What PC DV Editing Software is GREAT!!

DiveItch · February 5, 2004

:blink:

Hello there, I'm new to Cinematography and I am looking for advice. I've been trialing all the obvious DV Editing software for PC's and I just can't find what I need nor something that actually works properly. Perhaps it is just me.

Premiere Pro - Great tool but it does not support my Canon MVX2i DV Cam.

Pinnacle Studio - Easy to use but limited in features like not being able to reverse footage etc.

Avid Xtreme - Seems perfect for me but keeps falling over on my PC. (I have a Dell Inspiron 8500 with all the bells and whistle including loads of HDD Space and memory.

If you have any thoughts or advice please let me know.

Thanks

Gavin

Alvin Pingol · February 6, 2004

>Premiere Pro - Great tool but it does not support my Canon MVX2i DV Cam.

Any DV camera with an IEEE1394 in/out should work with Premiere. Although Premiere has specific selections for certain cameras, the generic DV Device Control should work with all cameras. If it doesn't work, something's wrong.

EDIT: Just realized you said Premiere pro. That's the XP-exclusive version, right? Well, either way, I still find it odd your camera won't work with this software, but will with others.

>Pinnacle Studio - Easy to use but limited in features like not being able to reverse

>footage etc.

If there's a playback speed option (100% means normal speed, 50% half, etc.), there's a way to reverse. Set it to -100% and it should play backwards. I highly doubt any NLE's (except those cheap, "built-in" ones) would be unable to do something as simple as reverse footage.

>Avid Xtreme - Seems perfect for me but keeps falling over on my PC. (I have a

>Dell Inspiron 8500 with all the bells and whistle including loads of HDD Space and

>memory.

What, exactly, happens? Maybe we could help...

DiveItch · February 6, 2004

With Avid, I get an error message on opening the application.

Exception Code: C0000005 ACCESS_VIOLATION

Fault Module: 01:0075925C C:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Xpress DV\AvidXpressDV.exe

Fault Address: 00B5A25C Symbol not found

According to the Avid Site, I should delete the contents of the settings folder but that made no difference.

With Premiere, They say -

http://www.adobe.com/products/premiere/dvh...non&model=MVX2i

"Assemble editing is unreliable"

Premiere just does not pick up the MVX2i

Thanks

AStar · February 6, 2004

Check out Vegas Video by Sony. This software has amazing flexiabilty and import and exports to almost any format. Apparently good enough for Sony to buy the product from Sonic Foundry the original maker.

I use Avid for straight editing and vegas for effects, titles, and some sound work. Vegas has a non-traditional interface for editing that is very much like handling phyisical media. It has a lot of the same compositing abilities as After Effects and you can drop photoshop media on the time line for titles and it understands its transparencies. You can edit non-standard media on the same timeline and it will do its best effort to give you a realtime transition without rendering. For instance you can drop DV, quicktime, and window media on the same editing timeline with no conversion. Another useful features I still use it for is exporting to web sized media, which allows for export to all popular streaming/download formats and you can alway launch another instance of VVideo to render another format simultaniously. I have used other apps for compression to the web and none accept so many input formats as Vegas Video.

Everything I wrote is not BS and I don't work for Sony or sonic foundry.

http://mediasoftware.sonypictures.com/

Alvin Pingol · February 7, 2004

>With Avid, I get an error message on opening the application.

>Exception Code: C0000005 ACCESS_VIOLATION

>Fault Module: 01:0075925C C:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Xpress >DV\AvidXpressDV.exe

>Fault Address: 00B5A25C Symbol not found

>According to the Avid Site, I should delete the contents of the settings folder but

>that made no difference.

Ooh. Well, I'd look out for some patches or other software updates. Sounds like a non-fixable programming error. Sorry.

>With Premiere, They say -

>

>http://www.adobe.com/products/premiere/dvh...non&model=MVX2i

>"Assemble editing is unreliable"

>Premiere just does not pick up the MVX2i

Well that sure stinks! :lol: Sorry I couldn't be of more help. Looks like you're stuck with other NLE's... check out what AStar has recommended. I've heard good things about it.

January 18, 2005

Check out Vegas Video by Sony. This software has amazing flexiabilty and import and exports to almost any format. Apparently good enough for Sony to buy the product from Sonic Foundry the original maker.

==============

I am looking for a new PC for editing with Sony Vegas 5 and would appreciate any recommendations on getting the best bang of the buck (or best value) in about the $1000-1800 range. I have been somewhat out of the loop on the latest innovations since I bought my Gateway P4 1.6 desktop, and would like to know if there are any specific features or display cards that I should be considering to avoid obsolecence for a couple of years.

The things I don't like about my Gateway are the proprietary configuration that limits upgrades, and how much the thing has slowed down since I bought it and added a second drive, increased memory, and 1gb ethernet card. I had a Sony VAIO P3 notebook that I liked, but sold since it was slowing down and technically obsolete. I try to clear my cache files regularly, have a Zone Alarm firewall, but is there something with a checklist for maintaining the performance someplace? It was very fast when I first got it, but now mostly a Internet/email/office admin/photo machine.

I would like to have notebook portability, but thinking that I could still get a lot more for my money with a desktop system dedicated to digital editing (any capable notebooks in the sub $2000 range?) and here are examples of what I am finding that look good to me:

1) eMachine D4362 P4 3GHz HT, 512MB DDR, 160GB HDD, DVD+-RW, 100Mbps, Win XP home (Refurbished) $649

1a) Gateway 820GM P4 3GHz HT, 1GB DDR, 250GB SATA HDD, DVD+-RW, Dual Layer, DVD-ROM, Flash Media Reader, GB LAN, Win XP MediaCenter (Refurb.) $899

2) HP/Compaq WX4100 P4 3GHz HT, 1GB DDR, 160GB SATA, DVD+RW, WIn XP Pro $999.99

3) Vision CAD Workstation P4 3GHz HT, 800 MHz FSB, 1MB CPU Cache, 1GB DDR, 2 X 120GB SATA drives, CD-RW (I have ext. DVD drive), GeForce FX5200 128MB display, Win XP Pro $1270

4) SONY VAIO PCV-RZ40CIF P4 3.2GHz HT, 1GB DDR, 120GB HDD, DVD+-RW, DVD-ROM, Win XP Home, Digital Studio $1299

5) Systemax P4 3.2GHz HT, 1GB DDR, 200HB HDD, DVD+-RW, DVD-ROM, 17" LCD Monitor, Win XP Pro $1349

Is there any advantage of getting a SONY VAIO to use with Vegas? And finally does DVD "dual layer" mean anything in addition to just DVD+-RW capability?

Thanks for your advice.

Hal

drew_town · February 2, 2005

The only GREAT editing program for PC in my opinion is Avid. But then again you'll be working on a PC. If I had to chose it would be either Avid or Final Cut Pro for Mac and would toss any PC I might have. Macs are for multimedia. PCs are for solitare, video games, viruses, and error messages with the ocassional smoke.