need some NLE setup advice at DVinfo.net

Aaron Koolen · August 12th, 2002, 06:11 PM

Hey all. When I finally get underway, I will obviously need an NLE editing setup. I have a machine and some software (Premiere 6.0) but I was wanting to know what are some of the "must haves". I will be using video for all manner of subjects including dramatic short films, special interest videos and documentaries.

Two I have heard people mention are:

Broadcast Monitor (Is a tv ok?)
Capture card (if so what one?)

Are these must haves and are there any other things that any of you would consider required assets? My stuff will go to the internet, and to video in the initial stages, and who knows where it goes from there. Maybe film one day but that's a long way down the track.

Thanks in advance
Aaron

Alex Ratson · August 12th, 2002, 11:06 PM

A CRT monitor is not necessary to get right away. They are meant to give a accrete color, (which a normal TV can not do). A TV will work fine if you are not selling you videos, but if you are making money off them then get the real CRT monitor.
Capture Cards: you need to have a capture card or else you can not get you video on to your computer. There are two main types of capture cards, Real time (RT), and none real time. The RT card do not need to render most effects, and the once that they do don’t talk as long to render as the none RT cards. The none RT cards can not perform RT at all. Vegas video, and Avid express DV can do RT with out a card but it can only be previewed as VGA so the resolution is lower, and the frame rate could be lowered which means you have to render before you print to tape. If you want RT it is going to start at $600, and go up from there. One of the best lower cost cards is the Canopus Storm, sorry but I do not have a US price on it off the top of my head. If you do not want RT then a ADS Pyro Fire wire card can be picked up for about $45, or get it bundled with Adobe Premier for $400, this package is called Pyro Platinum.
Hope this helps you out a bit
Alex

Chris Hurd · August 13th, 2002, 06:03 AM

The Canopus DVStorm sells in the U.S. for about $900 without Adobe Premiere or a breakout box, and about $1200 with Adobe Premiere and a breakout box. Unlike many other editing cards, it offers real-time output to DV. In my opinion it's the best capture card on the block for the PC side. For more info, see www.justedit.com

Nathan Gifford · August 13th, 2002, 11:09 AM

Canopus certaily makes the one that most people seem to recommend.

Your system should have at least PIII, 256MB RAM, a good audio board, and dual HDs. Size your video drive based on how long a piece you expect edit (4.5 minutes video/GB). For an OS nothing less Win2K.

Nathan Gifford

Alex Ratson · August 13th, 2002, 01:21 PM

Id have to second Nathon01 on going with Windows 2000 Pro. I us to edit in 98SE, and when I did my first big project I did, I had a unpleasant surprise. My final move was 21.47Gb, and win98SE would not let me have a single file bigger then 4GB (FAT32). What did I do? I transferred my project onto an external drive, installed win2k, and stuck it back on my computer.
Windows 2000 pro also is NTFS formatting so your files are a lot more stable.

Alex

Aaron Koolen · August 13th, 2002, 03:16 PM

Thanks guys, this info is very helpful. My machine is currently a 1.5ghz Athlon XP (1800+) with 1/2 gig RAM, running Windows Xp so I think that will do for a while but I will need to get more hard drives. My current one (40gb) is almost full and it's got hardly any footage on it :)

I might end up going with a cheap TV for now and getting a card that can output to that as an external monitor, so that I can preview with proper TV like output as I hope to do some small special interest videos for groups I am involved in.

Chris, what is a breakout box and do those catpture cards work in conjunction with your normal graphics card or does it replace it? Also, I'm assuming Premier/Capture Card will allow me to send output to both the computer monitor and a TV for playback so I can preview on a tv like screen?

Marc Betz · August 13th, 2002, 03:36 PM

Hi Aaron,

Couple of bits of info for you. I believe Maxtor is currently selling their 80 gig hardrives bundled with a PCI ata/133 harddrive controller. This will allow you to connect up to 4 hard drives for video. Its a pretty good deal. Make sure you buy a 7200 speed harddrive, 5400 may give you issues.

Also a breakout box is pretty handy, it plugs into the back of your computer and moves all of the input/outputs features of your capture card to the box which can be mounted wherever you wish, (no reaching arround to the back of the machine).

A capture card can be one or the other, a seperate unit or a part of your graphics subsystem.

I have found the Guys over at http://www.videoguys.com have a ton of info to help ease you into learning about capture cards. If you Have a DV camcorder with IEEE1394 out you only need a 45 dollar pyro card. If you are planning on using analog in you will need something a little more sophisticated.

The options can be mind boggling so do your research first!

If you need any help or explanations, you have come to the right place.

Marc Betz · August 13th, 2002, 03:38 PM

Hey Chris,

I hope mentioning videoguys wasn't out of line.

Marc

Nathan Gifford · August 13th, 2002, 07:41 PM

If you are trying to go cheap, certainly there are lots 1394 boards for under $100 (really closer to $50) that will do the job.

If you are going the TV route you should first know that the monitor really helps out. That aside, go over to the http://www.videouniversity.com and follow Hal's directions on how to calibrate for NTSC. Its the easiest guide to follow.

If you have hardly any space left on your system drive, then your big bucks should be spent on that second drive. Having a second drive really eases things much. Besides, you can get a really good drive for around $130 anyway.

A good video display card can be quite nice. There are bunch out there, but you might want to look at dual-monitor boards. This allows you to use two CRTs instead of one. I know there are better ones out there than the Matrox...so whatever you get it should be at least as good as a Matrox 440.

Nathan Gifford

Aaron Koolen · August 13th, 2002, 10:46 PM

cool, I'll check out those two sites. I have a DV capture card, and a puss dv camcorder at the moment that will do analog to dv conversion so that's good for that stuff. Yeah I think I'll go with the hard drives first...Of course a couple of years down the track I'm doing to ditch the pc and get a mac ;)

One thing I've heard and never been able to try is that if you stick a nice fast ata 133 drive (I have ata 133 on my machine) on the same ide channel as something slow like a CD rom drive that runs at atat 33 or whatever, then the hard drive will run at ata 33 like the cd? Anyone care to comment on the truth of this?

Cheers
Aaron

August 12th, 2002, 06:11 PM	#1
Aaron Koolen Trustee Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Posts: 1,727	need some NLE setup advice Hey all. When I finally get underway, I will obviously need an NLE editing setup. I have a machine and some software (Premiere 6.0) but I was wanting to know what are some of the "must haves". I will be using video for all manner of subjects including dramatic short films, special interest videos and documentaries. Two I have heard people mention are: Broadcast Monitor (Is a tv ok?) Capture card (if so what one?) Are these must haves and are there any other things that any of you would consider required assets? My stuff will go to the internet, and to video in the initial stages, and who knows where it goes from there. Maybe film one day but that's a long way down the track. Thanks in advance Aaron

August 13th, 2002, 06:03 AM	#3
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	The Canopus DVStorm sells in the U.S. for about $900 without Adobe Premiere or a breakout box, and about $1200 with Adobe Premiere and a breakout box. Unlike many other editing cards, it offers real-time output to DV. In my opinion it's the best capture card on the block for the PC side. For more info, see www.justedit.com __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

August 13th, 2002, 11:09 AM	#4
Nathan Gifford Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Tickfaw, LA Posts: 1,217	Tell us more about your system too.. Canopus certaily makes the one that most people seem to recommend. Your system should have at least PIII, 256MB RAM, a good audio board, and dual HDs. Size your video drive based on how long a piece you expect edit (4.5 minutes video/GB). For an OS nothing less Win2K. Nathan Gifford

August 12th, 2002, 11:06 PM	#2
Alex Ratson Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Squamish, British Columbia, Canada Posts: 149	A CRT monitor is not necessary to get right away. They are meant to give a accrete color, (which a normal TV can not do). A TV will work fine if you are not selling you videos, but if you are making money off them then get the real CRT monitor. Capture Cards: you need to have a capture card or else you can not get you video on to your computer. There are two main types of capture cards, Real time (RT), and none real time. The RT card do not need to render most effects, and the once that they do don’t talk as long to render as the none RT cards. The none RT cards can not perform RT at all. Vegas video, and Avid express DV can do RT with out a card but it can only be previewed as VGA so the resolution is lower, and the frame rate could be lowered which means you have to render before you print to tape. If you want RT it is going to start at $600, and go up from there. One of the best lower cost cards is the Canopus Storm, sorry but I do not have a US price on it off the top of my head. If you do not want RT then a ADS Pyro Fire wire card can be picked up for about $45, or get it bundled with Adobe Premier for $400, this package is called Pyro Platinum. Hope this helps you out a bit Alex

August 13th, 2002, 01:21 PM	#5
Alex Ratson Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Squamish, British Columbia, Canada Posts: 149	Id have to second Nathon01 on going with Windows 2000 Pro. I us to edit in 98SE, and when I did my first big project I did, I had a unpleasant surprise. My final move was 21.47Gb, and win98SE would not let me have a single file bigger then 4GB (FAT32). What did I do? I transferred my project onto an external drive, installed win2k, and stuck it back on my computer. Windows 2000 pro also is NTFS formatting so your files are a lot more stable. Alex

August 13th, 2002, 03:16 PM	#6
Aaron Koolen Trustee Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Posts: 1,727	Thanks guys, this info is very helpful. My machine is currently a 1.5ghz Athlon XP (1800+) with 1/2 gig RAM, running Windows Xp so I think that will do for a while but I will need to get more hard drives. My current one (40gb) is almost full and it's got hardly any footage on it :) I might end up going with a cheap TV for now and getting a card that can output to that as an external monitor, so that I can preview with proper TV like output as I hope to do some small special interest videos for groups I am involved in. Chris, what is a breakout box and do those catpture cards work in conjunction with your normal graphics card or does it replace it? Also, I'm assuming Premier/Capture Card will allow me to send output to both the computer monitor and a TV for playback so I can preview on a tv like screen?

August 13th, 2002, 03:36 PM	#7
Marc Betz Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: NH Posts: 95	Hi Aaron, Couple of bits of info for you. I believe Maxtor is currently selling their 80 gig hardrives bundled with a PCI ata/133 harddrive controller. This will allow you to connect up to 4 hard drives for video. Its a pretty good deal. Make sure you buy a 7200 speed harddrive, 5400 may give you issues. Also a breakout box is pretty handy, it plugs into the back of your computer and moves all of the input/outputs features of your capture card to the box which can be mounted wherever you wish, (no reaching arround to the back of the machine). A capture card can be one or the other, a seperate unit or a part of your graphics subsystem. I have found the Guys over at http://www.videoguys.com have a ton of info to help ease you into learning about capture cards. If you Have a DV camcorder with IEEE1394 out you only need a 45 dollar pyro card. If you are planning on using analog in you will need something a little more sophisticated. The options can be mind boggling so do your research first! If you need any help or explanations, you have come to the right place.

August 13th, 2002, 03:38 PM	#8
Marc Betz Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: NH Posts: 95	Hey Chris, I hope mentioning videoguys wasn't out of line. Marc

August 13th, 2002, 07:41 PM	#9
Nathan Gifford Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Tickfaw, LA Posts: 1,217	If you are trying to go cheap, certainly there are lots 1394 boards for under $100 (really closer to $50) that will do the job. If you are going the TV route you should first know that the monitor really helps out. That aside, go over to the http://www.videouniversity.com and follow Hal's directions on how to calibrate for NTSC. Its the easiest guide to follow. If you have hardly any space left on your system drive, then your big bucks should be spent on that second drive. Having a second drive really eases things much. Besides, you can get a really good drive for around $130 anyway. A good video display card can be quite nice. There are bunch out there, but you might want to look at dual-monitor boards. This allows you to use two CRTs instead of one. I know there are better ones out there than the Matrox...so whatever you get it should be at least as good as a Matrox 440. Nathan Gifford

August 13th, 2002, 10:46 PM	#10
Aaron Koolen Trustee Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Posts: 1,727	cool, I'll check out those two sites. I have a DV capture card, and a puss dv camcorder at the moment that will do analog to dv conversion so that's good for that stuff. Yeah I think I'll go with the hard drives first...Of course a couple of years down the track I'm doing to ditch the pc and get a mac ;) One thing I've heard and never been able to try is that if you stick a nice fast ata 133 drive (I have ata 133 on my machine) on the same ide channel as something slow like a CD rom drive that runs at atat 33 or whatever, then the hard drive will run at ata 33 like the cd? Anyone care to comment on the truth of this? Cheers Aaron