On 25 Dec 2001 18:07:53 -0800, dkyburz@optonline.net (Dkybs) wrote:

>Need good advice. My computer is old and cheap (bottom of the line 2
>years ago). A Packard Bell 266 with only 32MB of memory. Not slow for
>some things but as I see all the needs for memory and speed in various
>FAQs for video editing, I wonder if I should even bother. Should I
>tell my son never mind until we can afford a better system? (Maybe we
>need a digital video camera, too.)
>
>I see people saying forget PCs and go for Mac. What to do? Although I
>want to encourage him I don't want to struggle to come up with a
>couple of thousand $$ and then have him lose interest in a few months.
>Anybody been there?
>
>So, what I need help with is: is there anything I can do with an older
>Sony analog camera, some kind of video card (is there an analog card
>that could also work for digital later?), an additional 32Meg of
>Memory (evidently they are wierd and rare chips for the PBELL) and
>some not so expensive editing software?
>Would such a combo be so clunky and difficult to use so as to be a big
>discouragement?
>
>So, how far down is the bottom rung and how do I get there and is it
>worth the trip?

Good PCs (not, alas, PBs...;-) are VERY cheap these days
(you do not need anything fancy - 700MHz and 128 megs of
RAM will suffice, as will a 17" tube-type monitor, but
an additional 30-60 gig HD [Maxtor 5400rpm is cheap and
good] is adviseable), as are good OHCI FireWire cards
(which can come with quite good editing software). Get a
bottom-end Mini-DV or D-8 camcorder and you have a decent
shooting and editing system for family videos, even if
the kid loses interest...;-) BTW, if you want to keep
the analogue camera, a converter box can be added, and
the same system is then also compatible with Mini-DV,
if you change in the future... (and if you are using
Hi-8 now, those tapes are playable in D-8 camcorders).
As for the computer, some are more upgradeable than
others (a fault of PB...), and it may be worth it to
seek these out (they are not necessarily more expensive).