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Before I get into the round up, I'm going give you my 'state of the industry' address. I realize that you may be new to desk top video and that you may have some concerns about getting started. As you all know, computers keep getting more and more powerful and less and less expensive. With all this power and performance, video production is also getting faster, more powerful and less expensive. Even more important, our cards are easier then ever to install, set-up and use. If you do run into problems, we've got the best tech support in the business and we will help you get through it.
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 7th version of this 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-4 Real-Time Round Up 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 $69.95
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 8 $99.95
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! One of thecoolest new feauters in Studio ver 8 is the ability to export your video direclty to CD or DVD!
ADS Pyro ProDVD $109.95
Yes it's a little bit over $100, but what a great bundle! You get everything you need for DV editing and DVD authoring. Director's Cut gives you the full NLE editing capabilities of MS Pro 6.5 w/o the paint and CG program. DVD Workshop is one of the hottest authoring solutions around, loaded with great features and super easy to use.
When you put it all together, it is a tremendous value.
ADS USB Instant DVD $159.95
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 DM7200 DCS-200 $199.95
This is a really clever product and a great choice if you are new to video and already a digital photographer. It is USB, so their are no boards to install. Movie Star 5 editing software is a nice improvement over previous versions. You get even more capabilities and features while it still remains very easy to use. DVD complete is a nice littel authoring package and OnDVD is great for making digital photo albums that can play on your DVD player.
Vitec DVD Cut Machine $349.95
DVD Cut Machine 3.0 is the best MPEG encoder card onthe market for under $1,000. If you must have the best possible quality MPEG2 video in real-time this is the encoder for you. 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, DVD Cut Machine 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 $259.95
The lowest cost DV card shipping with the full version of Adobe Premiere! 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 Studio Deluxe 8 $199.95 (after $100 mail-in rebate)
For under $200 (aftre rebate) you get Studio 8 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.
Pinnacle DV500DVD $499.95
The DV500DVD gives you a tremendous value for under $500. 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 DVD comes fully loaded. You get the usual Pinnacle plug-ins (Instant Video, Alpha Magic, TitleDekoRT, DV Tools, Scene Cutter) plus new DVD optimization utilities (TurboMPEG export, T-Rex, MPEG2 re-edit) plus Impressions SE for authoring and Hollywood FX 3D transitions and FX.
Matrox RTX.10 $499.95
Once you get to play with the real-time Flex 3D transitions and FX in the RTX.10, 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! RTX.10 supports DV and analog video. The "Power of X" gives you real-time color correction w/ auto white balance, real-time speed control and more.
Pinnacle Pro-One $699.95
The Pro-One ver 2.0 takes the already popular Pro-One and adds a ton of new features and capabilites. It unleashes a ton of new real-time features like Color Correction, Lens Flare, Multiform PIP, and Ripples. You also get new DVD utilities like TurboMPEG export, T-Rex file converter and MPEG2 re-edit. 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. The new Motion Tracker allows can be combined with new real-time filters like Lens Flare, Magnifier and Pinnacle Magic for really cool sequences!
Pinnacle Pro-One RTDV $799.95(after $125 mail-in rebate)
The Pro-One RTDV is the latest new card from Pinnacle. They've taken the original Pro-One hardware and added an additional chip to enable real-time DV output. This gives you real-time DV output on a system as slow as a single PIII 1 Ghz machine. The new 2.0 drivers give you all the new features of the Pro-One such as real-time Color Correction, Lens Flare, Multiform PIP, and Ripples. You also get new DVD utilities like TurboMPEG export, T-Rex file converter and MPEG2 re-edit. The image stabilizer ahs been improved and the new Motion Tracker allows can be combined with new real-time filters like Lens Flare, Magnifier and Pinnacle Magic for really cool sequences!
Matrox RT.X100 $999.95
Once you fully unleash the "Power of X" w/ Adobe Premiere you'll be able to appreciate the sheer power and performance of this card. That means putting it in a minimum 2.2 Ghz P4 (or Athlon 2000+) and 512 megs RAM. The 18 paramater real-time color correction w/ auto white balance is superb. So is the quality of the real-time chroma keyer. You can export your MPEG2 files directly fromt he timeline in real-time for DVD authoring. You get all the Flex 3D FX including blur, twist, ripple, mesh, cube and more.
Canopus DV Storm2 Plus $1299
Canopus has just upgraded the DV Storm bundle to make it more powerful and feature rich then ever. The "Duece" now includes the Storm Encoder card hardware for real-time MPEG2 export from the timeline. They've given it a new DV capture utility that supports single pass scan & capture, as well as the ability to capture from up to 3 FireWire sources simultaneously. You also get an improved real-time color correction, new real-time 3D picture-in-picture, new and improved 2D/3D real-time transitions and support for avi2 files.
The key to unleashing this performance is giving the Storm the fastest possible computer. In a P4 1.8 Ghz or dual Athlon 1.4 Ghz machine with a gig 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 Edition $699.95
Edition is an all new NLE software from Pinnacle. Actually it's not all new. Pinnacle bought the technology from Fast about a year ago. Over the past year they've been integrating all their other software titles into it to make it an exceptionally powerful non linear editing and compositing solution. TitleDeko and Hollywood FX are integrated into the application and the video qulaity is incredible, even with extremely complex 3D transition. You can export your work directly to Commotion using the X-send tool. DVD producers can burn directly to DVD from the timeline or export MPEG2 files to Impressions DVD Pro for authroing.
The two killer features that make Edition so pwoerful are background rendering and auto save. Background rendering means that you never have to stop working and wait for rendering. Edition is always working for you, while Edition renders you keep editing, create graphics, edit images, answer email or surf wthe web. It is the world's first truely multi-tasking videoe editing solution. The Insta Save feature automatically saves your work while you edit, every 30th of a second. If you accidentally knock out the power cord, your project is exactly as you left it when you power back up.
Edition can be run on top of Pinnacle's DV500 hardware for analog I/O and some real-time preview features. This is just a glimpse of the future for Pinnacle. Down the road you can expect really cool hardware accelerators to make Edition even more powerful!
Avid Xpress DV 3.5 $1499
Avid Xpress DV v3 is the ideal software solution for anyone looking for affordable, professional-quality editing and creative tools Over 100 real-time effects, up to 4 streams simultaneously, in software Complete postproduction studio, includes professional video editing, effects, audio, titling, compositing, graphics, interoperability, and digital delivery tools Avid editing interface delivers affordable, professional video editing with Avid's powerful video and audio editing toolsets
The new Expert Color Correction in ver 3.5 is by far and away the most powerful and sophistacated color correction tool we offer. You can actually match flesh tones from different clips in your video. Ver 3.5 also includes both the Win XP and Mac OS X software in the box, so it's like getting two NLE solutions for the price of one!
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 3.5 PowerPack $2495
The powerpack includes Xpress DV 3.0 plus 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.
There you have it, our second round up article of 2002. I'm not expecting any major new announcements before year end, but you never know. One of the things you should know and can count on is that The Electronic Mailbox will give you the Real Deal when you buy from us. To find out more about our Real Deal Advantage click here, or give our sales guys a call 800 323-2325. We know this equipment and we will take the time to make sure you get teh right gear that nmatches your budget, has the features you need and most important - will run correctly on your hardware.
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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.
Advanced FireWire solutions for getting started on a budget
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.
Combination Analog & DV solutions
Sure you have a new DV cam with FireWire, but what to do with all your older analog footage? These cards offer you the best of both worlds. You'll also find some added real-time features at the higher end of this category.
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. For in depth comparisons of our Real-Time NLE solutions, check out our RT-4 Real-Time Round Up article!
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.
Let's face it, one of the drawbacks of shooting with DV is that DV cams are light, and they shake. With this tool you can pick an area of the video and have it lock in automatically, removing the shake. The software will then analyze the clip, crop it and expand it so that it fills the entire screen perfectly!
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