Real-Time processing--software, hardware, or both?

[David Beisner]

Here's my workflow: editing HDV on a Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 with a quad-core Intel at about 2.6GHz with 4GB of ram. The computer is still in the building stages and hasn't actually arrived on my desk at work yet, so I don't know if I'll have problems, but I'm just trying to do some research early on so that if I have problems with real-time stuff, I'll already have my answers.

I've read a lot about Cineform Aspect HD and I've read alot about different hardware based real-time processors (from companies like Blackmagic, AJA, etc.)

With the workflow I've got, what would be best? Capture using Cineform Aspect HD and have intra-frame instead of inter-frame or get something like the Blackmagic Decklink HD Extreme which would act as a real-time GPU and allow me to capture using my component outputs in a potentially better compression scheme than HDV? Does it even work like that? Or should I use both?

Finances are a significant problem right now, so the cheaper the solution, the better. Hopefully I won't have any problems and won't need to worry about a solution, but if if I do, what is recommended?

BTW, I'll have two 22" Asus HD displays for the computer with DVI-D and HDMI inputs on each.

[Robert M Wright]

If you capture HDV recordings via component output (with whatever), you won't gain any benefit. You're still capturing something that has already gone through HDV compression. If you're talking about recording live via component output, then you could get a better image.

[Gary Bettan]

Have you checked out the Matrox RTX2le? For under $1,000 you get I/O and real-time hardware acceleration.

Check out our RT.X2 FAQ http://www.videoguys.com/rtx2le_faq.html

Gary