problem.

Is the "FC Express HD" enough to for editing HDV content from the Z1? Will this work around the AIC problem? Or is the "Final Cut Pro 5" (or FC Studio) necessary?

Thanks,
Ritesh

Betsy Moore · June 12th, 2005, 12:58 PM

Is it now possible to edit with a consumer laptop, one of those Circuit City specials (17" monitor, 3.2 mhz speed, 80-100gb hard drive, 1gig memory) with an external hard drive or is that too slow? If you could shove in more memory would that do it? I'm just so tired of towers, I'd almost be willing to scrape up the extra thousand to untether my bad self.

David Newman · June 12th, 2005, 03:47 PM

Betsy,

Yes a laptop like that will work fine. An external 7200rpm USB2 drive will comfortably playback two streams of 1080i HDV footage for real-time transitions and effects. 3.2Ghz is above the needed spec's for CineForm products. We often use a 3.2Ghz laptop for doing demos of Aspect HD (we also used a laptop to editing HDV footage for a guerilla film competition last year.)

David Newman
CTO, CineForm

April 22nd, 2005, 12:46 PM	#31
Ben Buie Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 184	Is this specific enough? Here is a system we have built a couple of times for HDV editing, it is a solid, stable, and fast system for cheap (prices are from NewEgg): 1) Rosewill TU-155 Case w/ 400W Power Supply - $49.99 2) Gigabyte GA-8IP775-G Motherboard - $68.00 3) Intel Pentium 4 530J CPU - $179.00 4) (2) Rosewill 512MB DDR400 - $35.99 each - $71.98 5) Rosewill Radeon 9200SE Dual-Head AGP Video Card (128MB) - $39.99 6) Samsung SpinPoint SATA HD (120GB for Boot) - $85.00 7) Maxtor DiamondMax 10 (300GB, 16MB Buffer for Video) - $200.00 8) Samsung 16x DVD+/-RW w/ Dual Layer support - $49.99 9) Adaptec 3-port Firewire Card - $37.00 ---- $780.95 Keep in mind this is not barebones, 1GB memory, 420GB total hard drive space (and that Maxtor drive with the 16MB buffer is smokin fast), 3GHZ P4, etc. If you wanted to skimp on some of the components you could go much cheaper, but this is an example of a very capable, stable system for cheap. And for you Mac people, it is actually a pretty nice looking system as well :) Ben __________________ Ben Buie, Producer "On Our Way Up" - Shot Completely in HDV http://www.onourwayup.com HD Articles and Reviews at HDSource! http://hdsource.highlydef.com

June 12th, 2005, 03:47 PM	#43
David Newman CTO, CineForm Inc. Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California Posts: 8,095	Betsy, Yes a laptop like that will work fine. An external 7200rpm USB2 drive will comfortably playback two streams of 1080i HDV footage for real-time transitions and effects. 3.2Ghz is above the needed spec's for CineForm products. We often use a 3.2Ghz laptop for doing demos of Aspect HD (we also used a laptop to editing HDV footage for a guerilla film competition last year.) David Newman CTO, CineForm __________________ David Newman -- web: www.gopro.com blog: cineform.blogspot.com -- twitter: twitter.com/David_Newman

April 22nd, 2005, 12:57 PM	#32
Graham Hickling Trustee Join Date: May 2004 Location: Knoxville, Tennessee Posts: 1,669	Nice one, Ben! Further, I would argue that 1) building such a system from those type of components, 2) starting off with a fresh install of XP SP2, and 3) taking sensible precautions with any internet activity will just about guarantee you have an entirely a "rock solid" system - in part because you can escape the bloat of the extra software that creeps in whenever you buy a more expensive pre-installed system.

June 7th, 2005, 11:10 AM	#34
Ritesh Krishnamurthy New Boot Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bangalore, India Posts: 8	Hi, I apologise for not being able to reply to my previous posts. And thanks for all the info provided. Initially I was thinking about a 1.8Ghz G5 Dual PowerMac for editing. I am downgrading, and would like to know if a 1.8 Ghz G5 iMac (1GB RAM, 160 GB HDD) would be sufficient for HDV editing. I intend to start with the HDV Express. Source for HDV is a Z1. Do all Macs have the AIC problem as mentioned in another post? Regards, Ritesh Krishnamurthy

June 7th, 2005, 11:50 AM	#35
Craig Terott Major Player Join Date: May 2005 Location: Glendale, AZ Posts: 691	You can use my Commodore 64.

June 7th, 2005, 01:11 PM	#36
Peter Ferling Trustee Join Date: May 2005 Location: Wyomissing, PA Posts: 1,141 Images: 57	Ritesh, go to www.hdforindies.com, read the FAQ good starting point for HD/HDV and macs. Pete

June 8th, 2005, 10:45 AM	#39
Ritesh Krishnamurthy New Boot Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bangalore, India Posts: 8	Hi, With today's news from Apple on their transition, I am exploring PC options. Ben Buie's PC system seems very affordable. What are the various software available for editing HDV (from a Z1)? Anything equivalents to FCP Express to start-off with? Thanks, Ritesh Krishnamurthy

June 12th, 2005, 11:10 AM	#41
Ritesh Krishnamurthy New Boot Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bangalore, India Posts: 8	Hi, More info is adding to my confusion to decide between a PC and iMac HDV editing system. I am inclined towards an iMac (1.8G, 1GB) due the stability it provides. But the AIC problem that I've read on the posts is beyond my comprehension. And I am running out of time, since I need to make a decision asap. One of the posts said that I would need FCP to work around this problem. Is the "FC Express HD" enough to for editing HDV content from the Z1? Will this work around the AIC problem? Or is the "Final Cut Pro 5" (or FC Studio) necessary? Thanks, Ritesh

June 12th, 2005, 12:58 PM	#42
Betsy Moore Major Player Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 444	Is it now possible to edit with a consumer laptop, one of those Circuit City specials (17" monitor, 3.2 mhz speed, 80-100gb hard drive, 1gig memory) with an external hard drive or is that too slow? If you could shove in more memory would that do it? I'm just so tired of towers, I'd almost be willing to scrape up the extra thousand to untether my bad self.