Laptop Editing

For that kind of coin you wil get a very good PC laptop.

Get one with twin hard drives 7200rpm, all you footage goes onto the second drive to edit leaving your first drive just to run the operating system.

Get a dedicated graphics card, yes GPU is the dedicated graphics card.

i7 CPU and at least 8 gigs of ram.

Windows 7 64 bit runs really well.

NLE stands for non-linear editing...... software to edit the video up...

LE stands for linear editing and requires the editor to edit using 3 beta tape decks hooked to a computer and jog wheel etc.

Two decks as used to create the master edit on the 3rd beta tape deck.

Watching a good LE editor at work is amazing.

Oh ok wagsy, i now understand abit more. Thankyou....

As for the processor speeds, is there much of a difference between a 2.8 & a 3.2 ghz?

Here is another asus laptop;

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...e=STRK:MEWAX:IT

It appears to have everything that everyone is mentioning but it has a processor upgrade option. Would it be of a noticable use to upgrade the processor?

I could upgrade the ram from 8gb to 12gb if i would need to?

What i am looking for at this stage is something to take on trips/weekends & be able to produce a smallish video without too much drama.

Being very new to all of this i am looking for something i don't have to upgrade in 12 months as i become more confident in what i'm doing.

Thanks once again for any help...

HI Mate

Yes that one would work, however what video camera are you going to use as this one seems to not have a firewire 1394 port.

Are you going to be using a video tape camera or a tapeless one.

Maybe have a look on the ASUS site at the other models.

Here is one with twins hard drives and a firewire 1394 port.

http://www.asus.com.au/Notebooks/Special_E...#specifications

I have a sony sr12 video camera, do i need the 1394 port for that?

I have just been using a cord that plugs into the usb port to transfer my footage. Is this no good?

Cheers Pete.

Thats a tape less camera so you don't need a firewire port, USB is fine.

However it records in the AVCHD codec which is very hard to edit if you have not got a good NLE that can edit it.

If the NLE you want to use cannot handle it you will have to convert the files to another format so you can edit them :-)

Having said that some NLE's can cut up AVCHD files easy.

Ok that is good news then. So if i go back to the above laptop that i posted, 2x 500gb 7200rpm HDDs, is the 8gb ram enough or would you upgrade to 12? & what about the processor? Is the standard one fine or should i upgrade to a faster processor?

Is there a preference for an NLE to edit AVCHD?

Cheers Pete.

Hi Pete how did you go, get a laptop yet or not?

Another 4 day trip cut on my little i5 laptop complete.

Shot with the FX1 and Canon 60D.

Edited the raw files from the 13 dives as is on a HDV timeline. (no converting to some other format to edit)

Last morning I rendered out a DVD mpeg 2 spec file from the 55 minute HDV timeline and then into the DVD authoring program with dive chapters of the dives and had burnt 3 DVD's all in just 1 hour......Too easy.

Well i have still be doing plenty of research but i am almost certain on the Asus G53jw. Which is basically a smaller version of the original one i wanted. This one has USB3 though.

I am looking at a version with a 256gb SSD as the primary drive, a 500gb 7200rpm second drive plus a bluray burner.

I7 with the 740qm processor & i will max the ram out from 8gig to 16gig.

I still have absolutely no idea what you were talking about with partitions & recovery disks but i am taking baby steps so far.

I am trying to organise an underwater video course soon so i might actually have some sort of idea of what you guys are talking about.

Maybe i should start a thread about how everyone learnt underwater video & there individual steps to how they got there.

It's all very confusing when i can't even work a computer....

I'm a gettin there though...

Is there anything else i should look at computer wise before i take the plunge?

Cheers Pete.

2 more things, firstly Wagsy, what boat do you work on? You can PM me if you don't want to publicly announce it.

Secondly, is there any reason that a US version laptop wouldn't work here in aus? There is a MASSIVE price difference between the two countries & i can get the fully loaded US version for the same money as the base version here in AUS. We are talking about $1200 AUS difference.

Cheers Pete.

Which is basically a smaller version of the original one i wanted. This one has USB3 though.

You definitely want the USB 3.0 if you can get it. I just picked up a new Lexar 3.0 CF card reader and the download speeds are amazing.

I looked at the Asus before getting my new Dell and the only thing I wondered about was the thickness of the base with the big cooling fans. I didn't know if it would fit in my case to carry along on trips.

Have fun,

Steve

Hi steve, definitely want USB3. My only real obstacle

now is wether to upgrade the cpu. Will I

get a major performance advantage with it or

should I use the $650 towards my course?

Hi Steve

I had a powerful 17 inch ACER that only lasted a year, the dedicated Graphics card overheated and died.

This little ASUS is working great though.

You got to let them breath, like have them on a flat table when working them hard.

Well get from the USA if you want, have you Goggled the model over here to shop around.

A SSD would be great for fast boot ups and the second internal 7200rpm drive would be perfect to dump the video files onto.

i5 CPU will do the job but a i7 would be better and mean faster encoding of output files from the timeline.

Like I said to render out a HDV 55 minute timeline to a PAL DVD spec MPEG 2 file takes about 30 minutes. using a i5 CPU

i7 would mean even faster encodes.

Learing, yeh just come to Cairns and I can teach you it all.

Its easy

I do part time trips on Taka Dive over here.

Well, i have finally done it I bought a new laptop......

So after deciding on the Asus g53 i was trawling the internet with credit card in hand ready to take the plunge when what do i stumble on???? Of course the new version of the laptop i wanted!!! Holy crap, what a find i say!

The new version has the 2nd generation I7 sandybridge CPU which from my recent research is quite quicker than the first gen. Something like 40%. Also Full HD 17inch screen, HM65 chipset, 2x 500gb 7200rpm SSD/HDD hybrid drives, bluray burner & also the same 1.5gb graphics card.

All for Aus $2225 delivered, yeehaaaaaaa. So i bought one.

Once i get it i am going to upgrade the ram from the 8g it comes with to the 16g it can take plus i am going to swap the primary drive for an SSD.

This should be one hell of a system when it is done.

Oh it also has USB3, which was always high on my wishlist.

I am quite pleased with my decision as i believe that this is a lappy i can grow into instead of out of it so i expect to keep it for a few years while i undertake my learning curve of videography & more so editing.

I am going to have a little play with the sony video editing program once it arrives as i have blown my budget well & truly with this purchase, so the software will have to wait a while, aswell as any dive trips.....

Hopefully in a few weeks i can start to show some of my handy work for everyone.

Thanks for everyones help on this, couldn't have done it without you guys.

Cheers Pete.

Oh wagsy, i forgot to ask, do you actually run video courses on board Taka? I had a quick look on the website & the prices are reasonable so maybe a 4 day trip for my wife & i later in the year????

Well i have still be doing plenty of research but i am almost certain on the Asus G53jw. Which is basically a smaller version of the original one i wanted. This one has USB3 though.

I am looking at a version with a 256gb SSD as the primary drive, a 500gb 7200rpm second drive plus a bluray burner.

I7 with the 740qm processor & i will max the ram out from 8gig to 16gig.

I still have absolutely no idea what you were talking about with partitions & recovery disks but i am taking baby steps so far.

I am trying to organise an underwater video course soon so i might actually have some sort of idea of what you guys are talking about.

Maybe i should start a thread about how everyone learnt underwater video & there individual steps to how they got there.

It's all very confusing when i can't even work a computer....

I'm a gettin there though...

Is there anything else i should look at computer wise before i take the plunge?

Cheers Pete.

With regard to more RAM, need to ascertain whether the NLE software can use the extra ram otherwise wasting money.

Hugh

Hi Hugh, pretty much everyone I have spoken to

Keeps saying get as much ram as the laptop

Can handle. It is only a couple of hundred dollars

So I am happy to upgrade as I may use it down the track.

Cheers pete

Thought i would bump this thread rather than starting a new one as it has some good information regarding editing in the field and is relevant to the question i am going to ask.

I'm looking for a 13-15" laptop to just cut up files and get rid of the clips i don't need whilst i'm out on a trip. There seems to have been a huge boom in the last 6 months of ultra thin portable laptops, which would be ideal to travel with. They all seem to come with nice 3rd gen i5 or i7 processor,4-8gb ram, HD screens and SSD drives but most are lacking a dedicated graphics card. Is it possible to cut up footage add a little bit of colour correction with integrated graphics? The intel 4000m seems to appear quite often.. Would this be enough?

Disclaimer: I do not want to start another NLE flame Because you know my side...

It depends mainly from the NLE you are using. Most of them requires a proper GPU and Intel GPU are not taken in account from most of NLE out there.

I've been trying out CS6 and it is lightning fast on my 2009 Macbook Pro. I'm actually editing quicker now on my laptop, than I am using FCP6 on my 2007 MacPro Desktop! Still 2007 is 5 years ago now which is a long time for any hardware.

Disclaimer: I do not want to start another NLE flame Because you know my side...

 

It depends mainly from the NLE you are using. Most of them requires a proper GPU and Intel GPU are not taken in account from most of NLE out there.

Ha Ha Davide, yes we all know where you stand on that one. I was just going to use Sony Vegas platinum home edition before i decide whether i go for the full version of Vegas 10 or 12 or move over to the dark side and go with Edius . The only worry for me with Edius is there much online help? Using Vegas i can just type whatever problem i'm having or how do i use a particular feature into YouTube and someone has made a tutorial for it.. The Edius program looks great but i'm not sure it's something a beginner can use, maybe i am wrong?

I've been trying out CS6 and it is lightning fast on my 2009 Macbook Pro. I'm actually editing quicker now on my laptop, than I am using FCP6 on my 2007 MacPro Desktop! Still 2007 is 5 years ago now which is a long time for any hardware.

Which processor is in Macbook pro Simon?

These are the requirements to use Home Platinum

Microsoft Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista SP2, or Windows 7

2GHz processor (multicore or multiprocessor CPU recommended for HD or stereoscopic 3D)

400 MB hard-disk space for program installation

1 GB RAM (2 GB recommended)

Would it run with a Intel 4000?

Microsoft Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista SP2, or Windows 7

2GHz processor (multicore or multiprocessor CPU recommended for HD or stereoscopic 3D)

400 MB hard-disk space for program installation

1 GB RAM (2 GB recommended)

Would it run with a Intel 4000?

I use Lightroom, Photoshop and Movie Maker to edit - now 40mb Raw Files - pictures and HD Videos on my 2010

Lenovo W510 with a Intel I7 1,7ghz, 8GB of ram and a Nvidia Quadro FX880M graphics chip running Windows 7 64Bit.

The new Lenovo W530 should be considerably faster due a faster processor, a faser NVidia Quadro card but especially

because of its faster ram.

I like the keyboard of IBM/Lenovo and their rather sturdy build quality but it's a heavy laptop with a short run time on battery,

The last Asus Zenbook model looks not only very good, it seems that after a - guarantee breaking - surgery changing the ram to

8 or 16 GB and maybe a bigger SSD it is also very fast, actually one the fastest of the netbooks.

Chris