Which Capture Card and what software do I need??

[jezbond]

Hi. Got a DVX100AE (Pal). Will start shotting soon and need to get the right tools to edit on my PC. First of all I know lots of people say Macs are better - but really I can only afford to upgrade my PC and NOT to buy a Mac from scratch. So PC it is....

Therefore my questions are:

1. Do you always need a capture card for PCs (I know a guy with a Mac laptop that is 'plug and play').

2. What one should I get? (What are the differences between these cards?)

3. What software should I get? (I hear very good things about Final Cut Pro but that's only for Macs isn't it?)

Please bear in mind that a. I am on a limited budget and b. I need to get a good combination between my machine (windows XP), capture card and software. I have heard from people who have got one card that says it goes well with one bit of software - and yet have still had compatability issues!

Thanks SO SO SO SO much for your help!! Looking forward to reading advice.........

PS: Does all the sotware/cards handle 25p?

 

[HansK]

Re: Which Capture Card and what software do I need

Re: Which Capture Card and what software do I need

[quote author=jezbond link=board=Premier;num=1090671858;start=0#0 date=07/24/04 at 05:24:18]1. Do you always need a capture card for PCs (I know a guy with a Mac laptop that is 'plug and play').[/quote]

No, you need a firewire card. Then you can connect your DVX to the card and be able to capture with a video editing program such as Premiere. Firewire cards are inexpensive.

[quote author=jezbond link=board=Premier;num=1090671858;start=0#0 date=07/24/04 at 05:24:18]
3. What software should I get? (I hear very good things about Final Cut Pro but that's only for Macs isn't it?)[/quote]

FCP is only for Macs (sadly). As to which product for video editing... well, that opens a whole slew of arguments depending on who you ask and when was the last time their computer crashed during editing.

I use Premiere, After Effects, and Combustion for most of my work. There are others that like Vegas.

I would recommend reading reviews of each. Then download trial versions of the ones you find worthwhile and testing them out. Especially to see if they work with your hardware.

Note that not all support the DVX 24pa mode. Premiere Pro 1.5 has nice support and (I think) Vegas. Ah, but you are using PAL (25p) so I can't answer fully on that.

The other consideration is to look at the hardware spec requiremens for the editing packages. Make sure you have a system that at least meets those values. And remember, more memory is always a good thing!

Good luck.