what do i need to get started?

[andyc]

I need a bit of info on what is needed to get started on video editing. I would like to have the capacity to do videos up to 30 minutes long, printed to 3/4" (source would be from vhs and/or 8mm)

I currently have:

P120
32MB ram
7GB hard drive (operating at 5.0MB/sec throughput)
Matrox Mystique 220 4MB
rainbow runner video capture

what upgrades, etc. do you think I need??? Help!

[Rick6612]

Hi Andy,

Well, you definitely need more memory. 32M is not enough. At least 64M, preferably 128M.

You also really need a separate hard drive dedicated to video capture/playback. At least a 10 GB, UDMA 33 drive.

When I first started doing video on a PC, it was with a Matrox Mystique 220 and a Rainbow Runner Studio running on a 100 MHz Pentium. It worked, but not real well. Among the many upgrades I did to try to get it working was an upgrade to a 166 MMX processor. That helped speed things up a bit, but it was still a terribly slow process. And I could never capture at the highest quality setting without dropping frames.

Now I am running on a 400 MHz PII and I find it to be so much more pleasant to work with. I think your 120 MHz Pentium might be just barely enough to get you going, but I strongly suspect you'll want to upgrade to something quite a bit faster.

Also, you didn't mention anything about sound card. If you don't already have one, you'll need one. I've heard a lot of people complain about problems with the SoundBlaster Live! soundcard, so I wouldn't get one of those. I am using an SB 128 PCI sound card and so far it has been working fine for me.

Rick

[DrMordrid]

Minimum:

First I'd upgrade that processor. Going with a 233 mhz K6 or Pentium would work bring you over the minimum specs for the RRS and not cost much. A dedicated capture drive of about 8.4 gigs or better and upgrading to 64 megs of memory rounds it out.

Optimal:

Chuck the AT case and do a full upgrade to an ATX case, Slot 1 or Socket 370 mobo and a fast Celeron to match. 128 megs of memory and at least a 16 gig capture drive would finish it off. This would put you in a position to upgrade from the RRS later and give you a much faster system to boot.

Dr. Mordrid


[This message has been edited by DrMordrid (edited 09-27-1999).]

[This_Idiot]

I disagree Doc (well anything to cause controversy).

I used a Myst220/RR-S combo on a 133 for ages and toroughly enjoyed the experience. In fact, it is what gave me my grounding over here.

The big lesson to be learned is that you MUST have a mobo that is capable of UDMA, with both a spare UDMA HD and an OS that is going to match. Just to make life bearable, 32 Mb helps some.

Processor power doesn't aid capture (although it MAY help render times). HD speed is all.

So my recommendation is to make sure that you are using a Mobo that supports UDMA, any modern HD that supports UDMA33, and make sure that you are up to Win95 OSR2 or 98 (euch).

There's plenty of time to think about the cute gear that a lot of folks around here are using. My first love is still the RR-S and I regret the fact that it is currently at the other end of the country unused by dear papa.