deuce wrote in message <349DCBEF.1452@n_wlink.com>...

>Can someone tell me what I need to do some home editing of DV video
>tapes (home movie stuff). I have a Compaq Presario 8702, P166, 32M RAM,
>2GB HD. I see Spark, Miro, Rainbow Runner constantly ripped in this
>newsgroup and I would like to use the FireWire connection to do the
>editing. Is there anything on the market (under $5K) that works?
>(getting a little frustrated with what I see). Thanks...Bill



Hmmm, having just set up a system that seems to work, here is
some of what I seem maybe possibly to have learned ;-) about
building a basic system for FireWire editing...:

- 4 different FireWire-PCI cards available for IBM-PC:
Miro 100 - YUCK!!
Miro 300 - MAYBE the best, and has the Adaptec 2940UW
SCSI interface on it, but NEW (and therefore
almost certainly with buggy software...).
DPS Spark- I have it, and the major bugs have just been
worked out (software version 1.05, available
on DPS site), and the prices with or without
Premier have just dropped a LOT - buy this
one now, or maybe the Miro 300 in 6+ months...
(or the Spark 2, if it will be the same
Adaptec PCI FireWire-SCSI card the Miro 300
probably is - it saves buying a seperate
expensive SCSI interface card).
DV Master- $4K, so...(!!), but allows analog in (analogue
can be captured for maybe $200 additional in
software/hardware added to the other DV cards).
- At least an AMD K-6 200 MMX or Pentium 200 MMX CPU -
DV operations are S L O W !!!! Quad P-II 300s
would still not be very fast for some operations
like simple hue-shift or exposure correction.
(I can wait 4-hours for a 1.5 minute render with the
K-6, and it is a FAST machine! But the results are
worth it - NO generation losses [I begin and end
with high image quality - the 3-chip VX-1000 will
even show good texture on distant trees and rock!]).
- At least 64megs *EDO* RAM (but more than 128 may slow things?).
- Intel chipset on MB, 430TX and Award bios work, some others
may not. Get an ATX MB (and matching case/supply)
to have a good layout and Ultra DMA HD support,
but watch what MB fits with the K-6, if you get
it (Tyan, Abit, and Asus make compatible MB's).
- HD's - Only FAST WIDE SCSI AV-rated HD's for this
(7200rpm or faster - look for high *minimum*
constant transfer rate [not the highest or average,
or seek time specs - and make sure on installation
that the read and write caches are enabled]) - the
www.DPS.com site lists a few that work, but the
IBM 9.1-gig DCHS-09W SCSI-II works (and I bought
the two needed for $559 each on www.onsale.com
auction - normally $1300 each). Also, the Adaptec
2940UW SCSI controller is recommended, though
about $300... Cooling the drives IS A PROBLEM
(MAKE SURE THAT THE TOPS ARE NOT TOO WARM TO
HOLD YOUR HAND ON COMFORTABLY after about an
hour of operation) - my computer has LOTS of
holes it didn't have before, and 5 fans, and the
drives are cool, but the computer interior is
still too warm (think of the problem as one of
how to keep two 20-watt light bulbs + the case
interior cool...). UDMA drives of 20-25 gigabytes
for under $400 should be out within a year, but
they may be too slow for capture, are probably
too slow for output to the camera (good for mass
storage inside the computer for working - and
the excess can be loaded at anytime back to the
camcorder losslessly through the fast SCSI drive
for storage when you run out of space on the
drives [which will be almost immediately -
2-gigs = 9.5 minutes = max single AVI file in or
out, darn! {You have to paste 9.5 minute segments
back together in camcorder - but the DV camcorders
allow moving to the exact last recorded frame}]).
- Camcorders- FireWire-equiped only, which means only Sony, or
a couple of the newest Panasonics, or the Canons.
Avoid digital stabilization, unless the CCD pixel
count is very high, as with the compact Sony DV
camcorders. 3-chips are noticeably better than one,
but EXPENSIVE! But one-chip is better than Hi-8
(sharper, no drop-outs, no generation losses), and
it also can be better in low-light than the 3-chip.
Be prepared to get an external mic, since most DV
camcorders have a noticeable camera whine in the
sound track. A good compatible WA converter is
also useful (camcorder zooms are NOT wide!). You
need only one FireWire camcorder + FW computer to
edit - no DV VCR needed...

I would try adding the DV editing card, SCSI interface card, more
RAM, and a large AV-rated SCSI-II or better hard drive to your
present computer and see what happens... (sorting out IRQ's can
be fun... - and DON'T forget the extra fans!).

Hope This Helps
David Ruether
http://www.fcinet.com/ruether
ruether@fcinet.com