Help With HD and Output

I am new to video but considering the HC-1 or HC-3 - My questions are:

1. For windows what is the best value in editing program for my computer and how much power do I need in a computer to handle editing.

2. How are you guys outputing HD? There is no HD DVD writers as far as I know but if it is around the corner that's ok. Are you reducing to standard video but comes out considerably better? Worth the cost? Thanks for you expertise.

#1 - There is a range of editors available. They range from consumer level to prosumer to the sky's the limit. You have to check whether they handle HD specifically, but many are doing so. The higher the cost, the more control you have in editing and output. You don't NEED anything more than Vegas or Premiere.

Computer performance is based on how long you want to wait on rendering the video. Anything could do it, but it will just take longer. Increase processor and disk performance, for the biggest bang.

#2 Most people can't make HD DVDs yet. So we downconvert to DV for DVDs, or we transcode to WMV or DivX to get HD quality stuff to look at on screen.

My thought is the HD camera captures at a better quality intially resulting in better end result.

You can also render back to HDV tape (on the camera) to archive until HD-DVD becomes available. This is what I used to do for DV before DVD writers were affordable

--Mark

I am new to video but considering the HC-1 or HC-3 - My questions are:

 

1. For windows what is the best value in editing program for my computer and how much power do I need in a computer to handle editing.

I'm currently using Vegas Movie Studio + DVD Platinum Edition. $129 at Fry's Electronics.

Only the Platinum Edition does HDV Capture and Editing.

I would suggest checking out Pinnacle Studio 10.5. Can edit HDV.

www.pinnaclesys.com

A step up would be Avid Liquid Edition 7.2.

www.avid.com

Curtis