Regarding editing AVCHD-new news?

[G. Lee Gordon]

Originally Posted by Ron Chau

I know I sound like a broken record, but there is a current solution for $185

$85 Vegas Movie Studio Platinum
$100 Cineform NeoScene

Both have free trials for download on their site.

Good news for AVCHD EDITORS!!!
Hey check this out!!!
VEGAS MOVIE STUDIO PLATINUM 9 free at Fry's this week.
Price: $ 70.00
After Rebate: $ 0.00

[G. Lee Gordon]

Originally Posted by Ron Evans

Not true. For the consumer who follows the intent of the manufacturer then they are great.

Ron Evans

I understand your point about the "middle man" but I have to disagree about the average consumer.
Case and point:
Joe the plumber wants to take videos of his kids. He picks up a standard apple iMac. He uses the editing program included, iMovie. The salesman talks him into the latest technology an AVCHD camcorder. He takes it home films his kids at the park and their piano recital. When he sits down to edit it all hell breaks loose! Nothing works right... He gets a tip to join DVinfo.net, and learns that he can't have the 'run of the mill' computer with his new camera. He needs a top of the line 8 core with tons of ram! That is the experience the average consumer is having. The only happy customers are those with higher end professional set ups.

[Bryan Sellars]

When I see the problems my friend has with a Mac and I Movie I'm glad I stayed with XP, his m/c is a dual core 2.2 GHz but it won't load AVCHD off my HF10.
I use a Core 2 Duo 3Hhz and Video Studio Pro X2 and stay with AVCHD 1920x1080 through out as any conversion loses definition, the only thing I use is Proxy Files to help with the editing, and then a bit of patience waiting for the final rendering, in my case about 8 times real time, but the outcome is worth the wait as the quality of the final video is so close to the original it is just about impossible to pick. If you go back to the early days of video editing 8x real time would have seemed lightening fast, after all the editing is what takes the time the rendering is nothing in comparison, so having quad core might be nice but is only of any significant benefit to the final render.

[Ron Evans]

Originally Posted by G. Lee Gordon

I understand your point about the "middle man" but I have to disagree about the average consumer.
Case and point:
Joe the plumber wants to take videos of his kids. He picks up a standard apple iMac. He uses the editing program included, iMovie. The salesman talks him into the latest technology an AVCHD camcorder. He takes it home films his kids at the park and their piano recital. When he sits down to edit it all hell breaks loose! Nothing works right... He gets a tip to join DVinfo.net, and learns that he can't have the 'run of the mill' computer with his new camera. He needs a top of the line 8 core with tons of ram! That is the experience the average consumer is having. The only happy customers are those with higher end professional set ups.

Well Joe plumber is not likely to pick up a MAC. The law of averages says he will buy a cheap PC. On the PC there are lots of programs including the ones that come with the AVCHD cams that work just fine even on slow computers. If he is like the painter I had recently he keeps all the video on the camera and edits "in camera", makes backup discs on his PC and plays out playlist for family and friends to watch. No problems. This is the value of a big hard drive in the camera. Sony have even included a feature( on the XR500 and XR520) that creates a trailer of your clips including music!!! The problem comes with people who wish the cams would do a lot more, for less effort on their part. The easy solution is to get a stand alone burner. Both Sony and Canon have burners setup to make discs from the cameras as a backup or playlist. The average person doesn't want to do anything else. The average user is not a video enthusiast they just want to take some video. If you need to make fancy edits then you will need a powerful computer or wait!!!



Ron Evans

[G. Lee Gordon]

Originally Posted by Ron Evans

Well Joe plumber is not likely to pick up a MAC.
Ron Evans

I understand your point but we'll have to agree to disagree on the Mac/PC issue. Although averages lean towards the PC that doesn't mean that it doesn't happen often for MAC users.

[Ron Evans]

Originally Posted by G. Lee Gordon

I understand your point but we'll have to agree to disagree on the Mac/PC issue. Although averages lean towards the PC that doesn't mean that it doesn't happen often for MAC users.

My point wasn't a MAC/PC issue. Buy whatever computer meets ones needs. PC's are about 90% of the market and are lower cost. They are therefore more likely to be the computer used. I was also making the point that a computer is not needed at all to enjoy AVCHD on a nice HD display and have backup discs as well. One would need a Bluray ( or PS3 ) player though to enjoy the discs.
If you want to do a lot of editing and have no computer the choice would be a PC providing a lower cost way of getting the needed power and having a wider choice of software including the software that comes with most AVCHD cameras that is normally PC based. I have no bias PC or MAC this is just the way it is at the moment. Buy the tool that meets the need.

Ron Evans

[Jack Bellford]

If you're planning on doing a lot of avchd editing and even getting into Blu Ray the Mac is not the way to go. Mac is behind the times in this department. You can do it but it's not nearly as efficient.

Apple sided with HD DVD and Toshiba/Microsoft during the format war and has still not fully adjusted to the way of blu ray as of yet. In fact there is still a question as to whether or not they ever will.

If you're working with avi, HDV.... etc then a mac will do ya', but avchd and Blu Ray.... PC is the way to go.