Sony Laptops and DV at DVinfo.net

Mike Moncrief · April 16th, 2003, 04:37 PM

Hello,

I have caught some little references here and there that Sony Laptops may not be the best choice for doing DV editing on a laptop?? I have seen it suggested that the firewire port is not always recognized by third party editing sortware.. eg. premiere, avid dv, vegas etc..

I have used Sony laptops for doing 3d and graphics, and like them very much, but now thinking of doing some of my editing on a laptop.. And wondering of any input others can give on their experiences with theses machines ??

thanks to all..
Mike Moncrief

Neil Fisher · April 16th, 2003, 05:42 PM

I'm using a R505JLK and I works perfectly. No problems at all with video editing, but in general I would think again about buying a Sony notebook.

Mike Moncrief · April 16th, 2003, 05:49 PM

Hi,
which app are you using to capture video ??

Thanks,
Mike m.

Eric Emerick · April 16th, 2003, 06:12 PM

It was my experience trying to edit video with a Sony VAIO 2 1/2 years ago that sent me to Apple. Thank you sony!!

Mike Rinkunas · April 16th, 2003, 06:17 PM

well, in my own opinion....

Sony's are great starter pieces of equipment for the hobbiest or someone who is just starting to get into DV. Their native DVGate software is great, and idiot proof...but in making it so, there are next to no options/settings/etc that you can change with DVgate...what you see is all you get.

The biggest problem that i have with sony's are they love to play/work with other items/software that have the sony brand name on them, if it doesn't you're at your own risk.....

The vaio that i used refused to play the video from any mpg unless it was coded in DVgate, it also refused to capture DV video from the firewire unless DVgate was used...there is a plug-in for premiere to use.

So if you can, i'd stay away from sony as a long-term investment....go get something that doesn't have a huge amount of properitary codecs/software!

Garret Ambrosio · April 16th, 2003, 06:17 PM

I think maybe why many have shunned Sony as a good NLE box is the fact that Sony restricts the heck out of access to many of their hardware software. Many times I've heard people say that Sony's iLink ports would only work on Sony software, yuk...I'd rather use Movie Maker 2. Alienware makes great laptops, robust enough to handle the job. Problem with laptops the resources are limited as it relates to Hdd size, number of Hdd's, processor speeds, number of processors, limits on RAM, and Battery power. Eric, that sounds bit like a "switch" commerical. :)

Neil Fisher · April 16th, 2003, 10:55 PM

<<< Mike Rinkunas
Sony's are great starter pieces of equipment for the hobbiest or someone who is just starting to get into DV. Their native DVGate software is great, and idiot proof...but in making it so, there are next to no options/settings/etc that you can change with DVgate...what you see is all you get. >>>

Couldn't agree with you more, I got my notebook thinking that I would use it to edit stills with photoshop. However when my intrests changed to motion, it just couldn't pull its load and sent me to an Apple as well.

Ken Tanaka · April 18th, 2003, 01:24 AM

...to those following this thread. A Reuters story on Yahoo! News.

Joe Carney · April 19th, 2003, 07:28 PM

The more recent Sony laptops don't seem to have the 'only sony software' problem. Their new GVX680 is a great value for what you get. Though if you can wait, then wait until laptops with the new ATI 9600 chip comes out, then you will have full DX9 support.

Paul Tauger · April 30th, 2003, 11:05 PM

I finally picked up a 4-pin to 4-pin 1394 cable and tried capturing some video from my VX2000 to my Sony VAIO 505ax laptop. It worked just fine. I used Scenealyzer Live for capture. No dropped frames, no problem finding the camcorder.

This VAIO may make a very good field editor -- it's very small and light, has a 40G hard drive and a 1.8GHz Pentium 4 processor. I've already tried Premiere 6.5 on it, and it works just fine.

Frankly, I'm blown away! My first editing system was 500 MHz AMD K6 desktop. I had to add memory, add a hard drive, coax a 1394 card into working, do all sorts of tweaks to the video, interrupts, and other software to get it working, and then it just poked along. Now, here's a little box that's about 1/20th the size and weight, and it's completely "plug and play"!

Not bad!

April 16th, 2003, 04:37 PM	#1
Mike Moncrief Major Player Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: orlando florida Posts: 426	Sony Laptops and DV Hello, I have caught some little references here and there that Sony Laptops may not be the best choice for doing DV editing on a laptop?? I have seen it suggested that the firewire port is not always recognized by third party editing sortware.. eg. premiere, avid dv, vegas etc.. I have used Sony laptops for doing 3d and graphics, and like them very much, but now thinking of doing some of my editing on a laptop.. And wondering of any input others can give on their experiences with theses machines ?? thanks to all.. Mike Moncrief __________________ Mike Moncrief mikemoncrief@gmail.com www.themikemoncrief.com

April 16th, 2003, 05:49 PM	#3
Mike Moncrief Major Player Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: orlando florida Posts: 426	Hi, which app are you using to capture video ?? Thanks, Mike m. __________________ Mike Moncrief mikemoncrief@gmail.com www.themikemoncrief.com

April 16th, 2003, 06:12 PM	#4
Eric Emerick Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Melbourne, FL Posts: 171	Sony VAIO It was my experience trying to edit video with a Sony VAIO 2 1/2 years ago that sent me to Apple. Thank you sony!! __________________ esquared

April 16th, 2003, 06:17 PM	#6
Garret Ambrosio Major Player Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Vallejo, CA Posts: 263	I think maybe why many have shunned Sony as a good NLE box is the fact that Sony restricts the heck out of access to many of their hardware software. Many times I've heard people say that Sony's iLink ports would only work on Sony software, yuk...I'd rather use Movie Maker 2. Alienware makes great laptops, robust enough to handle the job. Problem with laptops the resources are limited as it relates to Hdd size, number of Hdd's, processor speeds, number of processors, limits on RAM, and Battery power. Eric, that sounds bit like a "switch" commerical. :) __________________ "USA Today has come out with a new survey - apparently, three out of every four people make up 75% of the population." -David Letterman

April 18th, 2003, 01:24 AM	#8
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	A News Item That May Be of Interest... ...to those following this thread. A Reuters story on Yahoo! News. __________________ Lady X Films: A lady with a boring wardrobe...and a global mission. Hey, you don't have enough stuff! Buy with confidence from our sponsors. Hand-picked as the best in the business...Really! See some of my work one frame at a time: www.KenTanaka.com

April 16th, 2003, 05:42 PM	#2
Neil Fisher Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Saskatoon SK Canada Posts: 136	I'm using a R505JLK and I works perfectly. No problems at all with video editing, but in general I would think again about buying a Sony notebook.

April 16th, 2003, 06:17 PM	#5
Mike Rinkunas Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Allentown, PA Posts: 134	well, in my own opinion.... Sony's are great starter pieces of equipment for the hobbiest or someone who is just starting to get into DV. Their native DVGate software is great, and idiot proof...but in making it so, there are next to no options/settings/etc that you can change with DVgate...what you see is all you get. The biggest problem that i have with sony's are they love to play/work with other items/software that have the sony brand name on them, if it doesn't you're at your own risk..... The vaio that i used refused to play the video from any mpg unless it was coded in DVgate, it also refused to capture DV video from the firewire unless DVgate was used...there is a plug-in for premiere to use. So if you can, i'd stay away from sony as a long-term investment....go get something that doesn't have a huge amount of properitary codecs/software!

April 16th, 2003, 10:55 PM	#7
Neil Fisher Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Saskatoon SK Canada Posts: 136	<<< Mike Rinkunas Sony's are great starter pieces of equipment for the hobbiest or someone who is just starting to get into DV. Their native DVGate software is great, and idiot proof...but in making it so, there are next to no options/settings/etc that you can change with DVgate...what you see is all you get. >>> Couldn't agree with you more, I got my notebook thinking that I would use it to edit stills with photoshop. However when my intrests changed to motion, it just couldn't pull its load and sent me to an Apple as well.

April 19th, 2003, 07:28 PM	#9
Joe Carney Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Centreville Va Posts: 1,828	The more recent Sony laptops don't seem to have the 'only sony software' problem. Their new GVX680 is a great value for what you get. Though if you can wait, then wait until laptops with the new ATI 9600 chip comes out, then you will have full DX9 support.

April 30th, 2003, 11:05 PM	#10
Paul Tauger Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Los Angeles (recently from San Francisco) Posts: 954	I finally picked up a 4-pin to 4-pin 1394 cable and tried capturing some video from my VX2000 to my Sony VAIO 505ax laptop. It worked just fine. I used Scenealyzer Live for capture. No dropped frames, no problem finding the camcorder. This VAIO may make a very good field editor -- it's very small and light, has a 40G hard drive and a 1.8GHz Pentium 4 processor. I've already tried Premiere 6.5 on it, and it works just fine. Frankly, I'm blown away! My first editing system was 500 MHz AMD K6 desktop. I had to add memory, add a hard drive, coax a 1394 card into working, do all sorts of tweaks to the video, interrupts, and other software to get it working, and then it just poked along. Now, here's a little box that's about 1/20th the size and weight, and it's completely "plug and play"! Not bad!