is this a viable edit solution?
 

hi there..i just bought a canon xl h1..i currently use ppro1.51 on a 3.2ghz pc with 512meg ram and canopus sd edit card..i edit a lot of video(i run a community media project making on average 1 film a month)..

the question is...how well does cineform work? currently with the demo plugin it stutters..exports to wmv have green flashes..it takes ages to capture.
I know my pc isnt up to spec...

what should i consider the minimum spec for effective hassle free editing?

anyone know any links to specific components for a stable(but not bankbusting) setup?

many thanks
craig maret

Hi there,

There are numerous recommendations that would apply. My recommended set-up would be something like this:

1. Core 2 Duo at 2.4GHz
2. A cheap Core 2-capable motherboard. Foxconn do good solutions based on either the Intel 965 or 975 chipsets. In your case, the cheaper 965 one would probably do
3. 2gb RAM, PC5300 DDR2 - 4x512mb would most likely be cheaper, though CineForm does run better with faster RAM
4. Graphics card - I use a 128mb Radeon X300SE I bought from eBay for £15. You don't need an expensive graphics card to run CineForm unless you want a good card for monitoring your edit on a secondary HDTV in which case the Matrox Parhelia and Aspect HD are highly recommended
5. Hard disks - I wouldn't skimp here. 2x500gb in RAID-0 will perform brilliantly, and a dirt cheap 40gb SATA drive for your OS and apps will be good too.
6. Power Supply - Core 2 motherboards require a power supply with EPS 12v. This is an additional eight pin harness that provides 12v power to the CPU. Most cheaper power supplies don't support this, so be careful.
7. Optical Drive - any DVD-RW will do the trick

recomended setup for cineform hdv edits
 

thanks..thats a great start

interested in other peoples opinions to this setup b4 i part with my hard earned cash

I'm no computer expert, but the first obvious thing is your RAM amount. You should have about 2 gig minimum for HD. I used mine with 1 gig and it worked but 2 gig is much better. I have a P4 3.4 with hyperthreading and it works just fine.

If you are only doing one project a month, I don't see a need to spend a whole bunch of money to get all the latest goodies. And, the latest goodies will be outdated in a few months.

CineForm works just fine too, and I don't understand your comment about how long it takes to capture. It's realtime or one hour for a one hour tape. If you are talking about CineForms conversion process, then see note one. Got to have RAM!

I don't know what you would consider Hassle Free, but bring your memory up to 2 gig (make sure your mother board will support 2 gig). You didn't say what you have for drives, but get at least one other to put your files on. Keep your program files on your main drive and put the captured video and such on the other.

You can add the memory and an external drive for about $400.00 or less, and if you need to get a new computer later, you an still use the RAM and the drive, so no money wasted.

I would try that before spending thousands on a whole new set-up.

JMHO----Mike

thanks for the pointers..i do have a video drive

the capture issue i have is after capture on current setup i have to wait ages while it renders to cineform then its full of dropouts (but this is with a lowly half gig ram)

i agree with your comments but..im reluctant to spend the £180 for 2gig ddr ram when if it dont perform i will need to buy ddr2 ram...thats quite a cost to test

is there anywhere on any forum with complete component setups for running cineform "hassle free"