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The video quality of all our DV cards is perfect. DV in = DV out. Things like dropped frames, jerky playback and poor image quality are a thing of the past. None of the cards we carry have any of these problems. If you run into them, it means your storage is too slow or you have hardware compatibility problems with your computer. All our cards deliver fantastic video quality. Features like real-time effects, rendering speed, DVD authoring and productivity tools are what separate one card from the other. All the cards in this round up work great and deliver excellent video quality.This is my 6th all new round up article, and I've made made a couple of very important changes.
First, we've added the Real-Time features category for each product. Real-Time features mean you do not have to render your transitions and FX, the video just plays directly from the timeline. While almost every card listed here has some kind of real-time capability, the actual real-time performance can vary significantly. For more in depth information and comparisons of our real-time cards, see our RT-3 Real-Time Round Up 3 article.
The second new category is DVD Authoring software. In the spring of 2001 Pioneer began shipping the world's first under $1,000 DVD burner. Since then Panasonic and HP have introduced DVD burners and the competition has driven down prices. In 2002 you can find DVD burners at your local computer or electronics superstore for under $500!! While the burner and capture card are the key hardware components required to create a DVD, the authoring software is what lets you add your menu's, titles and interactivity. Just like with NLE software, the features and capabilities of your authoring software is an important factor in deciding what card to buy. Some of our cards ship with limited / lite versions of authoring software while others have full featured professional versions. For more information about creating your own DVDs, check out our DVD Cookbook On Line.
Because we offer so many products, a round up article is very difficult to put together and I'm sure just as difficult to read. To make using this article easier for you, I have added five bullets to each product, as kind of a quick look up guide.
ADS PyroDV $79.95
The ADS Pyro is our favorite OHCI fireWire card. It is super easy to install and it works great. That's why we recommend for use with our Avid XPress DV systems!! PyroDV ships with Ulead's Video Studio, a very nice, user friendly NLE program that while limited, does get the job done. One of the big advantages of going with the Pyro is that it works with so many NLE apps including Premiere 6, Media Studio Pro 6.5, Vegas Video 3 and Xpress DV. This means that when you outgrow the limited Video Studio software, you can upgrade to just about any NLE application on the market today!
Pinnacle Studio DV 7 $129.95
This software is by far and away the easiest to use and most feature rich tool for getting started in desk top video editing. The interface is clean and easy to navigate. You organize all your media; video, sounds, and graphics using a 'photo album' interface. Each type of media gets it's own 'chapter' that you access by clicking on a tab. Then each 'page' opens up with thumbnails representing each file. You just click on a thumbnail to preview and trim your clips, then drag it into the editor. For the actual editing you can use a traditional timeline interface or the much easier story board method. The Studio software has TitleDeko titling and Hollywood FX transitions integrated into it, so you can create videos with the same professional look as Pinnacles more expensive DV500Plus and Pro-One products.
You also get every cool utility called Smart Capture. This lets you digitize your video in low res files (150Mb / hour), edit it then recapture it at full DV resolution for your final output. Pretty cool feature!
ADS USB Instant DVD $229.95
If you are looking for the easiest way to get video from your camcorder onto a CD-ROM or DVD, this is it. The breakout box hooks up to your computer via a USB jack, so this solution will work great with desktops and laptops. The video quality is surprisingly good. We've had great success burning VCDs and DVDs with this very cool little gadget!!
Dazzle DM7000 DVC2 $249.95
The DVC2 has been one of our top selling products for VCD creation. Now that DVD burners are here, we are happy to report the same great results. The DVC-2 uses the same C-Cube technology that is found in the best selling DV500Plus and RT2500 for real-time MPEG2 encoding. It is analog only, but the video quality is great and it is very easy to use and set up.
Vitec DCM30PLUS $699.95
DVD Cut Machine 3.0 Plus is a complete DVD-Video production system. DCM30PLUS includes all the tools and utilities required to create and produce VCD/SVCD/DVD-Video and MiniDVD. The DCM hardware gives you full control over the MPEG2 stream. You can select Compression rates from 1 to 15 Mbit/sec using fixed or variable bit rates (CBR & VBR). The video output lets you view your MPEG video full screen on a television monitor. If you're looking for the best possible MPEG2 encoding solution for under $1,000, DCM30PLUS is it.
Ulead Media Studio Pro 6.5 DV $249.95
I've been a big fan of Media Studio Pro since version 2.0. It is a very powerful NLE program and easy to use. You get a ton of really cool 3D FX and transitions plus very easy to use 3D motion paths. MS Pro 6.x is actually 5 applications in one. You get the video capture interface & the video editor, plus a very cool CG for titling and a paint program for manipulating the video. Rounding out the package is an audio editor. With 6.5 Ulead has added a 6th application, DVD plug-ins. Thesenot only let you edit and export DVD ready MPEG2 files, but you also get a basic authoring tool for creating and burning your DVDs. At $249.95 this package is a tremendous value!!
ADS Pyro Platinum $279.95
The lowest cost DV card shipping with the full version of Adobe Premiere 6! Premiere 6 has some great new features including a storyboard editor, audio mixer, SmartSound Quicktracks, Cleaner EZ and much more!! If you are planning on moving up to one of our Real-Time cards in the future, this is a great choice for you to get started. Add in our Premiere 6 getting started video and CD-Rom Tutorial and you will be on your way!!
Pinnacle DV200 $299.95 New bundle!!
Low cost DV card shipping with the full version of Adobe Premiere 6! Premiere 6 has some great new features including a storyboard editor, audio mixer, SmartSound Quicktracks, Cleaner EZ and much more!! You also get DV Tools to scan, log and batch capture your DV footage.
Pinnacle Studio Deluxe $299.95
For under $300 you get Studio 7 and Express, plus some really fantastic hardware that lets you use both DV and analog camcorders & VCRs. That's right, now you can take all your years of video footage, edit it down, add titles and FX, then output it to videotape or DVD!!! MiniDV, Hi8, VHS, Digital8, 8mm, S-VHS – Studio Deluxe can handle it all. Studio Deluxe has a FireWire port plus a breakout box- the same one that comes with their DV500Plus real-time solution! With the breakout box not only can you capture analog video, but you can also output your analog or DV footage directly to your VHS or S-VHS tape deck – without having to go through your DV cam!! Even cooler, you can hook-up your television to the A/V output and see just how your video will look on a real TV while you are editing. If you are looking for the best products for getting started in DV and DVD production, your search is over. Studio Deluxe is the ideal solution. It is affordable, powerful and super easy to use.
Dazzle/Fast DVnowAV $499.95
Not only do you get Analog & DV for under $500, you get full Premiere 6, FastForward media management software and DVDit! le authoring. FastForward will automatically scan and log your DV footage. You can then use it for frame accurate batch capture. You can then use FastForward to storyboard your video and export it into Premiere. If you want, you can even have it automatically insert your favorite transition between each scene!! Let me make it simple for you. If you have both analog & DV gear and you want to edit video using Adobe Premiere, get the DVnowAV.
Pinnacle DV500Plus $549.95
The DV500Plus gives you a tremendous value for under $600. You get analog & DV video inputs and outputs. You can hook an TV monitor up to the breakoutbox and play your real-time FX right on it. No need to have your DV cam hooked up. DV500 Plus comes fully loaded. You get the usual Pinnacle plug-ins (Instant Video, Alpha Magic, TitleDekoRT, DV Tools) plus Impressions SE for authoring and Hollywood FX Copper for 3D transitions and FX.
Matrox RT2500 $799.95
Once you get to play with the real-time Flex 3D transitions and FX in the RT2500, you will have a hard time controlling yourself from over using them. They are that cool and so much fun to use, since they do not have to render! RT2500 supports DV and analog video. It comes with a very impressive bundle as well. Sonic DVDit! le for authoring, Title Express for titling and of course, all those amazing Flex 3D transitions and FX! The new Pro Pack software includes real-time blur and custom masks. You can also add United Videos Multicam software to easily edit long format multiple camera shoots like weddings, sporting events and plays.
Pinnacle Pro-One $1199
The Pro-One is the latest new card from Pinnacle. It unleashes a ton of real-time power and performance. The real-time Hollywood FX give you animated 3D transitions like the ones you see on network and cable television. With Pro-One you can add filters, FX and speed control to two different video tracks simultaneously while staying real-time. You can add a Picture-In-Picture flying all over the screen and a graphic or two and still stay real-time!! One of the coolest new features in the Pro-One is the image stabilizer. It automatically analyzes your video, locks it in, crops it then expands it to full screen for playback. When you add in the FREE upgrade to the full Impressions DVD Pro software, it's easy to see why the Pro-One is quickly becoming our top selling card!
Canopus DV Storm SE Plus $1299
What the DV Storm lacks in real-time razzle dazzle it more than makes up for in pure real-time power. The key to unleashing this performance is giving the Storm the fastest possible computer. In a dual 1 Ghz machine with 512 megs of RAM you'll be able to handle 3 layers of video with transitions, filters, PIP and more with real-time DV output! One of the other advantages of the Storm is the rock solid performance and stability you get when you use Storm Edit. Storm Edit is not as full featured as Premiere, but it gives you the core real-time performance that event videographers demand.
Pinnacle DVD1000 $1499
This new bundle is built around the DC1000DV hardware which was the first MPEG2 based non linear editing system to hit the market. It still delivers an incredible combination of outstanding video quality, real-time dual stream editing and faster then real-time MPEG2 output for DVD authoring. The new DVD1000 bundle includes the full Impressions DVD Pro for authoring. The DVD1000 uses a very special technology called SmartGOP that gives you frame accurate editing of the MPEG2 video, while maintain outstanding video quality at a data rate of 50% or even 35% that of DV. You also get Direct IBP capture and editing. This means that you can both edit and output DVD ready MPEG2 files.
Avid Xpress DV 2.1 $1499
Xpress DV is an all new software written specifically for DV editing. It is all you need to create and deliver professional digital media to tape, DVD, and/or the web. The goal was simple: Provide the absolute best DV non-linear editing software for under $2000. Avid hit their goals and more.
Xpress DV is an eleventh-generation Avid toolset that includes professional video editing, effects, audio, titling, compositing, graphics, interoperability, and digital delivery tools. Best of all, it will run on a workstation or a laptop because it utilizes generic OHCI FireWire hardware. It has a familiar Avid interface that is both easy for beginners and optimizes for seasoned Avid professionals. Avid understands that to tell the story, you need full control of both the images and the sounds, so Xpress DV has a fantastic set of audio editing tools. Complex video productions require more then just a simple A & B track, Xpress DV is a non-destructive NLE that allows you to nest multiple layers of video, images, audio and FX.
Avid Xpress DV 2.1 PowerPack $2495
The PowerPack includes everything you get in Xpress DV 2.0 plus a whole lot more. Avid wanted to provide the independent film producer with a set of tools that goes beyond just editing. For this they have the Xpress DV PowerPack. The PowerPack includes a set of tools that will give you everything you need to produce the best possible production. Here's what you get in the PowerPack and why it is so amazing.
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Cheap cards (under $100) with limited bundles and low-end NLE software
All of the DV/FireWire cards on the market deliver the identical video quality and all of them have the identical video specs - 720x480 image size, 29.97 frames per second, and a data rate of 3.6 megs per second. With all of these cards, you need a gig of storage for each 4.5 minutes of DV video. So video quality is not an issue. While the cards in this category will get the job done, you'll do much better if you step up to one that comes bundled with better software.
Low cost analog solutions for NLE & DVD
If all you really want to do is create VCD or DVD disks, these cards are a good solution to consider. While the editing is weak, they will let you create VCD, SVCD and DVDs.
Full featured under $500 solutions for getting started
If you are getting started in desk top video and looking for the best solution on a limited budget, this is the category for you. All the cards in this category come with software and hardware that will allow you to fully edit your video and add a wide range of titles, cool transitions and special effects.
Real-Time DV systems
These next systems all have one very important feature in common: They have real-time FX and transitions. Not all the FX are real-time, but many are. By not having to render, you can spend your time creating, not watching the hourglass.
Professional NLE solutions
Professional long format video productions require extra features and stability that can meet the rigors of daily editing. You need a customizable workspace that you can optimize for the way that you edit. You need multiple levels of undo and you need total and complete control over your production.
There you have it, our first new round up article of 2002. I'm sure I'll be updating it by the time baseball season starts.
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