New Movie Editer!

[David]

Got my new ULEAD Video Studio 7 Movie Editer! Excited to go out and make some videos. I'll be posting some videos up in the next few weeks. Sometime in the summer It would be cool to get a group of Tige Owners together to make one Owners Movie here in Texas.

-David

[havasu bound]

thats cool man, post up some vids when u get a few under your belt!

[hanzj]

David, let me know how you like it....I used it a while back and hated it. I use Adobe Premiere Pro now and love it. It has loads more functionality, it's faster, less buggy, and can output to virtually every type of file format(windows media, realplayer, quick time, dvd, vcd, avi, etc). If you need a copy, just let me know. I'm going to be at the Slalom Shop tomorrow dropping off the boat.

[flackpack]

When you go to make your videos, let me know. I am the North American Rep for Roxio and our new Videowave 7 Professional is just now launching. I need someone to test it for me to make sure it is as good as my engineers say it is. The features are the same as the Adobe product and way past the Ulead product. Let me know if you will test it, and send me samples of the movies. I also just shipped the newest Easy Media Creator that has the Videowave full product and our PhotoSuite product and our CD/DVD burning product in one proffessional office package.

[David]

Alright, I will definetely tell you how it is...I am still trying to figure it out and I have to read some stuff to understand...I also need to find the cable to hook my camerca up to my console to capture the movie...I've messed around with it though putting pictures in like a slide show and its been pretty cool so far...

[David]

Hanz-

What didn't you like about ULEAD and how much does the Adobe pro program cost? I havent edited videos before so when I got this I wasnt looking to spend alot of money.

[David]

To anyone who can comment...

On my ULEAD VideoStudio 7 it says that I need a capture card to get the video onto the computer. My question is that is it possible to get the video on with a certain cable into a port in the back of the console, and if so what cable? If not, what is the capture card and how much are they?

Thanks-

-David

[smendez]

David:

If you have a Digital Camcorder (MiniDV), the most common way to import your video into your Camcorder is by purchasing a Firewire Adapter (IEEE 1394). It goes inside of your computer and it's easy to install. This should cost you no more than $30 to $35 at Best Buy or your local computer store.

Sometimes, they'll bundle this adapter with capture or video editing software, like an entry version of Ulead Video Studio or any of the other products, which is fine, but it drives up the price and it's really not necessary in your case.

I've been using ULEAD Video Studio since Version 4 (3 years now) and I'm quite familiar with the product. I've created home movies of our children, vacations, etc. We're an active family, so sports are usually the number one recording activity. Many of the parents on the baseball team, Soccer & Basketball seem to enjoy my 'productions' at the end of the season.

The problem I'm facing anymore is the time it takes to create a simple 20 minute movie. It's hours upon hours of tortous downloads, clip here, clip there, titles, fades, music track, copy to DVD, tape. The results are wonderful. The videos make great memories. But I sometimes wonder if in 30 years, when I can't ski any more, if I'll sit and watch the movies or if I'll kick myself for spending all that time editing video instead of getting my butt out on the water.

[David]

Thanks for the info!
The manual said to get one of those and I'm going to get one this weekend. I'm getting and new video camera and while I'm on this post do you (or anyone else) have any suggestions on what I should get?

Thanks
-David

[David]

Smendez,

Also, just out of curiousness, how long does it take to import a 20-30 minute video through the Firewall Adapter (Capture card) onto the computer? Thanks again...

-David

[smendez]

David:

If you're asking which Firewire capture card you should get, just about any brand will work. They're all made to the same specifications (they probably all use the same chipset).

If you're asking for a recommendation on a camcorder, now you have opened pandoras box . There are many choices by many different manufacturers, each claiming to be the best, and each offering different features.

I'll try my best to shed some light. First of all, you want a Digital Camcorder. 8 millimeter, VHS and mini VHS do not compare to the Video quality you'll get from a Digital Camcorder.

Once there, I believe you have two choices - Digital 8mm and MiniDV.

I'm not too familiar with Digital 8mm, but MiniDV is by far more popular and better priced.

Now you have two choices of media. MiniDV Camcorders were originally designed to record on a MiniDV tape. Each tape is fairly inexpensive and lasts 60 minutes. You can record over tapes just like you can record over a VHS tape. The difference is that MiniDV is much smaller than VHS and all the information recorded there is in digital format, as opposed to the Analog format in VHS tapes.

Some MiniDV Camcorders now also record in writable DVD's. This is a huge advancement, because they employ a laser to write to the DVD instead of a Head writing to the tape. One advantage to this is that the laser does not wear out like a Tape Head does. I lost some great video of dolphins swimming next to our boat because the tape head on our camcorder had worn out and it didn't record the information to the tape properly.

Another advantage is that the video recorded on a DVD can be instantly accessed through the DVD's index. So its easy to fast forward or rewind as you would a CD in your CD player. Not so with a Tape recorder.

The disavantage to these units is that they're fairly new and their prices are still quite high.

Also, when I was purchasing my new camcorder around Christmas time, I found that most of the DVD camcorders lacked many of the features I truly wanted, like a better lens, larger or multiple CCD's, image stabilization, etc.

So I made the decision to purchase another MiniDV Tape unit and take my chances of it failing for good in 2 to 3 years.

These camcorders are hardly worth fixing. After 2 or 3 years, the cost to repair them easily approaches a new unit that's usually better.

Notice that I didn't mention brands. I originally purchased a JVC. It served us well until its demise. Our second unit is also a JVC. I chose it mostly because the menus and overall operation was very similar to our first unit. I saw value in not having to learn how to operate a new camcorder again. Sony, Cannon, Toshiba, Samsung - They all make decent units.

Also, if you want the ultimate in video quality, JVC makes an HD MiniDV. It records on High Definition. This way you can play your videos in a High Definition TV. Last I checked, the retail price for this unit was still at over $2,000. You'll also need different software to edit your videos. Video Studio won't cut it.

Lastly - you also asked about the time it takes to download video to the computer. - The answer - the same as it takes to play. With a decent computer and the Firewire adapter, you can download 20 minutes of video in 20 minutes. It's the editing that takes time. You'll see

I know I'm long winded, but I don't believe in short incomplete answers - sorry

Saulo

[David]

Thanks!

All of this informations has helped more than ever. Hopefully sooner or later I will be able to make good videos. After I load up on the right products I'll post some of my videos in the next month. Thanks again for all the information

-David