Vegas 8

Josh Fung · April 28th, 2009, 03:07 AM

Hi.. I would like to Do HDV editing / capture using a laptop..

I have the Canon XL H1,

Please recommend a brand / specs for me do this flawlessly.
I use to be into computers few years ago, but havn't really kept up since Core Duo came out.

Thank you.

Budget is round about 1000 USD or similar. I'm currently in New Zealand, Pricespy.co.nz gives a fair indication of prices in New zealand at the moment.

Any help is much appreciated!

Edward Troxel · April 28th, 2009, 07:08 AM

I don't have any specific make/models for you but...

I'd look for one with multiple hard drives and then get the fastest processor you can afford.

For example, I'm using a Sager laptop that allows up to 3 hard drives to be installed. That way I don't have to worry about capturing to my system drive. Plus, I was able to pick 7200RPM drives for each as well.

Brian Luce · April 28th, 2009, 10:23 AM

What are the pros and cons of dedicated graphics cards for this? And also connectivity, DVi out? Presumably the OP would want some sort of ability to color correct on an external monitor.

Edward Troxel · April 28th, 2009, 10:28 AM

A secondary monitor or firewire out could be used for color correction (I do firewire out for that on my laptop). As for the video card, Vegas doesn't use any special features and pretty much all laptops handle dual monitors now.

Sherif Choudhry · April 28th, 2009, 01:54 PM

Right, Vegas doesnt really care about the graphics cards power or memory (but your other applications might?) - however Magic Bullet plug-in (which is one of my absolute ESSENTIAL plug-ins for colour correction) heavily relies on the power of the graphics card.

Josh Fung · April 29th, 2009, 08:18 PM

Which graphics card for laptops are suitable? I see Dell has some nVidia ones.

Jeff Harper · April 29th, 2009, 09:10 PM

I need to throw in that editing HD "flawlessly" as you said in your original post seems a tad vague as to what you expect/want. Or more specifically what does flawless mean as you are using the term? Fast? Or it works accurately? If you are a hobbyist with tons of time you can certainly get by with a laptop, but IMO it wouldn't be an attractive situation.

Short of using a quadcore laptop, which I believe runs over $2K, you are in for long render times and poor performance on the timeline with any laptop. Even a quad core laptop will bring you less than stellar performance. I don't know if Dell makes a quad core laptop, but I wouldn't buy one anyway. The price would be much too high considering the i7 should be available relatively soon.

I run an overclocked i7 desktop and am still frustrated by the the HD process. The creation of proxies, render times, etc., it is all too much. Of course, I have many projects in the pipeline at one time, and work on one PC, not multiple ones, so I become backed up at every little delay, and all the while I have clients waiting.

I cannot even imagine HD on a laptop. If you have more time than money, I guess it will work, but don't expect fast HD editing on any laptop.

Someone will undoubtedly chime in and say they edit HD on a laptop just fine. OK, that's great, I say. I just know I have a fairly fast and up to date PC and the process certainly doesn't feel fast to me.

Jon Rule · April 30th, 2009, 02:29 AM

I'll chime in!

I've got a 2.8Ghz Core 2 Extreme and am using Vegas with HDV and in the past AVCHD. AVCHD wasn't much fun, but HDV is ok for a hobbyist.

I would agree the render times are long, but I find timeline and previews are pretty good. It depends how long your projects are, is this just a hobby?

But then I don't think you'd get the 2.8 Extreme for 1000 USD.

Ian Planchon · April 30th, 2009, 08:28 AM

I picked up an asus dual core, 2.4 ghz. I use it to edit with my ex3 in the field. it does a great job. I even edit with Magic bullet, and it does fine. render times are a little slow when you add a bunch of effects, but if its just straight video, its pretty fast.

Jeff Harper · April 30th, 2009, 08:34 AM

Actually, many pros use laptops, I just don't know how they cope with it.

John Peterson · May 5th, 2009, 08:12 AM

You may find that you prefer Windows XP Pro over Vista. That said, a clone would be the more likely choice. If you want something like a Dell, only certain models have the option for downconversion from Vista to XP. You could try to find XP drivers for the laptop and install it yourself.

Also,

The displays are often not the greatest when it comes to displaying videos and the mfg. changes the display suppliers regularly.

John

Marcus Martell · May 6th, 2009, 08:41 AM

Hey John what u get?A M6500 Dell?

John Peterson · May 6th, 2009, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcus Martell

Hey John what u get?A M6500 Dell?

I have a Dell Vostro 1500, but I would never use if for video editing unless I had no other choice. I use it to dump memory cards in the field from my Sony PMW-EX1. I much prefer a desktop computer for video editing. Faster. Easier to type on the keyboard. Much more value per dollar than laptops.

John

Andy Loos · May 11th, 2009, 09:34 PM

I would not recommend vista, i would get a windows xp machine from dell. or wait till windows 7 comes out. with my laptop i am running a duo core and with win xp and it runs pretty good. It would be nice to have a 7200rpm hard drive compared to mine is 5400. I would also check into the solid state drives, those are the real deal. good luck.

April 28th, 2009, 03:07 AM	#1
Josh Fung Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Aotearoa Posts: 81	Vegas 8 - Recommend a laptop for me? Hi.. I would like to Do HDV editing / capture using a laptop.. I have the Canon XL H1, Please recommend a brand / specs for me do this flawlessly. I use to be into computers few years ago, but havn't really kept up since Core Duo came out. Thank you. Budget is round about 1000 USD or similar. I'm currently in New Zealand, Pricespy.co.nz gives a fair indication of prices in New zealand at the moment. Any help is much appreciated!

April 28th, 2009, 07:08 AM	#2
Edward Troxel Sponsor: JET DV Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 7,953	I don't have any specific make/models for you but... I'd look for one with multiple hard drives and then get the fastest processor you can afford. For example, I'm using a Sager laptop that allows up to 3 hard drives to be installed. That way I don't have to worry about capturing to my system drive. Plus, I was able to pick 7200RPM drives for each as well. __________________ Edward Troxel [SCVU] JETDV Scripts/Scripting Tutorials/Excalibur/Montage Magic/Newsletters

April 28th, 2009, 10:28 AM	#4
Edward Troxel Sponsor: JET DV Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 7,953	A secondary monitor or firewire out could be used for color correction (I do firewire out for that on my laptop). As for the video card, Vegas doesn't use any special features and pretty much all laptops handle dual monitors now. __________________ Edward Troxel [SCVU] JETDV Scripts/Scripting Tutorials/Excalibur/Montage Magic/Newsletters

April 28th, 2009, 01:54 PM	#5
Sherif Choudhry Major Player Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: London Posts: 222	Graphics card Right, Vegas doesnt really care about the graphics cards power or memory (but your other applications might?) - however Magic Bullet plug-in (which is one of my absolute ESSENTIAL plug-ins for colour correction) heavily relies on the power of the graphics card.

April 28th, 2009, 10:23 AM	#3
Brian Luce Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 2,290	What are the pros and cons of dedicated graphics cards for this? And also connectivity, DVi out? Presumably the OP would want some sort of ability to color correct on an external monitor.

April 29th, 2009, 08:18 PM	#6
Josh Fung Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Aotearoa Posts: 81	Which graphics card for laptops are suitable? I see Dell has some nVidia ones.

April 29th, 2009, 09:10 PM	#7
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	I need to throw in that editing HD "flawlessly" as you said in your original post seems a tad vague as to what you expect/want. Or more specifically what does flawless mean as you are using the term? Fast? Or it works accurately? If you are a hobbyist with tons of time you can certainly get by with a laptop, but IMO it wouldn't be an attractive situation. Short of using a quadcore laptop, which I believe runs over $2K, you are in for long render times and poor performance on the timeline with any laptop. Even a quad core laptop will bring you less than stellar performance. I don't know if Dell makes a quad core laptop, but I wouldn't buy one anyway. The price would be much too high considering the i7 should be available relatively soon. I run an overclocked i7 desktop and am still frustrated by the the HD process. The creation of proxies, render times, etc., it is all too much. Of course, I have many projects in the pipeline at one time, and work on one PC, not multiple ones, so I become backed up at every little delay, and all the while I have clients waiting. I cannot even imagine HD on a laptop. If you have more time than money, I guess it will work, but don't expect fast HD editing on any laptop. Someone will undoubtedly chime in and say they edit HD on a laptop just fine. OK, that's great, I say. I just know I have a fairly fast and up to date PC and the process certainly doesn't feel fast to me.

April 30th, 2009, 02:29 AM	#8
Jon Rule Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: UK Posts: 37	I'll chime in! I've got a 2.8Ghz Core 2 Extreme and am using Vegas with HDV and in the past AVCHD. AVCHD wasn't much fun, but HDV is ok for a hobbyist. I would agree the render times are long, but I find timeline and previews are pretty good. It depends how long your projects are, is this just a hobby? But then I don't think you'd get the 2.8 Extreme for 1000 USD.

April 30th, 2009, 08:28 AM	#9
Ian Planchon Major Player Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: an Alaskan living in Des Moines, Iowa Posts: 513	I picked up an asus dual core, 2.4 ghz. I use it to edit with my ex3 in the field. it does a great job. I even edit with Magic bullet, and it does fine. render times are a little slow when you add a bunch of effects, but if its just straight video, its pretty fast.

April 30th, 2009, 08:34 AM	#10
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	Actually, many pros use laptops, I just don't know how they cope with it.

May 5th, 2009, 08:12 AM	#11
John Peterson Major Player Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Monroe, NY Posts: 703	You may find that you prefer Windows XP Pro over Vista. That said, a clone would be the more likely choice. If you want something like a Dell, only certain models have the option for downconversion from Vista to XP. You could try to find XP drivers for the laptop and install it yourself. Also, The displays are often not the greatest when it comes to displaying videos and the mfg. changes the display suppliers regularly. John

May 6th, 2009, 08:41 AM	#12
Marcus Martell Trustee Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: spain Posts: 1,202	Hey John what u get?A M6500 Dell?

May 11th, 2009, 09:34 PM	#14
Andy Loos Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Minnesota Posts: 84	I would not recommend vista, i would get a windows xp machine from dell. or wait till windows 7 comes out. with my laptop i am running a duo core and with win xp and it runs pretty good. It would be nice to have a 7200rpm hard drive compared to mine is 5400. I would also check into the solid state drives, those are the real deal. good luck.