Video editing size outside of standard formats.

I work since first generation with FCP and orderd the new "X" version. In my work I have a lot of special formats, out of the natives like 768 x 576, 1080p. I not could find in the new FCP X as I could create my own, customed formats. Yes, I could use AE or FCP 7, but hope make everything easey as Apple always promote. Do any one have an idea

The application only works at video standard resolutions.
There are workarounds
http://www.fcpxbook.com/CustomProjectSize.html

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  • Suitable laptop for video editing

    Hello,
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    Here are the specifications of the Force 16F2 laptop built on MSI 16F2 (from the xoticpc.com), which I have chosen so far:
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    -  15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Glare Type Screen
    -  2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2720QM, 2.2-3.3GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache)
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    -  - 500GB (w/ 4GB SSD Memory) Seagate XT 7200RPM NCQ Hybrid 32MB Cache (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s)-   or 750GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s)--
    - 750GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s)-
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    -  500GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s) in ODD Bay
    -  3 Year Complete Care Warranty - 3 Year Parts with Ground Shipping, 24/7 Telephone Tech Support & Lifetime Labor Warranty
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    I would very much appreciate any feedback from you!
    Misha

    Frederick, I will firstly answer your questions, I am in no way a pro video editor, my projects are up to 10MB of size although I wasn't yet able to edit the h.264 footage properly ... I mostly do events and quite simple projects, effects, two to three timelines... I use only h.264, my older projects are in DV quality thought. I usually have to rush to finish a project since I have limited time during the travels.. I usually work at one, maximum two projects at the same time
    Now, I have been trying to figure out what would be the best configuration for me and ended up with these two options, which are touching (maybe even overflowing) my budget... Both are worth around USD2100 (without shipping, etc.). Either I  will be going for one SSD disk for the OS or for maximum CPU and RAM.  Which configuration would you recommend me? Do you think that the second configuration is an overkill when taken into account the size and scope of my projects?
    With SSD disk:
    FORCE 16F2 / MSI 16F2
    -  15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Matte Type Screen
    -  2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2720QM, 2.2-3.3GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache)
    -  IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU (Cools better than all Compounds)
    -  nVidia GeForce GTX 560M 1,536MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11
    -  10,240MB (10GB) DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (1x4GB 3x2GB)
    -  Standard Finish
    -  - 120GB OCZ Vertex 3 MAX IOPS Sandforce Solid State Drive (Up to Sequential Read 550MB/s - Write 500MB/s SSD Serial-ATA III)
    -  - 750GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s)-
    -  HDD Raid Settings - OFF
    -  320GB 7200RPM WD or Seagate (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s) in ODD Bay
    -  3 Year Complete Care Warranty - 3 Year Parts with Ground Shipping, 24/7 Telephone Tech Support & Lifetime Labor Warranty
    With better CPU and RAM:
    FORCE 16F2 / MSI 16F2
    -  15.6” FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Matte Type Screen
    -  2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2820QM, 2.3-3.4GHz, (32nm, 8MB L3 cache)
    -  IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU (Cools better than all Compounds)
    -  nVidia GeForce GTX 560M 1,536MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11
    -  16,384MB (16GB) DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (4x4GB)-SPECIAL
    -  Standard Finish
    -  - 750GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s)-
    -  - 750GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s)-
    -  HDD Raid Settings - OFF
    -  320GB 7200RPM WD or Seagate (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s) in ODD Bay
    -  Stock OEM Thermal Compound (       IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU Provided FREE with Processor Upgrade!)
    -  Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC/RS)
    -  Internal Bluetooth + EDR
    -  Built-in 802.11 Wireless B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card
    -  Integrated Digital Video Camera
    -  Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
    -  Smart Li-ion Battery (9-Cell)
    -  3 Year Complete Care Warranty - 3 Year Parts with Ground Shipping, 24/7 Telephone Tech Support & Lifetime Labor Warranty
    Frederick, regarding the RAM I checked the 8GB option and it comes in 2GBx4 so I won't be able to save those slots. Plus I have been searching for prices of the RAM, HDD and SSD in the US and they don't seem to be that great for me to even consider them... I would simply have to pay more and would end up with unused parts from the basic configuration. I think that the Xoticpc have quite reasonable prices of the upgrades they offer... Plus I can count on higher prices of the components here in India so all in all I think that it would cost me too much energy and save me minimum bucks...  That's why I thought I might go for the 16GB RAM straight away if it isn't an overkill for me. As I said before, I would love to save money (after all I am a woman   who controls the common budget) so please let me  know, if I am just wasting money for high end technology which I won't be able to use . I rather think that in the future once I will finally be able to make  some money when I will have a machine to work on, I might upgrade to  better hard drives (SSD possibly). But right now I need a laptop on  which I would be able to smoothly edit the HD h.264 footage.
    Thank you very much for your help!

  • FCE, Sony HD Camera, Family Video Editing, & Burning (HD?)DVD

    Ok. Here goes ... I am a new iMac enthusiast who has "seen the light". That being said, I will be purchasing my first iMac in 30 days and I am hopefull that my expectation(s) do not fall flat because they are unrealistic. The only expectation in which there appears to be some doubt is this ... I am planning to convert all of my family videos (present formats of VHS, VHS-C, & AVCHD) to a HD format on a DVD, or at least to another electronic hardware such as a hard drive or a library of SD cards. Well, how many holes do I have in my plan? Before you answer, allow me to tell you my understanding of the barriers. First of all the actual conversion of VHS format to a digital format. I do have a Plextor Digital Video Converter with which I have, in the past, successfully converted the analog VHS format to a digital format and saved on a Windows PC, so I do have some experience with that effort. I do understand the labor intensive exercise this could prove to be. Second, I anticipate the VHS-C conversion to be about the same process. However, what about the video that I presently have on my Sony HDR-SR11? I have already done some importing and editing of said digital video via my daughter's MacPro & iMovie, but what about burning it to DVD? Of course, when I burned the video to DVD it converted to standard format. I want it to be in a HD format. From what I have seen in forums and various discussions on the net, this is almost impossible without some relatively complicated manipulation via Toast 10, BluRay drive, etc. type effort. What is the deal? Why the black hole of interface when it comes to burning digital video to a HD format, even when the original source is HD? It seems to me that there is a huge opportunity for Apple to capture a tremendous segment of business by providng an "Apple-like" seemless process of conveting (AVC)HD video and enabling the burning (archiving) of such video to a digital disk in either iMovie or FCE or whatever, be it a DVD or SD card.
    Ok ... back to my question. Is the gap as large as I understand it to be? Is there no other way to accomplish this task? Is FCE a viable option and/or tool in this effort or not? Am I better off using Toast 10 or is that not even the answer? Help!

    Hi and welcome to the forum!
    I think your expectations are on the whole very realistic, and FCE would certainly help in what you seem to be wanting to do. For converting old VHS tapes, an analog to DV converter will do the trick. You simply plug in the converter to your camera, and it should convert the analog to a DV format that you can capture directly into FCE with the DV Converter preset to make things easier for you.
    As for using AVCHD, FCE does not edit it natively but will convert it upon ingest to Apple Intermediate Codec for editing natively. Not much quality is lost in this conversion, and the Log and Transfer interface within FCE that you use to ingest AVCHD from your camcorder is top notch.
    The thing you have to understand about HD-DVDs is that they are very costly to produce and view, with a rather small viewer base. It is possible as you said to burn HD DVDs using Toast or the DVD Studio Pro that comes with Final Cut Studio. Even then you would need a separate Blue-ray disc burner to hook up to your computer, the expensive HD discs themselves, and an HD DVD reader to hook up to your HD TV. I guess the reason why iDVD does not offer HD DVD burning is that there are a relatively small amount of people who require it or have the funds to make it work smoothly. Very few people have HD DVD readers in their homes anyway, so you can be assured that most DVDs you would burn would be played solely on your machine.
    Do not give up hope! SD DVDs still preserve pretty good quality, are easy to use with the software installed on the Mac, and are assured to play on the majority of TVs owned by people today. If you are bent on getting the HD to work for your TV, Ian's helpful post on [viewing HD videos|http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=10506824&#10506824] with an inexpensive media player might make more sense for you.
    So all in all, FCE is a viable tool for most things you would like to do with video. However, if you are sure you want to burn to HD DVDs you will need other software and equipment than what comes with your Mac.

  • Better for Video Editing? MBP 13" or 15" w/9600M GT

    I am planning on purchasing a Macbook Pro for relatively extensive use of Final Cut Pro (HD video) along with possibly some light Motion work and video transcoding. In addition I will be using it for photo editing and web editing. I don't plan on using it for any high-end gaming.
    I will be purchasing a $200 24" external monitor to use most of the time along with external keyboard and mouse (so MBP screen size isn't an issue), but I need the portability and don't have the funds to purchase an additional dedicated desktop yet.
    I am having trouble deciding between the 13" and the 15", mainly due to conflicting opinions I've been hearing over the importance of a dedicated graphics card for video editing. Salespeople at the Apple store tell me it's important and I should get the 15". Research online yielded heated forum arguments over whether it really makes a difference or not.
    The price difference is quite significant though at the configurations I picked ($765) so I am seeking advice here for whether people think the cost difference is really justified for my needs. Note that both configurations include 4GB of RAM, smallest hard drive option (i've got external drives) and AppleCare protection.
    Pricing with education discount after tax:
    13" 2.26GHz - $1520
    15" 2.66GHz w/9600M GT 256MB - $2285
    *Is there a real difference in video editing performance and if so, is it really worth an extra $765? Or is there a better option that I'm not considering?*

    Thanks everyone for the feedback!
    Studio X wrote:
    Are you planning on making any money at this or are you only in it for fun? Have you ever edited before? Have you ever edited with FCS before? What of the 44 billion HD formats are you planning on editing? Do you have a camera? What format does it record? If it's a flash media based device, what's your back up strategy? How are you planning to externally monitor the HD material ? What are you planning to use as media drives as the system drive should not be used for media capture or playback?
    Still, I guess I come down on the side of "it doesn't matter as neither one is a serious editing machine". If I was in the market for a laptop and was limited to the current apple lineup, the only machine of interest is the 17" MacBookPro. The other two MacBookPros you are considering have no expresscard slot and come only with glossy screens - both are serious deficiencies in my world.
    I do plan on using this computer professionally. I am a recent college graduate but do have professional FCS editing experience under my belt. However my work was done using both school and employer resources. I do have an archive of work in Mini DV(HDV) and AVCHD formats. I don't currently own an HD camera, however will likely be purchasing one in the near future. As far as externally monitoring HD material, what else would I need other than the 24" external monitor (perfectly capable of full HD) or a separate HDTV? In addition to several older usb2 external drives for backup I do have a 1TB 7200rpm external capable of FW800 and eSATA that I would use as a media drive.
    I currently have an old 17" dell notebook with a glossy screen. The screen hasn't really bothered me, but the size and weight of the notebook has. And while the 17" MBP is a little lighter and smaller than my old dell, I would still prefer a 13" or 15". But from the opinions I've been hearing I'm steering away from the 13" and fully realize the downsides to the lack of ExpressCard slot in the current 15" as well. Still wondering while Apple decided to remove it.
    MartinR wrote:
    If budget is a primary constraint, then consider a refurbished 15" or 17" MBP from Apple, or a used MBP from a reputable supplier.
    I hadn't checked into the refurbished options, but now that I did, I found a nice 15" (late 2008 unibody) configuration that would provide a lot more value for the buck. For about $550 more than the new 13" config I would get a faster processor, 2" bigger screen, 9600M 512mb GPU, double the internal storage, removable battery as well as the ExpressCard slot (even though its not listed in specs, it's there). The only trade off I can see is battery life.
    http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC026LL/A?mco=MjE0NjE5MA

  • Glossy or AntiGlare/Normal Res or High Res for Video Editing?

    I will be purchasing a MacBook Pro 15" for Final Cut Pro video editing on the road. I'm trying to decide on the best purchase configuration for the display. Apple offers Glossy Widescreen, 1440 x 900 standard. High resolution 1680 x 1050 comes in either Glossy or Antiglare.
    I'm wondering which configuration would be ideal. Are there any special display considerations for video work?
    I'll be getting the 2.2 GHz i7 quad with the AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 1GB GDDR.

    I have the hi res anti glare and thi sis better than the glossy in my opinion because I can do my work faster without being distracted by reflections that move or being blinded by light from behind me bouncing off the screen.  I also can use my macbook pro outside a lot better than the glossy one.  I am a graduate student so papers and presentations are mainly what i do for school.  I edit ton of video and pictures and the antiglare is my recommendation to you.  Obviously it is your choice ultimately, but I hope my input helps you out John,

  • Which of these two hard drives is best for SD-only video editing?

    Before I begin, I will start by saying that I realize the BEST hard drive is generally one's internal drive... but, ignoring that, my question is this:
    I have 2 external drives available, and can't afford to buy a new one yet. Which of them is best:
    1. 7200RPM drive, connected via FW400.
    2. 5400RPM drive, connected via FW800.
    I guess another way to phrase this question is, which is the more important factor, rotational speed, or connection method?
    Just wondered, as I do not have a 7200RPM drive that can use FW800. I want to use the best of these two until I can afford to get a 7200RPM FW800 drive.
    Thanks for any insight, and happy new year!

    William,
    A few people had chimed in great advise, but I like to add my own. Perhaps you will find this useful.
    The speed of the hard drive these days are hardly measured by the spindle numbers anymore. 7200 or even 5400 means really nothing other when it was made. That's the same as saying that my old 2.4Ghz Macbook is going to be slightly slower than a new 2.4Ghz Macbook or Macbook Pro. So just looking at the spindle rate is one thing. You need to look at drive generation, link speed, cache size, platter size and platter amount. For example, today's Seagate 7200 RPM drive is at 7200.12 and last year was 7200.11 (a disaster year for them as the drives would click themselves to death!)
    Let's start with link speed. The reason why internal drives are faster (at least with the all in one iMac, Mac Mini and Macbooks) is the fact that even at SATA I, it can operate up to 1.5Gbps, which is fast. FW800 is no match against SATA II at 3Gbps and SATA III at 6Gbps. Secondly, the throughput is well sustained with the help of DUAL PROC (Dual Processors) available on 2 Western Digital Blacks (one in SATA II and the other in SATA III flavours!). Digital Blacks come in 500, 640 and 1Tb. BUT, there is a Seagate most fastest drive in the 7200RPM category that is a 2Tb Barracuda XT which has a SATA III interface, though I doubt mechanical drives will achieve such high rates. These drives will simply saturate a FW800 interface port easily.
    When we are taking about throughputs, the 60-70MB/s the 5400RPM puts out is only good for the first 30 to 40% of its capacity, because they lie on the outer platter. As the head moves in, the throughput drops. This is a problem with a single drive. However, if you RAID 2 small drives together, then not only your throughput will more than doubled (saturate the FW800), it can be sustained for more than 40% of its stored capacity. Which is why RAID drives are used by professionals. It's easy to built a RAID drive. You can even buy one from the store. So if you want to buy a 1Tb drive, then you will be buying a 1Tb drive in 2 500Gb hard drive sizes RAIDed together.
    Another method I use if I only plan to have 1 drive is to "Short Stroke" it. Short stroking is very popular in the PC gaming world. Basically, what they do is run a program like HD Tune to determine what the best sweet spot that would give maximum throughput before it drops. Say a 500Gb gives the best speed for 140Gb, then they would go into BIOS and force format the drive to 140Gb. For
    yourself, you can partition 2 drives. First partition would be the smallest and that can be your "render" drive. The second partition would be for storage. It's quasi short stroking, but this will give you the most throughput if you need maximum speed for real time SD video editing.
    And Tom is right, always have a separate drive for rendering and never rely on your internal. However, if your internal happens to be 2.5" laptop drive, you can stick in a Seagate Momentus XT drive with its 4Gb SSD cache, it's enough to reduce disk access to the main drive so that's what I use for my Macbook. That's my read and OS drive and the Firewire 400 as my render drive and it's barely doable. FW800 would be nice!
    Good luck on your purchase!
    Message was edited by: Coolmax

  • Adding Video Editing to existing CS5 - Possible?

    I have adobe photoshop CS5 version 12.1.  Is there any way to add on the video editing component without having to purchase the whole Premiere package?

    I have not really explored the video capabilities of PS CS 6 (old dog - new tricks in my case), but then I do have PrPro and AE, so I have my "old favs" right on the machine. I also try to "use the right tool for the job," and Adobe makes that easy for me, though not "inexpensively." For instance, PrPro and AE can do some minor editing of Still Images, but I would almost always go to Photoshop for that. It's similar with Vector Images - PS can do more and more with each version, but when I get serious, Illustrator comes out. Were I an Adobe Sr. Product Manager, I'd keep each program about where they are, and not try to make any one a Do-It-All application - a little cross-over is good, but too much, and the program is going to bloat, and likely loose stability. The "suite" is the way to go, IMHO.
    Reading the various articles on video in PS Extended (before CS 6), and PS CS 6, it DOES look like video handling is getting better and better. For common formats and CODEC's, it does seem to have quite a bit of power, but when one steps out of those capabilities, then Premiere, or After Effects really shine.
    I see it as similar to Premiere Elements, where if one is working with very standard and common material, the program works very well. However, when one steps up to say RED 4K footage, ArriRAW, or even non-standard material, from perhaps a video screen-capture program, PrPro really shines, and can easily do work, that PrE cannot even touch.
    Just my observations,
    Hunt

  • Bunch of questions for 2k+ video editing setup. Please help if possible

    Hello everyone, I'm in the process of building a desktop (mainly for video editing -- with some graphic design and gaming here and there). I'll be working with Canon 5D III raw footage (Magic Lantern) and typical dslr h.264 for the time being. Eventually I'll be working with 2.5k and possibly 4k. I mainly use Premiere Pro and syncing with AE, though with this new build I will start on DaVinci as well.
    This is what I have OR considering thus far:
    (Just purchased) CPU: Intel Core i7-4930K 3.4GHz 6-Core Processor 
    (Just purchased) Motherboard: Asus X79 DELUXE ATX LGA2011 Motherboard 
    (just purchased) Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card 
    (just purchased) Power Supply: SeaSonic G-750 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply
    (already owned) Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
    (already owned) Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk 
    (considering) CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  
    (considering) Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory
    (considering) Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive
    (considering) Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive 
    (consdering) Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive 
    (considering) Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)
    computer tower -- very undecided
    My main concern right now is setting up the hard drives. I've been reading and researching on how other editors are structuring their system, but it seems everyone has slightly different setup. So I'm somewhat confused on a smooth and optimal setup. Is this a good setup:
    1) Samsung 840 250gb -- for OS/apps
    2) Samsung 840 evo 120gb -- for project files/media cache/scratch disk?
    3) 2x Seagate Barracuda 3TB 7200rpm in Raid 0 -- for meda/raw files?
    4) WD Caviar 3TB 5400rpm -- for exports/general storage/etc
    Is that okay? Should I get another HDD to separate project files, media cache, and/or scratch disk? Is Raid 0 necessary? Most likely I'll be using onboard raid option and I never done raid before. The reason why I'm going with the Barracuda is because there's a deal on them right now.
    **note: I have 5 external hard drives for backup and backing up the backups. I'm not too worried about the reliability of Raid 0 if it means I can get quicker performance.
    Another question, can anyone recommend a tower that's under $150? I've been looking at a bunch and just can't decide. I live in NYC and my room does not have AC so having a tower with good airflow is a must. Also my roommate has a cat and I would like to have dust filters (though not as important as I can just buy aftermarket, but having a tower that comes with some would be nice)
    Sorry for the long post and thank you in advance!

    All my parts have arrived and I'm all set to put together, but I have one more question. According to Tweaker's page:
    Media cache & Media cache database files, created on importing media into a project. They contain indexed, conformed audio and peak files for waveform display.
    Typically small files, but lots of them, so in the end they still occupy lots of disk space.
    Preview (rendered) files, created when the time-line is rendered for preview purposes, the red bar turned to green. Read all the time when previewing the time-line.
    Project files, including project auto-save files, that are constantly being read and saved as auto-save files and written when saving your edits.
    Media files, the original video material ingested from tape or card based cameras. Typically long files, only used for reading, since PR is a non-destructive editor.
    Export files, created when the time-line is exported to its final delivery format. These files are typically only written once and often vary in size from several hundred KB to tens of GB.
    1(media cache) should be on the fastest volume and 5(exports) can be on the slowest. Now I have 3 SSD -- Samsung 840 Evo 250GB, Samsung 840 256GB, and Samsung 840 Evo 120GB... I plan on using the non Evo 250gb for OS/programs. That leaves the 120gb and 250gb (both Evo) for media cache and preview. My question is, which one of the two (media cache & preview) will pile up space faster? Should I put meda cache on the 250gb and preview on 120gb? Or flip flop them?
    Sorry for all the questions.

  • My Laptop Config for video editing...is it right for me?

    hello all,
    greetings to all of you. this is my first post.  i want to know can i edit sd video on the laptop that i have decieded to purchase? i have decieded to go for dell inspiron with following specs:
    dell studio S541036IN8
    Intel® Core™ i5-540M Processor (2.53GHz, 4 Thread, turbo boost up to 3.06GHz, 3M cache)
    Windows 7
    4GB (2GBx2) 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM (Work at 1066MHz for Intel Arrandale CPU)
    320GB 7200RPM  SATA Hard Drive
    ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 5470 - 1GB
    i will be editing mostly sd videos, captured from my video camera by firewire. i will be working on softwares like premiere pro 2, adobe after effects cs2, 3ds max, photoshop and edius. Currently i work on my old desktop which has following config.
    Intel Pentium 4 ---- 3 Ghz.
    2 GB RAM
    500 GB HDD.
    i am ok working with my old desktop.
    My question:
    the laptop that i have decieded to  buy is more advanced than my old desktop.
    - Will i get better performance from my laptop than my old desktop?
    - Will i be able to edit avi captured by firewire in Premier Pro 2 on my laptop?
    - is the laptop i have selected strong enough to edit premiere pro?
    kindly enlighten
    regards,
    thanks in advance

    Will this suffice for sd video editing on laptop?
    this is what i am thinking over....buying an dell i3 laptop and the following card:
    SIIG FireWire 800 CardBus DV Kit
    specs of the card are as follows:
    Chip set: TI TSB81BA3 (PHY) and TSB82AA2 (LYNX)
    OHCI Compliant IEEE 1394b Host Controller
    Regulatory approval(s): FCC Class B (DoC) & CE
    Port type: Two FireWire 800 (1394b) 9-pin and one 1394a (6-pin) ports
    Supports IEEE P1394b and backwards compatible with 1394a-2000 and 1394-1995 standards
    Fully interoperable with FireWire, iLINK™ and SB1394™ implementation of IEEE 1394 standards
    Supports both Isochronous and asynchronous data transfer modes
    Deluxe DV editing software and 1394a 6-pin to 4-pin DV cable included
    Package Includes:
    (1) FireWire 800 3-port (2b+1a) CardBus
    (1) 1394a 6-pin to 4-pin DV cable (3ft)
    (1) Ulead VideoStudio 7.0 SE DVD software
    (1) Driver software
    (1) User’s manual
    Instead of going for i5 processor i wud go for i3 (by which i can save some money) and use the money  to buy the above mentioned card and following firewire 800 hard disk:
    The Iomega® UltraMax™ Plus Hard Drive has three USB ports and three FireWire® ports (2 FireWire 400 & 1 FireWire 800) for secure, high-capacity storage.
    Specifications
    Formatted HFS+
    Compatible with PC and Mac®
    8MB Cache Buffer or greater
    Available connections (depends on model selected)
    One eSATA Port
    Three USB 2.0 Ports
    Two 1394a (FireWire 400) Ports
    One 1394b (FireWire 800) Port
    Includes EMC® Retrospect® and MozyHome Online backup software
    with SIIG FireWire 800 CardBus DV Kit in my laptop i can connect two firewire 800 hard drives and use it as two physical hard disk.
    i just want to say is this what i am planning to do viable for sd video editing on laptop? no wonder i will have to carry all this but its ok with me.
    kindly enlighten,
    ur suggestions and advice will be helpful
    regards
    Payal

  • How much ram do i need for serious video editing?

    early 2008 2X2.8 Quad Core Intel Xeon Mac Pro, with 8 GB RAM (8X1GB sticks), 2 @ 1.5 TB hard drives +. Use Final Cut Express for video editing. CS4 for typical daily workflow. How much RAM do i really need to make this a powerhouse video editor?

    To make any 'good' recommendations it would be helpful to know what you are editing - DV, SD, HD? That is a big factor in determining specifications.
    If you do more than one stream of HD, you will eventually want an external video drive solution from CalDigit, Dulce, Promax, G-RAID, or any of the others you see on the side. And it also depends on what 'flavor' of HD - I doubt your running 1920x1080 uncompressed 10-bit HD off of one drive. an external RAID array might seem like overkill. Generally, the advantages are increased speed (necessary for dealing with uncompressed, high-res footage) and redundancy so you don't lose everything if a single drive dies.
    Get AJA System Test to test the speed of your logical drives so you can get an estimate of what you are looking at.
    You really DON'T want your OS and programs on the same drive as your media files. It'll cause performance bottlenecks and all kinds of grief.
    Those WD 10K 300-600GB drive is perfect for your OS, applications, and swap files. That's ALL that you want to have on it, and add one or even two faster drives as a RAID 0 pair for more speed and space. Get at least one 7200RPM drive for video/graphics/etc.
    For your video storage:
    The hard drives you mentioned are fine for standard definition video. However, if you want to edit high definition or otherwise have complex / advanced ideas for your projects, you'll need something with higher read rates than just those single drives. This gets pricey, so depending on what you're intending to do, may not be appropriate for you.
    During video CAPTURE your hard disks need to be able to write at a speed meeting or exceeding that video data stream. If other programs use the same disk you are saving too, then you have and increased change of missed writes to the drive. That is why they suggest having a seperate set of disks for capture. Not a bad idea.
    *Strip size*
    should be => 128K, I would use 256K. More importaint is cluster size. The default is 8 K which is good for the operating system plus programs as over 50% of the files are =< than 8K. For large files (is dot VOB can be 1 gig) it is not the best. When you write a large file each clustter contains a pointer to the next cluster that is to be read. I used 32K, or 64 K (at work so not sure) cluster size for my disk containing Pitures and video. The size of the file allocation table is also reduced by using the larger cluster size.
    Back in 2007, this is what was recommended:
    <a class="jive-link-external-small" href="http://">http://www.manifest-tech.com/mediapc/pc_syshd.htm
    Compressor can do virtual clusters (you need at lest 2GB/core of RAM.
    Apple Final Cut Pro
    http://forums.creativecow.net/applefinalcutpro?view=s
    Basics
    http://forums.creativecow.net/applefinalcutbasics?view=s
    Compressor - doesn't hold up well.
    http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/20/865329
    If you need to convert HD to SD, then you want hardware like the AJA Kona LHi or Kona 3 and those require a Mac Pro. If you go that route, get the fastest Mac Pro you can afford, minimum 8GB RAM, ATI 4870 card.
    http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/200/888050
    Final Cut Studio
    http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=123

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