Hi,

I'm pretty much a novice to all PC related things. I have a Canon MV750i & want to get my video downloaded to my PC. Apparentley I need a firewire in my PC (A compaq Presario 5000 series) but I don't have one.

The guy in the shop said I could do a USB connect or open up my PC & install. I've looked in teh back & there appears to be 2 screws I can undo & slot in what looked like the card he showed me. Is it as easy as that cos I don't fancy opening up my PC & woudl just go for the USB.

Plus, can anyone recommend any software for some basic movie editing to get on a DVD for MIni DV & photo images, set to music & create menus etc...

Thanks in advance, sorry if this is really basic?

[oldjohn]

It's very easy to install a firewire card,follow this link for instructions on how to install a PCI card or do a search of more topics on Google.

http://www.lifehacker.com/software/f...ard-135479.php

I use Adobe Premiere Elements software and find it very stable,but there are many different programs available for video editing.

Hope this helps
John.

[MarkE19]

As John has said, installing any PCI card is very easy. Firewire is even easier than most as there is no software that needs to be installed for it as everything that is required for it to work is in the Windows install - as long as you have Windows 98SE or later.
It really is as easy as removing the cover to your PC's case, removing the blank plate on the rear of the case a lining the card up with the hole in the case and pushing it in. Put the case back together and your PC has a firewire port.
Don't bother trying to use USB to capture your video, it is not up to the job and will cause a big loss of picture quality. Firewire is the only way to get the video off the DV tape and onto a PC or Mac with 100% quality.

If you are running Windows XP then that has a program within it called Movie Maker 2 (version 2 is part of SP2). It is a very good and easy starting point for video editing and full help with useing it can be found Here. However you can't use this software to burn a DVD, to do this you will need extra software such as Ulead DVD Movie Factory, and a free 30 day trial can be downloaded from Here.
If you don't have XP, or just want a more advanced editing program then all of the following are popular, cost around £40 to £50 and include DVD authoring tools:
Adobe Premiere Elements
Ulead Video Studio
Sony Vegus Studio
Pinnacle Studio ( be ware that this is unstable on many PC's and keeps crashing)

All of the above can be downloaded for a free 30 day trial from the relevent companies web site.

Good luck with getting everything sorted. Feel free to ask any more questions that I'm sure you will have as getting started on video editing can be very daunting 'till you get your head around all the technology and terms used.

Mark.

[Tonel]

If you have a spare PCI slot on your motherboard then you can install a Firewire PCI card like the Mercury 3 Port card here http://www.overclock.co.uk/customer/home.php?cat=661.

However, you may need to do more than fit a firewire card. Video editing and particularly transcoding requires a fast processor, lots of RAM (min 1Gb) and of course you need lots of storage space. A 1 hour mini DV tape will require 14Gb of hard drive space just to store it. You will need extra space to edit it plus more space to save your edited file. I found a review of your system here http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/artic...082101x,00.asp

Whilst it's possible to do what you want, unless you have upgraded the basic spec of your PC, editing and transcoding will take quite some time. If you are running WinME then you are also limited to 4Gb max file size which is a pain for video editing.

If your finances can afford it I recommend buying a new base unit with firewire ports (most motherboards now have them and USB 2 as standard), Win XP, 80Gb + 250Gb min hard drives. Have the 80 Gb drive partioned 'C' 15 -20 Gb for your system and applications, 'D' for your data files (photos, etc.). Have all drives set to the NTFS file system (thus no 4Gb file limit).

You can use your current monitor, keyboard & mouse, and speakers to save money. You should be able to do it for around £500.

If you can't manage that level of spend at the moment then get a firewire card and have a go on your current system.

As to software, it depends how much editing control you want. Ulead VideoStudio, Ulead MovieFactory, Adobe Premiere Elements, Magix Movies on CD & DVD, the list is considerable. Have a look here http://www.videohelp.com/tools?s=2#2 for starters. And of course, WinXP includes MovieMaker 2.

Good luck and ask more questions if you need to.

Tony

[MarkE19]

The fastest processor, 1Gb or more of RAM etc etc are all very handy as they will get things done much faster, but they are not needed, especially when you first start editing. Getting a ~£10 firewire card to see if you get on with editing on a PC is all you really need to get started unless you are really short of disc space. There are programs around that can even get over the 4Gb FAT32 size limit making it possible to capture a complete 1 hour DV tape.

In most cases any problems you come across can be sorted out for not too much money - at least to begin with. Once you start wanting things to happen at break neck speeds you then need to spend the money.

Don't get put off before you've even got started. Give it a go and then see how far you want to push it. A very modest PC will still cope with NLE, just be prepaired to set it off and leave running overnight when converting files etc.

Mark.

Thanks all, I'm on Windows Millenium at the moment, I think I'm at about 34GB spare on the hard drive. If that's what you mean.

I do take the point about the processor etc... I may only do this a couple of times a year so happy to see how I go for now. I will get a new base unit in time so will be bearing this sort of thing in mind.

What exactly am I asking for when I buy the card. I was told I could get Pinnacle Studio v10 with the card for £70, but the card on it's own was £50 which didn't sound quite right (if I remember it also had other connections not just the IEEE). However, given what you say about Pinacle I think I will avoid.

As you can see, I'm not more clued up on PC's as I am camcorders. Would I not be far out if I'm asking for: -

Firewire card £10 (Mercury 3 Port card or similar)
Windows ME compatable
Firewire cable £15

I'll read through the links with regard software.

Thanks again

[DigiStuff]

Hi,

If you want something really cheap to get you going I am selling a FireWire card with cable, brand new for £10 plus postage!! It even includes some software called VideoWave 5, older stuff but still works!

See here for details

http://www.thepeoplesweb.com/TPW/Sea...ategoryId=5614

Cheers

DigiStuff

[MarkE19]

If buying a firewire card then it will almost certainly also contain a firewire cable. So you will pay just £10ish for the card, but a cable on its own will not be much less.
Don't get taken in to paying more money for a card with software as the software is nearly always a cut down version with many of the features disabled. It is therefore normally better to buy the software you want and know it is the full version with all the features working.

Mark.

Cheers all.

I've trawled the reviews of editing software and the reports seem so inconsitent, either really good or really bad.

I'm thinking I'll get the firewire installed & just trial a few before making a purchase. Does this sound sensible given all I want to do is: -

Take my recordings from Mini DV cassette & get them onto my PC. Not too fussed at the moment about the amount of editing control cos at the moment I'm stopping & starting a VCR to edit so anything would be better than this. Then burn these to a DVD & set to music, maybe some menus. I also want to set my pictures to music on a slide show. I just want it to be stable & again don't mind if I have to leave it to burn for hours.

Unless 1 package sticks out that yo think will suit my needs.
Cheers Neil

[Tonel]

Install your firewire, download trial versions of the software and get started. You will soon find what each prog is/isn't able to do and will be able to make your final choice.

With new software I find it's best to create a small project with all that I am going to want to do in it. So you test capture, edit, titling, transitions, audio, menu, functionality, burning, then see what it looks and sounds like on your tele or wherever you intend viewing it. Don't be concerned about the avi, audio and photos you include, any will do. Just find out what different file types are accepted, how easy/difficult is it to do what you want and finally how does the finished DVD looks. Use a rewritable DVD to test so that you don't waste -/+ Rs.

Everyone has their favourite progs, it depends what you want to do and what control you want.

Have fun and don't be surprised by the amount of time you can spend.

Tony

[senu]

As the man said .. Perfect software does not exist
For simply capturing, minimal editing ( ie trims) and commiting to DVD.. Consider
Me!

For all other needs such as trimming clips, transitions between scenes, titles, adding sounds from mp3, cd, or voiceovers to the video try this shortlist:
Adobe Premiere Elements
Sony vegas movie stuido
Ulead VideoStudio 9
Canopus lets edit
not on any particular order
Pinnacle Studio I have and use version 10+ ( In addition to Liquid Edition LE 6.1 and DVD Movie Workshop) . I cannot however endorse it because too many people have had stability problems with it.
I have not and when it works it is great. When it doesnt it has the potential to put you off video editing for a long time!

There are other programs but the above shortlist should get you going to see what you like. I have actually tried all of them but find that the layout and ease of workflow rather than " best" one will determine your ultimate choice. Proficiency in at least one would be the aspiration even though they all do the same job ultimately.
Video editing is time consuming, sometimes frustrating, but ( I find) very rewarding when you see your finished product
PS : Mark E19 has a similar post earlier ( just noticed it) This really just reinforces it .
Good luck