[geeks] Video Recommendations?

[Ethan]

> I had a capture card in my linux machine.  The drivers (not in the kernel) 
> required that you first compile the kernel with the driver for some other
> video card, but along the lines, that other video card got removed, and I 
> wasn't willing to downgrade the kernel.

Errrg

> But anyway, I take it your first camera was a firewire one?  I don't own
> any decent video equipment at the moment, but I'm attempting to put together
> a Y/C system since firewire is too expensive.  Initially, I want a unix
> workstation to talk to the video equipment, and a camera.  Hopefully shortly
> followed by a nice pair of VCRs (Hi8, SVHS), and a nice video monitor (Sony
> 13" displays seem semi affordable).

Doude, skip the Y/C... you can get a used Sony TRV-120 firewire camera
from Ebay for $300-400 if you snipe and work deals... Then you can pick up
a firewire card for $20. You might have to run Windows and Premiere, but
it isn't that bad.

I own a Matrox RT2000... Windows only, Firewire + Analog
(SVideo/Composite). I bought it because it could preview to NTSC. It has
been fairly painful. Drivers are FINALLY getting stable, under 2000 and
XP. The 2500 has come out also, and is only one card. I really like the DV
STorm (well, it looks to be stable). But I haven't heard many reviews on
it and I have no more money to purchase video stuff.

I also picked up a Matrox Digisuite LE (Paid $300 for a LE and
digidesktop, please don't hate me)... it is VERY good, VERY stable, but
the MPEG2/DV board (the DTV card) is $1500.. EEEK!

My comparison... analog editing normally has field/frame pairs... which is
annoying. DV is progressive scan I guess, because I don't see that.
Err, maybe that is only on the RT2000.

I'd say go firewire... it is so cheap, and so good. What comes out is
exactly what went in. And if you get an older sony firewire digital8
camcorder, you can pass analog video into the camera and it will convert
it to firewire. Sony wasn't selling highend on the new cameras so they
robbed the low end of good features to sell higher end models.

TRV-510 and TRV-120 are the ones I was after. I never checked Pawn shops
or anything. And buying from eBay is a risk. I think in the end I paid
$350 for my TRV-120, and I've made some short videos that I edited in
premire. Mostly of my laser show stuff and my ex-roomate's industrial
robot arm. Premiere irks me sometimes, but overall it is powerful if you
can figure everything out.

Part of our project also has a Linux system with optibase cards for MPEG2
DVD compliant playback. That part works like a dream (too bad it won't
work in FreeBSD, Linux feels cold to me).

> I don't really have much money for anything, but I'm feeling more and more
> desire for this stuff as I'm nearing the end of school, and I am finally 
> getting some related programming done, which means there is less chance the
> gear would go unused.

GO FIREWIRE!

> I'm currently considering producing stock titling and graphics media for the
> excuse of using it to build low level video building blocks.

Premiere isn't too bad!