Necessary Hardware/Software?

[chris in fla]

I am a complete newbie...I want to take DV tapes and make my own DVD home movies with sound....I realize individuals have preferences in both equipment and software. What I need to know is at a minimum, what is required for both to begin experimenting with this process at home. I don't want to hire someone...I prefer to learn to make them myself. I've looked at several other post, like in the How to make DVD home movies (very helpful), but can't seem to narrow it down. Are there programs out there that can be compared to "DVD making for Dummies!" How much should I expect to put out for equipment and software? What minimums should I consider in reference to my computer? This is a terrific site...I'm glad I found it. Thanks for any help

[rcb]

try this guide to help you on your way : https://www.videohelp.com/guides.php?link=6

[sacajaweeda]

VirtualDub ....must-have software.

[jimmalenko]

I would search the Capture Cards area to the left as a starting point. Personally I like the Canopus ADVCD-100 because I do a lot of analogue conversions from VHS. If all you wish to do is DV, I think all you need is a firewire port and a digital camcorder. It is pretty difficult to say that you must have a certain processor and RAM and HD etc. as a minimum.

Fill in your Computer Details in your profile and we can give a bit more descriptive responses.

[ZippyP.]

What minimums should I consider in reference to my computer?

IMHO, in order to take DV footage and convert to DVD's you will need ...

1 GHz computer with Firewire port, 512 Mb Ram, DVD writer, 80 GB hard drive. As with most mimimum requirements, higher specs are better. A faster processor is recommended (2 GHz and up), and a larger hard drive is preferred as well (120 GB and up) since DV takes up 13 GB per hour and you can quickly run out of space.

How much you spend depends on the going price for computers in your area. If you're buying new and want to save some cash, I recommend buying one or two notches below the fastest advertised systems. You don't need blazing fast speed for editting video, leave that to the game players, but you don't want to be obsolete in 6 months either

For software you can get some entry level packages like those made by Ulead, or higher level products like Adobe Premier. Read up in the forums to see what other people use. Hope that helps.

BTW, if you're transferring DV footage from a camcorder via firewire you won't need a capture card, just a firewire port.