An Avid/FCP huy looking for a new home

spaulgal wrote on 11/14/2003, 8:58 AM
I'm a long-ime Apple user. I thought I would never consider a PC for editing. We have a studio with 3 PowerMac workstations were we edit primarily on FCP these days.
We just finished a documentary in Africa where we shot 78 hours of footage with the new JVC JY-HD10 High Definition camcorders. I found that Vegas is the only serious software that handles this format (MPEG-2TS) natively.

I've been looking at Vegas, and I got to say I'm pretty impressed. My understanding was that it was engineered for the consumer (home) editor. It seems to be powerful.

Enough background- here are the questions:

1) To edit mpeg2-ts to I need the +DVD package?
If possible, I would like to encode and produce DVD on our MACs. We have experienced DVD authors who use DVDSP very well.
1a) Can I export the video and 5.1 over the network to a mac and compress there? What are the advantages to doing it with the +DVD package?
1b) Can I output an AC-3 file without the +DVD?

2) What OS do you guys use? Any other SYSTEM suggestions would be appreciated as we will build a system especially for Vegas.

3) does Vegas use a dual monitor setup?

4) Are there any pros out there using this?

thanks!

Steven Galvano
Colors Studios

Comments

Jsnkc wrote on 11/14/2003, 9:40 AM
1) To edit mpeg2-ts to I need the +DVD package?
If possible, I would like to encode and produce DVD on our MACs. We have experienced DVD authors who use DVDSP very well.
Why would you want to edit MPEG files, you will take a big quality hit!

1b) Can I output an AC-3 file without the +DVD?
no

2) What OS do you guys use? Any other SYSTEM suggestions would be appreciated as we will build a system especially for Vegas.
I use one with a XP Home edition computer and 2 XP Professional systems

3) does Vegas use a dual monitor setup?
Yes and no, there isn't really a preset for dual monitors, but most of the windows can be moved around and arranged however you want over multiple monitors. They will retain their settings when you restart the program too

4) Are there any pros out there using this?
There are lotos of Pros that use it, but not a lot that seem to want to admit it.
busterkeaton wrote on 11/14/2003, 9:43 AM
4) Yes.
3) Yes.
2) WinXP Pro and Home and Win2000Pro all work fine in Vegas. A more important issue is what the does the JVC capture tool require. I think it's XP only. For networking get XP pro.
1b)No.
1a) dunno know about cross platform stuff,
1) See this thread. I know that you can not capture or deliver mpeg-2tS with Vegas. You need a capture tool, but I believe JVC provides one.

Vegas was not engineered for home editors. It started out as an audio only editor. Its audio tools are still fantastic. When it added video they found retaining an audio-type UI resulted in a very quick workfllow. It has a great codec, it works well with many types of media, it's extremely stable, it can author surround sound, the audio tools rock, you could preview out to a monitor over firewire way earlier than Final Cut, etc, etc. For DV nothing beats it.
BillyBoy wrote on 11/14/2003, 9:54 AM
To dispel the "Vegas isn't for professionals" myth.

There were TWO applications originally developed by Sonic Foundy and recently purchased by Sony. The full vesion first going by the name Vegas Video, always was every bit a "professional:" grade application, but it did attract a sizeable number of serious hobbyists that wanted something more than the typical toy like video editor application out there like Video Wave and that crowd and Vegas still does have many hobbyist fans. It's name was later changed to Vegas and under that name has got lots of favorable press lately.

There was a lessor version having many of the Vegas features first called Video Factory, (aimed at consumers) sold mainly in the retail channel and later licensed by Sony as a customized version and marketed as "Screenblast Movie Studio". Both run only under the Windows platform. If or not that will change under Sony, remains to be seen.
jetdv wrote on 11/14/2003, 9:58 AM
1b) Can I output an AC-3 file without the +DVD?

YES - if you also purchase the AC-3 addon which costs about as much as the "+DVD" difference anyway meaning it's more cost-effective to just buy the "+DVD" option. But it CAN be done.