the sony vegas studio might be the same confusing interace at the pinnacle (IIRC their version that ran on win98 but not win2k).

i use the big brother, sony's VEGAS and that kick ***. i used to edit using 2 video decks using a manual controller.

when i switched to non linear editing (NLE) it was like nite and day. make one mistake? no problem. back to using tape decks, it was almost a nightmare...

the advances we have today...

 

I think I'll go with the Sony Vegas. I have read more favorable reviews than with Pinnicle and Adobe.

 

download the trial first then...

http://www.sonymediasoftware.com/dow...p1.asp?catid=1

the platinum edition has support for HD cams, if you have them...

you might just save a few $$$ in case it's crap.

 

Thanks to everyone for their input especially ldivinag. I decided on purchasing the Sony Platinum. If you guys care, I'll post my experience with it. Unfortunatley, my Canon GL2 just died. Going to send it in for repairs.... That Sony HDV sure looks tempting...

 

If you're thinking about HDV, you should know that you'll need some pretty fast hardware to keep up. HDV footage is more than double the size of Standard Def. footage, so you'll need a pretty big harddrive.

Also from what I understand, you can't burn HDV footage onto a DVD because DVDs are only SD- Standard Definition (480 lines of resolution) and the sony HDV FX1 camcorder records at 1080i.
Also know that most TVs are SD.


If you're looking for a better SD camera, check out the Panasonic DVX-100b or the Canon XL-2 which offer a film-like recording speed of 24p (24 progressive frames per second).

Ever notice how video has a different look and feel compared to film? That has a lot to do with Film cameras recording at 24 frames per second, and Video cameras recording at 30 fps. The Panasonic DVX-100a/b/c and the Canon XL-2 record video in 24p, just like a film camera.

Hope that helps a bit.

 

I am so glad I've never had to and hopefully never have to, edit linearly.
At least you weren't manually cutting and connecting Film, can you imagine what it was like editing a feature length film before the days of NLE systems?

 

yes...

at the place where i worked, we had 3/4" tape decks. and one day i was cleaning, i found the block where they would splice the actual tape media on.

it was like a small mitre saw block.

damn... those were the days... lol...

 

THe Canon XL2 is indeed a great camera. I considered that option too. I'm just concerned about this tape loading bug where "Remove the Cassette" error occurs.
I'm sending my camera back today (GL2), It's happened to another individual who has the GL1. Right after warranty of course. Really can't justify the purchase since I only have two more years of taping our HS Marching bands competitions.