Since you are addicted to this .... you obviously know how to use VF... Can I edit my captured films the "old fashioned way" meaning can I hear and see what I want to cut out?. This will determine if I will get VF 2.0...
What is the max length of a capture. Can I capture a 2hours Hi-8 tape?
I tried Videowave 4, included with Dazzle DV-Bridge, but couldn't figure out how to get both audio-video in the editing process, neither with MAinActor 3.65. You can tell I am a rookie...

Maxiumum length of capture is dependant on hard drive space. The longest capture i've done was about 4.5 hours to DV AVI format from a VHS tape recorded in SLP. It took about 60GB of drive space. The capture was flawless without a single dropped frame. My computer uses FAT32 which is limited to 4GB files, but Sonic Foundry's Video Capture automatically split it up into 15 files for me. These files can be placed sequentially in the timeline or printed back out to tape with no glitch at all between them. If you have NTFS instead of FAT32, you can capture all that as one single file.

If your source material is DV, you may also use the auto scene detection to break the capture into individual clips for each scene. I find this much more useful for editing.

The media pool lets you visually arrange and organize the clips. You can preview them and drag them onto the timeline, where they may be split, trimmed, stretched, sliced, diced, pureed, etc. All the changes can be viewed in nearly real-time in the preview window.

Thanks...
I have a c/d partition drive C=16 GB d=44 GB
D is the drive I want to use for editing.
How do I find out about FAT32/NTFS?
I use a Sony VAIO pentium 4, 1.5 GHZ. windows XP. Dazzle Hollywood DV-bridge.
So if I capture my whole Hi-8 2hours cassette I should be fine to edit the whole thing with VF 2.0. and transfer back to SVHS cassette.
I am sorry, but I didn't quite understood if I could SEE AND HEAR what I want to cut out (edit). I have miles of old 8mm films and a few of hi-8 to edit....

Nel,
The editing is very precise, right down to the frame. But if you are worried about say, cutting out too much, no problem.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong...The editing you do on the timeline is non-destructive, meaning your original file (captured video) is not affected.
Plus, if you do 'cut' out too much, you move the mouse to the end of the clip and drag it over to any length you want.
I used VW4 and 5, now I've upgraded to Vegas Video.
It sounds like you have alot of projects, so I would recommend VF. If you can, download the trial version and play with it for awhile. You won't be able to save anything, but you can do everything else.

Jon
joncinmn@hotmail.com

NelMichel: yes, you will be able to see and hear the clips as you're working on them. You can preview the raw clips, and also preview the edits you perform on them.

If you're running Windows 98, then you definately have FAT32 (or maybe FAT16, but certainly not NTFS). If you're using a different OS, or you just want to check, go to My Computer, right-mouse-button click on the hard drive icon, and choose Properties from the pop-up menu. Look for "File System:". Do this for the drive you want to store the clips on. If you're curious, you can check all the drives.

Chienworks.
Thanks. i am using NTFS. I downloaded the demo.
But can't find a way to edit (cut out unwanted portions) while hearing my original captured sequence.
The Help section is not actually describing in any way how to do this....
I saw the Ripple effect that can be used once I edited but I can't get started.
I noted the time for the cuts, but it is not the way I want to go. I thought there was a way to mark the bad parts and cut them somehow...

You can watch (and hear) the video right from the timeline in the preview window. When you get to the start of the section you want to remove, pause the playback. You can use the mouse or the arrow keys to move the cursor to the exact frame. You can also zoom in to see more frames on the timeline. When the cursor is in the right position press S on the keyboard to split the clip. Continue playing until you find the end of the section you want to remove. Repeat the same process to split the clip again at this point. With ripple edits enabled, double-click on the section of the clip you want to remove and it gets shaded light blue. Press the Delete key to remove it and the section to the right of the removed part will jump left to butt up against the section before the removed part.

Thanks,,, It confirms what I practiced for a while...the key word was "Split"
With the Demo, I created an event with several small events, manipulated the whole thing, titles and so on... didn't quite get the audio part but I managed to do a simple audio track witha CD....I don't want to loose this first try...but I am unabled to save because of the demo version...So I can't try to DV out. How hard or easy is it with Dazzle DV-bridge?
So I guess now... I will get the full version....I think I am hooked...
Thanks for for help, and may be soon I will be able to get my money worth it....

"I have a c/d partition drive C=16 GB d=44 GB
D is the drive I want to use for editing."

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the best scenario is to have a separate PHYSICAL drive for editing - not just a separate partition. Windows will still access the physical drive that c: is on occasionally during the time you are doing video captures, which creates the possibility of messing things up. Is that other's understanding as well?

Hammer45

My expereince has been that with my new separate Maxtor 7200 rpm 60G external hd my actual Dell Inspiron works very little on the tooing and throwing needed for this NLE stuff. This is a good thing. Actually I'm really considering purchasing a further Maxtor 80gb external and daisy chain it to the firwire link. HDs are becoming soooo affordable that it made sense for me to do this. I really think my set-up appears to be more stable than just relying on my single un-partioned HD. However others might well have their own thoughts.

Hammer45, have you considered openning up a separate thread to this one - "Using Vf to earn some cash?" thread - you might actually get some more help? Just a thought. There are a lot of VF Forum members very willing to help. Happy editing.

Grazie