|
|
This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2
|
|
Author
|
Topic: Hardware for Computer DV Production
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
David Buckley
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 525
From: Oxford, N. Canterbury, New Zealand
Registered: Aug 2004
|
posted 09-06-2004 07:06 AM
quote: Ron Lacheur
Is the reason why PCs are so out of the loop for anything to do with editing ( video or sound ) is do to the Windows operating system or the current software available to the PC?
Its a mindset thing. All the great graphics, video and sound programs started as mac products, so people bought macs to run these applications. So more and more great programs appeared on the mac. Circle of life and all that.
There is no technical reason why you cant have the same sort of great programs under windows.
In my opinion, the worst sort of programs are platforms designed for mac and "ported" to windows, or vice versa. A few years back I bought Logic Audio for Windows. Logic Audio is a great music recording tool, and as I have Windows machines not macs, it seemed a sensible thing to do. So LAW was duly installed, and it worked fine. The only problem was its wasn't Logic Audio for Windows, it was Logic Audio for Mac that was ported to run on Windows. So it didn't actually "feel" like a Windows program at all. I flogged the thing on eBay and got Cakewalk. Much more comfortable to use program, for a Windows user. It may not be a small patch on Logic, but I'd rather a good program I can use than a great one I have to fight with.
Anyway, Logic Audio got bought by Apple, and they (sensibly, in my humble opinion) dumped the Windows version.
Of course, the only reason Apple still exists today is that the evil empire gave apple a load of cash at a highly opportune moment in apples life. Perhaps had they not done so, there would now be a lot more great artistic software running under Windows...
Item of trivia - all this stuff about Windows and macs is fabulous, however the graphics used on many gameshows and tv programs worldwide including all the various countries "who wants to be a millionaire" shows are created using old Acorn computers generating real time video.
| IP: Logged
|
|
Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."
Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001
|
posted 09-06-2004 12:40 PM
quote: Ron Lacheur
Is the reason why PCs are so out of the loop for anything to do with editing ( video or sound ) is do to the Windows operating system or the current software available to the PC?
I'll take my stab at this one. But I think I may be repeating something I said in an earlier post.
The problem with video production on Windows machines is 100% to do with various software vendors not having their acts together at all. The offerings from Adobe, Pinnacle, Avid and others have various limitations, hassles and bugs. Many companies have their resources spread too thin concentrating on numerous market areas at one, like Adobe for instance. They're battling Macromedia on the web development front. They're tangling with Quark in the print graphics arena. They're trying to maintain a foothold in video, yet Photoshop and After Effects (and Illustrator for getting animated paths into After Effects) remain their only worthwhile apps to use in video.
To have anything "complete" on the Windows side to do video production typically means you have to mix and match a number of different applications together to have anything worthwhile. You wind up with something pretty complicated and time consuming.
Apple, on the other hand, has devoted a great deal of their software development resources on video production software. They took the "keep it simple" idea in marketing the Mac back in the 1980's and applied it to producing video. In the end they had a killer app in Final Cut Pro. They've added to that with DVD Studio Pro, and now Motion to complete their Production Suite. Apple has also added higher end production apps like Shake to the mix.
Apple's Production Suite is complete enough that one could get by only using that to produce some great quality work. I would probably still add Photoshop CS and Illustrator CS to the arsenal to get the most out of Motion's animated graphics capability. Overall it is just a much more simple and complete solution.
The only frustrating thing for me is there is probably little to no chance of Apple ever releasing a Windows version of FCP or their whole Production Suite. That software is a pretty way to entice a lot of professional video and graphics people to pony up money for Mac hardware. But mark my words, if Apple ever did port those apps over for PCs it would knock Adobe and Pinnacle completely out of the market for computer based video editing.
| IP: Logged
|
|
Scott Jentsch
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1061
From: New Berlin, WI, USA
Registered: Apr 2003
|
posted 09-07-2004 03:15 PM
I'm just dipping my toes into digital video production, so I don't have the breadth of experience with the multiple products discussed here.
I'm curious to know if anyone can comment on Sony's Vegas+DVD product among the products mentioned? This product was purchased by Sony recently from Sonic Foundry. I attended a debut event of their latest version presented by Douglas Spotted Eagle, and it was quite impressive.
Vegas+DVD Product Page
In regards to Premiere, I've also attended a presentation done by Matrox for their RT.X100ExtremePro product, and it was quite impressive. The Matrox board accelerated Premiere substantially and gave it the ability to do things that seemed difficult if not onerous to do in Premiere without it. The real-time preview alone looked like it would make the product worth the money for a professional whose time was money.
For video capture on the PC, my understanding is that Canopus makes some of the best units. Audio sync over long captures can be a problem with some units, and the Canopus ADVC-100 avoids that. Canopus has other solutions based on the level of production you're getting into that might apply to your needs better.
On the hard drive front, I would be tempted to look at a decent IDE hard drive for the system drive, but then go with either SATA or SCSI for the data and temp drives, depending on your needs. Keeping the controllers separate may not be necessary, but why not do it when SATA is included on my motherboard and SATA drives aren't that much more expensive than IDE? SCSI gets pricier, but the performance also goes up. If time is money, the differences can be substantial.
On the Mac vs. PC front, I try to avoid getting religious about such matters. I choose to use PC's for the work that I do, but I also would keep my options open for certain dedicated purposes such as what Bobby's friend is doing.
It doesn't matter so much what the individual components are in a system, but rather how they help you achieve the goals you have as a system. If I had some money to throw around, I'd be willing to look at some OSX-based solutions! ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
I think that anyone looking to build a business around digital video editing should consult an integration shop that has experience with such matters. They are going to have experience with products that work well together and support you with questions and upgrade options in the future. I would think that this would be true no matter which platform was chosen.
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
All times are Central (GMT -6:00)
|
This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2
|
Powered by Infopop Corporation
UBB.classicTM
6.3.1.2
The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion
and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.
|
Home
Printer-friendly view of this topic