> i haev read at other forums that Vegas Video 5 is the lastest and best for user ,(newbies) like me..... so any commets is apprecited.

I would suggest you start with Vegas Movie Studio+DVD and not Vegas 5. Vegas Movie Studio is designed for people who are new to video editing and has tutorials that will show you how to accomplish tasks by highlighting areas of the screen while you make the changes. I came from Pinnacle Studio 7 and you will be very happy with Vegas Movie Studio ($99).

> mayeb some one can answer this. i have PV-GS120 panasonic video camera and i cannot captuere my movie clips. it came with a USB wire but no Firewire. i don't have a firewire card installed on pc..

Then you need to go to your local CircuitCity, BestBuy,computer store, etc. and buy a firewire card ($20-$40) and firewire cable. That is how you get DV video into your PC. You will also need a large hard drive. DV video is 13GB/hr. Adding a second hard drive just for your video projects is a smart move. While not required, it is recommended.

~jr

tks JohnnyRoy, i do have a 2nd HD 80 G so i am almost there. i just need a FW and card.

and why would you suggest Vegas Movie Studio+DVD over Vegas 5, and is the VMS +DVD has a trial version? $ isnt the real issue . i just want to do some ediitng to my video clips,, add jpeg's transitions, and cut out the dead spots. and you say Vegas Movie Studio+DVD is more user friendly? to use????

and yea i have tried pinnicle V 9 and i could NOT make cutsa in the video where i wanted to. only where pinnicle made its clips. will Vegas Movie Studio+DVD , be able to make cuts in the video where i want toooo??


and what softwere do i use to get my video captured to my pc? I have nero but Exprexx Vision 3 does not regonize it.... do i need a firewire cable? panasonic GS-120 just a USB cable came with the package,,,


Tks Dave,

Take a look at this link for the differences between V5 and Movie Studio:

link

Hope that helps

[edit] - yes there is a trial version of Movie Studio

> and why would you suggest Vegas Movie Studio+DVD over Vegas 5, and is the VMS +DVD has a trial version? $ isnt the real issue

Dave, Well if money isn’t an issue I guess you could start with Vegas 5. I would try both Vegas Movie Studio+DVD and Vegas+DVD (they both have trials). I guess you need to judge for yourself. If you need structure and assistance then Vegas Movie Studio will do that. It looks just like Vegas except that it has less features. Everything you learn in Movie Studio is directly transferable to Vegas so there is no learning curve to upgrade. All of your old projects will open just fine in Vegas.

Like I said, try them both. If you open Vegas to a blank timeline and say “What do I do now?” then open Vegas Movie Studio and it says, “Would you like to capture video?”. You tell me which version you’d like to use. One is for the pro who knows what they’re doing and the other is for the beginner who needs some help at times. Both will allow you to cut your video and way you want.

Only you can determine what is best for you. If Vegas Movie Studio does everything you need you can always upgrade to Vegas 5 later. Both are easy to use, Movie Studio is just a little more structured for the beginner.

> and what softwere do i use to get my video captured to my pc?

Both Vegas Movie Studio and Vegas 5 come with a capture utility that will take care of acquiring the video from your camera via firewire.

> do i need a firewire cable? panasonic GS-120 just a USB cable came with the package

Yes you need a firewire card and a firewire cable that has 6 pins on one end and 4 pins on the other. Some cards come with a cable, some don’t. There are 6-to-6 pin cables and 6-to-4 pin cables. Your Panansonic GS-120 (nice camera BTW, I have the GS-200) has a 4-pin connector and the firewire card will have a 6-pin connector.

The USB connection on your camera is only for transferring still images from the memory card.

~jr

What wasn't really made clear perhaps is in order to "capture" easily both MovieStudio and Vegas prefer a firewire interface. So you need a camera that also has a firewire in/out in addition to a fireware card for your computer or you need to try a device such as the Canopus A/D line of converters that accept a wider range of input like S video, component or composite besides firewire. There's actually an advantage in that feeding a Canopus 300 a composite input it automatically does video noise reduction on the fly, which may give you a leg up if your video source isn't that great to begin with. However if the camera you end up using does take decent DV quality then bringing it into Vegas via a firewire probably is the better choice.

tks all, boomhower, JohnnyRoy , i will try the trial version of Vegas 5, ( i think??? )and see what happens.

i has checked at Circut City and Vegas Movie Studio+DVD was $99.00, they dint have Vegas Video 5. i guess money can be a issue if the software is Starting at: $524.96 for Vegas Video 5 according to this web site. yikessss

i dint know Vegas Video 5 was that much. maybe i should try Vegas Movie Studio+DVD first and i can always up grade.

Vegas Video 5 is the top of line software? then Vegas Movie Studio+DVD ismore user firendly?

on either dounlaod of trials versions, are they 15 or 30 days, and do i have to uninstall the trial before i install the real deal???

Dave

Dave,
If you start with Vegas Movie Studio, you can rapidly grow, but it's a VERY powerful software. Johnny Roy, Jeff Fisher, and myself just finished a book on Vegas Movie Studio, ACID, and Sound Forge Studio. It's just simply amazing how much it can do. Way more than you could do with a 5000.00 editor just 10 years ago.
If you find the need to grow, your Vegas Movie Studio projects will open in the professional version of Vegas when you do upgrade. That's one of the coolest things.
The Vegas, Acid, and Sound Forge package as a studio suite is a VERY powerful set of tools.