Price War: DV Editing for the Mass Market
The market for video cameras in the price range up to $2000 is currently very volatile. For example, the share of all DV cameras sold in 2000 stood at over 40 percent. Many users owning such a DV camera are understandably eager to process their video recordings on the PC. This, however, requires appropriate computer hardware which only very few hobby film makers own.
Moreover, many users are frequently unaware which editing software should be purchased. The range of solutions offered on the market ranges from the pure fire-wire card from approx. $70 upwards to the semiprofessional card such as, for example, the
The Pinnacle Studio DV Plus we tested is definitely designed for video new-comers who own a DV camera and occasionally wish to record and process films on their PC.
DV editing for just under $250: the Pinnacle Studio DV Plus is compatible with any modern PC system. Essential requirement: a fast processor (500 MHz or more) and a big hard drive (10 GB or more).
Put to the Test: Pinnacle Studio DV Plus
Genuine video freaks are in any case skeptical towards this card: a DV board with fire-wire in/outputs and a D/A converter for analogue reproduction for just under $250? Keep in mind that the card does not need any real time effects which nobody would miss, anyhow.
The Studio DV Plus is delivered in a rather functional package and contains, in addition to the card itself, a fire-wire cable, an audio adapter cable (jack plug and socket) and the software package on CD-ROM. In view of the reasonable price, one can hardly expect professional editing software a la Adobe Premiere or Ulead Video Studio as a bundle. The recording and editing software “Studio DV”, a program package developed by Pinnacle, is included; it even includes a simple title generator.
View of the card’s ports: in addition to two fire-wire interfaces, the Studio DV Plus also has an analogue audio and video output for connecting a monitor or a video recorder.
The installation of the card should not pose too many problems. We tested the Studio DV Plus on two different PC systems: on one hand, the card functioned without complaints in an Athlon PC with 1000 MHz, based on a main board with a set of VIA-KT133 chips. A second computer was equipped with a Pentium III/733 and a board with a set of Intel 815 chips. Likewise, this system also functioned perfectly during the entire testing period.
Test Procedure: Recording – Editing – Output
We would like to briefly describe the configuration of our test here: as is described above, the card was installed in both systems having different platforms. We used the operating system Windows 2000 Pro. Following the installation of the IEEE-1394 driver, which automatically sets up Windows 2000, the enclosed program package was loaded. As with the last test of a
A glance at the system settings shows the correct driver set-up.
Note: At time of testing there were no english drivers and software available!
Recording made easy: it takes only a short time to become familiar with the user interface of the editing software.
Test Procedure: Recording – Editing – Output, Continued
Note: At time of testing there were no english drivers and software available!
Prior recording for the first time, the parameters need to be set. DV video requires data transfer rates of at least 3.6 MB/s.
When recording in DV format, it is not possible to alter the data rate.
Before proceeding with the actual recording, you should set up the parameters. In any case, the optimum transfer of the DV video from tape (i.e. free from data losses) requires storage space of 3.6 MB/s. This means a transfer rate of at least 200 MB per minute – one hour of video in DV format occupies 12 GB! It should now become clear to every user that a hard drive with 4 to 6 GB is by no means sufficient. In order to ensure a decent performance, it is recommended to add a second hard drive with storage capacity of at least 10 GB in addition to the hard drive already installed (with the operating system etc.). This hard drive increases the ergonomics of the whole editing system considerably and allows for more fun when processing the films!
Test Procedure: Recording – Editing – Output, Continued
Note: At time of testing there were no english drivers and software available!
Recording of the video can be controlled with the control monitor.
Following the recording of the video, the desired sequence can be transferred into the timeline.
The function, which automatically recognizes scene changes from the DV tape and clearly displays them in the form of clips in a video album, proves to be rather convenient. Subsequently, the desired scenes can be selected and transferred to the timeline.
The integrated title generator will work for most applications. Attractive titles can be designed in very few steps and then copied into the timeline.
Title Generator and Cross-Fade Effects
Note: At time of testing there were no english drivers and software available!
As is the case with all editing software, the timeline determines the sequence and structure of a film.
The numerous integrated cross-fade effects usually appear a little too playful. Nevertheless, wise and sparing use of the effects will attract attention.
In addition to the title generator, the Studio DV software offers numerous cross-fade effects. These may also be copied into the timeline as required and can be adjusted manually.
The finished film can also be saved as a DV video on tape or in an other format.
The MPEG format is ideally suited for playback:: the data flow can be variably adjusted.
Output of the Finished Film: DV or MPEG
Once all scenes, titles and cross-fade effects have been perfectly arranged in the timeline, you can start with the output of the whole film. Storage on a DV tape is easiest, provided that the connected DV camera is equipped with a free DV input socket. During the test, storing the DV in conjunction with the Sony DCR-PC110E went entirely without any hitches. In this case, the camera is controlled by the PC system via the fire-wire cable.
Note: At time of testing there were no english drivers and software available!
Output on a DV camera: storing the film on tape is handled conveniently conducted from the PC.
Depending on the intended use, the finished film can be saved as an MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 file.
Video sequences for the Internet: films can also be saved in the space-saving real format (MPEG). In this case, the graphic quality is not optimal.
Converting the whole film into MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 format requires a certain processing time, depending on the output of the hardware and the length of the film sequence. To convert our 25 minute test video, the Athlon 1000 system needed only 20 minutes for the entire process. The file size is, depending on the data rate, 600 MB, which corresponds to an average transfer rate of 400 KB/s. For your information: the resolution of the test video in the MPEG-2 format was around 720 x 576 dpi. However, considerably smaller files can be created by using real format for output. This standard is ideally suited for placing short video sequences on your own homepage or to enable video streaming via a suitable server.
And What About MPEG-4?
The editing software is not quite up to date in just one aspect: It cannot convert data files into the current space-saving MPEG-4 format. Nor is it possible to access different user-defined video codices. The “Studio DV software” only uses its own codices.
Therefore, those who want freedom of choice to incorporate the Divx codex (MPEG-4), for example, should switch to a professional editing software such as Adobe Premiere. In that case, a special plug-in for the Pinnacle card is necessary to make DV recording possible.
Result: Editing Card for DV New-Comers
In conclusion, we have found that the Pinnacle Studio DV is a low-priced video editing card with digital in- and outputs via fire-wire interface. For this reason, it is especially beneficial for DV or digital-8 camera-owners who desire quick access to the topic of “DV video by PC”. The card is also equipped with audio and video outputs, making it possible to output the entire film in analogue form, for example.
However, the computer system should already be equipped with powerful hardware: a processor of at least 500 MHz, at least 128 MB main memory and a hard drive of at least 10 GB are the requirements for ergonomic operation. A common problem with video editing cards is the flawless operation when combining different types of hard and software.
During the entire test, using the two systems platforms consisting of AMD Athlon 1000 and a mainboard with a set of VIA KT-133 chips as well as Pentium III/733 and a board with a set of Intel-815 chips, no errors occurred. We should note at this point that we conducted all video editing tasks using Windows 2000.