Greetings list--
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ian" <[log in to unmask]>

  [snip]


I think the best we can do is to tell you what works for us.

 [snip]

For still image manipulation you can't beat Adobe Photoshop, but it's
damned expensive.  Someone else might point you at a simpler prog.

For video editing, I'm still trying to understand the in's and out's,
myself.  Mark Rode is our resident expert, maybe he'll add his take on this
complex subject.

[snip]

Ian Porter
Computer Guys Inc.
Arrowtown
New Zealand
[log in to unmask]

  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Scot
  Subject: Re: [PCBUILD] PCBUILD Digest - 24 Jun 2003 to 25 Jun 2003
(#2003-176)


  Thanks for the reply Ian.

  The PC will be the general use for my wife and I. I would like to store
and
  listen to music and run Photoshop, Flash and other photo editing and
graphic
  applications.

  I guess what I'm really asking is for  recommendations as to mother
boards,
  which you did, and  processors. AMD or P4 ...Do I get the fastest
available
  or get the best bang for the buck?

  Should I get  video and audio capture?  What is this for?

  If I get a Digital Video camera and want to edit movies...what should I
look
  for?


To add to Ian's excellent suggestions, I've had good luck (so far) with
Intel
motherboards, and two Abit motherboards.  I like the flexibility of the
"Softmenu"
technology of the BIOS on the Abit motherboards.  While I don't overclock
my equipment, I'm told that the Abit boards are among the best for this
because
of this feature.  In my case, I was hoping for stability.  Stability was
also the
reason for choosing an Intel board for a SCSI drive-equipped computer I
built
for editing video at my middle school.  I had had an ASUS P-2-B SCSI board
in the same machine, but like a similar IWILL board before it, the built-in
SCSI
seemed to be too much for the system to handle.  I burned out both boards.
I bought an Adaptec U-160 adapter card to go with the Intel board I bought
as a replacement, and this combination seems to work well.  It is a P4 2.4
GHz
processor, with 512 MB of Crucial RAM (made by Micron), with an ATi Radeon
7500 Pro video display adapter.  The case (which you also asked about) is
an
InWin mid-tower design, though I've subsequently replaced the 250 Watt
power
supply with a twin fan 300 Watt unit.  One very nice feature for a builder
is the
slide-out motherboard tray.  The processor, fan, and ram can be attached to
the
tray, then the tray can be slid into the case, where the cables can be
attached.

As for video editing, while I do not consider myself any sort of expert, my
middle
school students prerecord daily morning announcements using Pinnacle
Micro's
Studio DV (which I believe is now in a version called Studio 8).  This kit
contained
a FireWire adapter card (IEEE 1394=400Mbs transfer speed), a digital camera
cable, and the software for approximately $100 several years ago.  It is
still probably
one of the least expensive, yet effective and simple, packages to use.  You
don't
need a special video card for it, but your camera must have a digital
output.  Some
newer cameras have both USB 2.0 and FireWire outputs, but FireWire has had
an early 'foothold', when it comes to digital video.  Once the video is
captured to
the computer it can be edited.  The entire process is very visual and
intuitive.  It's
broken down into three "tabs": Capture, Edit, Make Movie.  The editing
includes
prefab transitions, scrolling credits (in the newer Studio8 version), still
images
(Title screens, which can themselves be edited), and sound effects.  You
can also
use the time line (rather than the storyboard) view to split clips for the
purpose of
eliminating misteaks, er , mistakes. The final step "Make movie" can output
the finished
product to several formats; VHS, DVD, .avi file, .mpg file, and, if you
have a digital
video deck (JVC manufactures one for around $1000 that accommodates both
MiniDV tapes and VHS), you can put a check mark in a box on the screen that
says "Send Record command to DV deck", making the creation of a VHS tape
from the edited material on the hard disk a one-step process.

HTH,

Paul A. Shippert

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