Best laptop for editing video?

[duderdude]

Hey guys, so it's been a few years since I've been in the video-editing loop and was hoping some of you could point me in the right direction. Essentially, I'm wondering what laptop would be best for capturing/editing video?

Are there any with built-in capture cards (ideally with inputs for component video)?

[rallymax]

you're not going to find a laptop with component or even composite inputs.
You'd be better off choosing one of the many usb capture sticks out there. Most have composite only but there are some that have component.

[SatStorm]

Laptops are not the best alternatives to work with video.
You don't say where you located. If you are in Europe, then for grabbing digital terrestrial or satellite TV there are dedicated USB cards that allow this (grab and store direct the stream). There are also many USB PVR Digital recievers than can be used (Q Box, Dreambox, Yamatu HD, etc).

For grabbing analogue S.D. sources, the DV root remains the safest and nothing changed the last 8 - or so - years. DV also is the easy way to edit. No component AFAIK.
Finally, there is the Hauppauge HD PVR USB. It has component and captures straight to H264. So, at the time being, forget editing. If Womble or Videoredoo present a linear editor, we talk again.

[edDV]

For more detailed response we need to know what kinds of video you want to capture? Then what kind of "editing" or processing you want to do? Then what your export/archive format you want?

Laptops suffer cooling issues when processing and have limited disk capacity. You usually end up with multiple expensive peripherals and overheating problems.

[owendude]

If you are determined on laptop editing, i sugest an apple macbook pro 15 or 17 inch. 13 would be too small. but you would be lookin at about 1.3k minimum :S.

[Nelson37]

This is kind of like asking "which folding bicycle would be best for a 500-mile ride?".

I often use the folding bicycle analogy for laptops in general, the compromises for portability make it unsuitable for most types of heavy usage, unless large sums are spent. Then it's still a compromise.

A cheap laptop AND a decent desktop, or two desktops, is generally a better way to go.

If you must have a laptop, you will likely need a cooling pad, an external mouse for finer control, an external drive, a USB capture device, a hookup for a TV monitor for checking final output, probably a more reliable external burner to replace the flimsy unit buitl-in, maybe a docking station....

[rallymax]

duderdude, is there any specific reason that you want to edit on a laptop?

Nelson37 is dead-right - you're better off with a cheap laptop for say downloading to on a trip if you have a HDD or SD stick camcorder and then back home using a desktop.
I got a Intel Core 2 Quad + motherboard (inc OK graphics) + 2Gig RAM + case at Fry's last year for <$300. You simply can't beat that sort of processing power per $$$. Use Windows 7 RC (because it's free to use until next July) and you've got yourself a really powerful editing platform. Add a burner for $80 and if you really need TV preview, a video card like a cheap $60 nVidia 9400GT (which is great for gaming) and you'll have great 3D graphics, CUDA acceleration as well as S-video output.

I tried for years to use my work laptop for editing but it just doesn't have the processing power and all the other drawbacks Nelson37 mentioned - biggest of which was never having enough hard disk space.

my 2c.

[Persistence]

The other posters are correct, that a desktop can usually offer better editing muscle for the same price, and also be more open to upgrades, than a notebook. If you want ultra-smooth preview of edited AVCHD video, however, you must invest in a rather advanced desktop anyway.

In 2007, Sony rolled out some FZ series VAIO notebooks with core 2 duo CPUs and NVIDIA 8400 cards. One could customize them to get up to 2.4 ghz and have a BD burner. I got one for about $3k with all the extras. It has all the input, output, and virtual ports and plugs, including HDMI. That was about twice the base price, but gave me enough punch to edit AVCHD 1440x1080i projects, provided I exercise due caution.

The advantages:

1) Portability as an editing device or as a BD player. Since BD players remain scarce, I still rely on this feature from time to time, even though I later got a dedicated BD player for the TV. I can also use a giant-sized external HDTV as my editing screen, if I want. Almost any HDTV, anywhere, will do. The tiny USB-powered external HDDs work OK for me, even when editing, despite their relatively slow 5400 RPM. I can fit two or three of the darned things in the pockets of the notebook's carrying bag.

2) Use modest space. I do have external drives to supplement the on-board HDD, but they fit on discrete shelves. When away from "home base," the space needed is small.

3) Virus-free, bloatware free, and system failure free. I seldom connect the notebook line, other than to get specific items needed for editing. Meanwhile, I long ago abandoned hope of keeping the household desktop free of any junk or nuisance other users insist on downloading. The notebook runs as fast as when new, which is certainly not the case of the junkware-ridden, HDD-disordered desktop.

The limitations are that I can't easily upgrade the CPU or GPU. However, so long as I use the existing videocam and so forth, and work within intelligent size limits, that is not a big deal. The battery life is not long, but long enough to survive power failures or to play back a 90 minute typical project. This is no "drawback" relative to a desktop, however, since all serious editing or lengthy viewing will be done using AC current and the DC adaptor. External HDDs have fallen so much in price recently, that I see no need to replace my existing 250GB internal HDD, which I use mainly for the OS and program files.

More advanced notebooks are certainly available now. But I suspect that more CPU will mean less battery life. Prices for base products are now lower, but a person who "builds" a customized model will still pay about what I did, after all is said and done. The graphics cards are now better, too, but the performance when editing AVCHD seems only marginally better, at least where my particular video format and project scale goes.

A cheap laptop can be very economical, and may be fine for word processing, web surfing, or even video playback. But few support BD discs, and none available under $1,000 is likely to have the CPU speed, graphics card specs, or RAM needed for AVCHD editing.

SDHC flash media is now so cheap (<$2 / gb) that I see no reason to carry a laptop, or even a portable HDD, on a trip, and risk losing or wrecking it. The only "expensive" thing is the padded pouch you might need to store all the cards so they don't get lost.

A desktop is fine for stationary folks, but nomads, other wanderers, and even people who need to keep a small home tidy, or work in different rooms when other residents take over the primary (and junk-ridden) desktop, find a notebook very useful.

[videonewstoday]

I run Avid Media Composer on my intel Macbook Pro 17" and have not had any problems so far, but just started editing with it about 5 months ago.. Anyone else have any problems with the Macbook Pro?

[jagabo]

I run Avid Media Composer on my intel Macbook Pro 17" and have not had any problems

Are you editing 1080p AVC?