Very basic question

[Greg Rothschild]

I'm trying to decide whether I want to buy Final Cut Pro or Avid Express Pro... in the mean time my XHA1 is arriving and I've got no software or hardware to get video onto my computer. Once I make my NLE decision I'll either upgrade my current PC (3.2ghz Athlon, 2g ram, Invidia Geforce 6800, usb external harddrives etc.) where necessary or get a new MAC.
I'd love to be able to see some footage on my current system without spending an arm and a leg- it there a relatively inexpensive way to get footage onto the PC (capture and view)? By relatively inexpensive I mean less than oh say $300 or so? If yes, can you list what I'd need?
Thanks,
Greg

[Vito DeFilippo]

Well, I googled "video editing freeware" and got this list that should get you going:

http://desktopvideo.about.com/od/sof...tfreesw_ro.htm

If you are interested in Avid, check out Avid FreeDV. The projects are not compatible with the commercial versions, so don't start anything you want to continue after you upgrade, but the interface is basically the same. So it's a great way to introduce yourself to AVID.

I see your camera is HDV so you might want to check this out instead. It's written for Sony cams, but might work for you:

http://www.hdvforever.com/hdv/hdrhc1/freecapture/

Here's another:

http://strony.aster.pl/paviko/

Good luck!

[Greg Rothschild]

Thanks very much for the help Vito- I'll check the links in a minute.
I take it one has to have some sort of editing software to import the video onto the internal harddrive? Or external [via usb2 or firewire) for that matter. Is there no other hardware required?

[Vito DeFilippo]

Hello Greg,

Usually for HDV, your firewire port is used for capture. No other hardware should be necessary other than the existing firewire of your computer. Of course, you need software that can control the process for you.

Note that I edited my post when I realized that your camera is HDV. I use a Sony Z1, so I'm not sure if the software I saw will work with the Canon, but it's worth a look until you decide what to do permanently.

Does your camera have a downconvert function that lets you work in DV? If yes, I would try that with AVID FreeDV. A great way to learn the interface of AVID before you decide if you want to buy it. I don't think FreeDV will capture HDV though...

Nice photos on your site, by the way.

[Greg Rothschild]

Thanks! For the info and for looking at the photos.
I did just download the Avid FreeDV- I didn't know something like that was available. I got an Avid Express Pro training dvd a couple days ago so this was a timely piece of advice. But... I'm really leaning towards FCP and a new MAC- it will support the 24f that the Canon puts out and Avid will not. Oh yeah- the camera will downconvert (at least I'm pretty sure it will) but I was thinking it would be ok to shoot some footage in DV just to get something on the computer to play with, so this software should be fine.
Thanks again!

[Vito DeFilippo]

No problem.

You know, you should check the more recent versions of Xpress Pro HD. They keep adding formats that they support, and I wouldn't be surprised if the latest version supports 24p capture from the Canon. You can do a search on the AVID site for the "readme" file of the latest version to check.

Ciao,
Vito

[Greg Rothschild]

Canon doesn't actually do 24"p"... they do a slightly different version called 24"f" and I've made a couple inquiries and from what I've been told, Avid doesn't support it now and it may be a while before they do- or they may never. So I suppose I'd have to figure out some kind of work around with third party software perhaps. So much to learn...