Notebook Editing

[Nicholas de Kock]

The ASUS Gaming Series G73JH notebook looks quite impressive, even has two built in hard drives and FullHD resolution!

Intel® Core™ i7 720QM 1.6Hz Quad Processor
8GB DDR3 1066MHz Memory
2x 500GB 7200RPM 2.5" SATA HDD
BLU-RAY ROM/DVD-RW Drive
17.3" HD 1920x1080 16:9 ColorShine Widescreen, 2.0 MP Webcam
ATI® Radeon™ Mobility HD5870 1GB Graphics

[Buba Kastorski]

Originally Posted by Buba Kastorski

Only if you NEED to edit on laptop, I would spend more on hard drive, because it is the slowest component in the system; 72000rpm wil perform noticable better, but SSD will give you the best performance;
not sure about DSLR footage converted with neoscene and AVCHD, I have major problems with 5/7D footage on i7 920, but sony MXF will be flying on that thing;
but I would still use desktop with tiny monitor even for SDEs

but from the other hand, I just got i7 740QM vaio, replaced 5400rpm HDD with the SSD - that thing is faster than my i7 desktop, the only thing is 1920x1080 on 16' screen looks microscopic to me

[Gabor Heeres]

Last month I bought an expensive brand new Asus notebook. Specs: Intel I7 CPU, 8 GB RAM and the NVIDIA GTS 360 graphics card. I'm using it With Vegas 8 and I'm really dissapointed with the speed. But because of the specs which should give a good performance it wastes battery power enormously. I can do about 70 minutes of editing before the battery runs empty. I'm really thinking about selling it on.

[Jeff Harper]

For your notebook just buy a second battery. Editing is a battery drainer...not sure how long you should expect it to last...particularly if you have a large screen.

[Buba Kastorski]

Originally Posted by Gabor Heeres

I'm really dissapointed with the speed...
I'm really thinking about selling it on.

what are you editing? HDV, XDCAM, AVCHD, because looking at the specs this thing should fly unless you have 5400rpm hard disk, before you sell the laptop try to replace hard drive, if SSD is out of the budget, get seagate hybrid, depending on what you have installed on your laptop right now it'll speed it up at least 2x.

[Gabor Heeres]

I'm affraid the harddrive is 5400 rpm..... Working with 1920x1080p 50i XDCAM HD and 1280x720p 50i DSLR footage as input. Rendering out mainly in two formats: MPEG-2 SD 720x576 (8500 Mbps) and MPEG-4 HD 1280x720p 50i.

[Edward Troxel]

I use mine plugged into power all the time. Very seldom do I use it without power. For mine, I got 7200 rpm drives.

[Jeff Harper]

I don't see a place for a 5400rpm drive anywhere in an editing system other than bulk storage units, just me.

[Brad Higerd]

Edward, you were the first person I ever watched edit on a laptop (on your visit years ago to Orlando). I thought it was a great idea, but there was never really cause for me to look at anything but desktops, until now, that is.

Now that we're about to enter full production mode (TV pilot), I bought a Viao i7 (920), 6 Gb RAM, replaced the original system drive with a 500 Gb 7,200k and did the same with the optical drive (swapping it for a second hard drive). We have two 2Gb G-RAID drives and the laptop has an esata connection and an HDMI output for previewing. Add the full 1920x1080 screen (calibrated with a Spyder), and it's a reasonably decent portable workstation. And yes, the battery life is a joke.

It was purchased to be able to preview clips in the field, and to be able to make decisions on the best takes before heading into post.

Can't remember the name of the group, but some folks in CA make replacement drive bays to switch optical drives for hard drives. So far, it works perfectly.

[Edward Troxel]

One of the reasons I went with Sager is because I could have up to three internal drives and still have my CD/DVD burner. I also like being able to tell them to ship it without all the extra junk installed you get on most systems. I actually bought my Sager through powernotebooks.com. Our family has purchased three through them and we've been happy with each.

The laptop I used in Orlando I ended up giving to my son. Unfortunately, it died within 6 months after that. But I don't think it was his fault (it no longer sees power at all).

Given the power and flexibility of laptops today, I have difficulty recommending desktops unless there's specific reasons why they would be preferred (and there ARE some reason - including PRICE). It's so nice to be able to just grab the laptop and go wherever needed and still be able to edit if desired.

[Buba Kastorski]

Originally Posted by Gabor Heeres

I'm affraid the harddrive is 5400 rpm..... Working with 1920x1080p 50i XDCAM HD and 1280x720p 50i DSLR footage as input. Rendering out mainly in two formats: MPEG-2 SD 720x576 (8500 Mbps) and MPEG-4 HD 1280x720p 50i.

OK, for sure it's not the XDCAM footage that slows you down, when on vacation I do some "homework" on core 2 duo laptop, and it works OK with EX1 footage, it's the DSLR footage that's resource hungry, do you convert MOVs with Neoscene? it makes footage larger but easier to process,
get this hard drive (Momentus XT | 7200 RPM | Seagate) compare to what you have right now I would estmate at least 2x performance improvement,

[Brad Higerd]

Can't speak for Ed, but I use Neoscene. One of the guys on our production crew is trying Epic; and so far, he's satisfied. But since I've not color-corrected any of his footage (yet), I can't comment.

And Ed, you're right about prices. My Sony laptop (with upgrades) was 1.5X-2X times the price of the 6-core Asus desktop I just bought. But given my desktop feeds (through a good sound card) a 5.1 Martin Logan / JBL (studio) speaker set, I find the audio on my laptop a bit disappointing. But alas, I have studio headphones…but who wants to wear earmuffs in Florida in August?

On a total side note, I just spent part of Saturday in the Family Feud control room while they filmed some upcoming episodes at Universal Studios. During breaks, the director was telling me he has to make camera calls on about 30 cameras when they film the Bachelor/Bachelorette show. Apparently, switching the mere six cameras used to film Family Feud is a cakewalk by comparison. (I'd likened his job to an air-traffic controller's, with every plane trying to land at once. …Meanwhile, folks in the control room are watching ESPN continuously on the main monitor, even as they film the show. TV people are fun; and they remind me why I like scripted, cinema-style shooting.)

[Jeff Harper]

Good God, 30 cameras? Sounds like pure insanity. Yet they do it while watching sports? I appreciate the glimpse into that world Brad...I could never imagine 30 cameras for a tv show, unbeleivable.

[Edward Troxel]

I can see cutting Family Feud live but figured shows like the Bachelorette were cut in post. Even Family Feud would need some editing in post to cut it down to the proper length.

[Brad Higerd]

Having been around the production community very little (working a camera under direction), I was somewhat aware of the level of detail that goes into preparing for these shows. Their executive producer, Gabrielle Johnston, is highly polished, doing everything a TV producer must do to produce on a budget and on schedule (i.e. eliminating, as much as possible, post-production). According to the plan, what they shot Saturday will air next month (Sept). As for the process, at least in the case of the Family Feud, the moment something isn't working with the schedule (kept tight by a lady who does nothing but log action by time code), they cut and do it again.

As for Ken Fuchs (director) and his shared approach on how he looks at the many camera angles, with a show like Family Feud, Ken was quick to share that the host is his main focus. Most every shot was geared to bring out Steve Harvey's comedic presence. As for the 30ish cameras in a typical NFL/Bachlorette shoot, he was quick to share that it's challenging. But given that we all have our favorite angles, shot selections…, there's a clear bias evident watching someone (even highly accomplished) calling shots. And when the "tape" is running, they're an extremely focused group of professionals.

As for recording continuously on every camera (like most of us do), I've been told they don't. Surely someone on this site can correct me if the information shared is incorrect, but as I understand things, the feed from the hot camera is the only one being recorded on most live television productions (excluding sports with all the replay angles).