PC based cd/dvd system reguired to get digital video on to disc? 2

[cwright]

I want to buy a cam that I can use to make DVD/CD movies on my PC. never ventured in this area, and hae NOCLUE whatsoever. ANy techies know
1) what I need on my pc to do that (I.E>drive size, processor, ect)
2) what camcorder would be best
3) has anyone done it and what were your requirements and results?
I would really appreciate any info, thank you
Chanda Wright

 

[CitrixEngineer]

I've never done this, but my guess at minimum specs for the PC would be;

1Ghz processor
512Mb RAM (it's cheap at the moment!)
Fast Disk system - ATA100 7,200RPM, or better still 10,000RPM Fast SCSI

The second area is actually getting the video into the PC, and having something capable of processing it;

Hardware Video card - although most graphics cards have DVD acceleration these days, and will suffice for a basic setup as long as they have a Digital video in port (many don't). A hardware TV tuner is a cheap way to get a video in port if you don't have one, but it'll be slower than a dedicated card (again, not every TV tuner has this, so check!). Firewire is the "hot" alternative, but your camera would need to support this standard.

Hopefully this will help get the ball rolling. CitrixEngineer@yahoo.co.uk

 

[cwright]

Thank you very much, another freind turned me on to this fab software
It is called DVD video plus,

http://www.321studios.com/

Looks great.

We need a good Citrix ENG where I work (USA, Maryland) ! lol

 

[CitrixEngineer]

Maryland, USA is very tempting, but I'm an Englishman at heart!

Before settling on one package, have a look around - there are so many to choose from. Also, try DVD specific forums. We don't have one (yet) on Tek-Tips, but there are a load of experts on sites like

http://www.arstechnica.com

and

http://www.hardocp.com.

I don't see these as alternatives to T-T, BTW, I see them as complementary!

You may also find that specialist sites like

http://www.hometheaterforum.com

are useful

Hope this helps CitrixEngineer@yahoo.co.uk

 

[cwright]

Great, I will check those out as well!
Thank you very kindly.
Chanda

 

[DBSSP]

I gotta tell ya, if you plan on doing movie to dvd, the specs given are good. But any editing and such before your initial burn, will be very hard on system resources. The larger and faster the harddrive, the better. Processor should be a minimum of 1 GHz, I recommend 1.5. Ram should be High-Speed 512Mb minimum, a good video card, and an AV interface such as Dazzle would enable you to hook up just about anything as far camcorders, VCR's and such. A good DVD burner would become a necessity. I recommend looking at the products offered by

http://www.tigerdirect.com

They should carry everything you need at a very good price including software. Hope this helps! Jay

"Jeezus-sqeezits Bob!"

 

[DBSSP]

One word of caution, they do have DVD camcorders, but they are extremely sensitive to skipping. The technology just isn't all there yet, so I strongly advise against them. Jay

"Jeezus-sqeezits Bob!"

 

[cwright]

Thanks Bob, yes someone else told me Dazzle is good, and I agree about it being hard on a system. Good thinking.

 

[DBSSP]

Awww, shucks, it wasn't nothin'.....Wow, I got a Star! My good deed for the day has just been accomplished, lol. Easiest thing to remember is that the faster the and larger the resources of the system, the better off you will be. This is kinda expensive but

http://www.Alienware.com

has systems dedicated to DV editing. I don't recommend buying them unless you have the cash to throw down, but it will give you an excellent idea of what the systems are made of and what should be in yours. Jay

"Jeezus-sqeezits Bob!"

 

[CitrixEngineer]

As if by coincidence, this article appeared on Tom's today;

http://www.tomshardware.com/video/02q2/020619/index.html

It's not the cheapest card by a long shot - but the article is useful, nonetheless.

A good hardware card will relieve some of the processing power from the system, but if you get a good "core" system from the outset, then you build on it.

Again, if your budget is healthy, consider a dual-processor system. You can do this relatively cheaply now with some of the Dual Athlon MP boards. Many of these have built-in Firewire/USB 2.0 and SCSI. You could start with a single processor, to save a few bucks - and you've already saved with the on-board features.

Hope this is helpful CitrixEngineer@yahoo.co.uk

 

[Guest_imported]

Yes we were just talking fire wire last night !! Good thinking.