I am of the opinion that the world of video and film making has not totally coalesced as yet in terms of the average person having a seamless system to take advantage of every piece of equipment and software they have.

Components

Let’s look at the components that make up the ideal whole; of course you need a camcorder of some description and these days it would be pretty hard to find other than an HDV one – either tape, SD/CF/P2 card etc or HDD based. Let’s face it, in the public (and corporate) eye, SD is a dead duck – even if the TV stations can’t quite get their act into gear with their digital channels.

Next is editing software. Again, even at the most basic level you would be hard pressed to find something that wouldn’t edit HD, and the majority will also burn to Blu-ray these days. The packages that are supplied with cameras / camcorders and even burners are pretty how’s-yer-father, so many tend to opt for the likes of Adobe Premiere Elements, Sony Vegas Movie Studio, AVID Studio, Corel Studio, Magix and their equivalents at the mid-range $200 approx end At the upper echelon of editors, the professionals, broadcasters and enthusiastic amateurs might choose for Sony Vegas, Adobe CS 5.5, Edius, AVID Media Composer and so on.

And before I get shouted at, yes I know there is also Final Cut Pro for the Mac, but with the latest release, the jury seems to be decidedly divided so until we have a full review, I am not prepared to say it is at this stage a current major player, and by all accounts, Premiere for the Mac is going ahead in leaps in bounds.

Whilst not critical for most users, of great use at the professional (and perhaps enthusiast) levels are applications such as Adobe After Effects and Boris Red, collectively described as “Motion Graphics” applications. For the uninitiated, this simply means they are mainly used to deal with imagery over seconds of time or less, rather the editing of a full movie. An example might be moving text around on screen – think text graphics as used on Hungry Beast on the ABC. Specialist titling applications (BluffTitler DX9, ProDAD, Pinnacle Title Xtreme) and special effects (Pixelan Spicemaster, Trapcode, Shine, Particle Illusion, FXHome, Red Giant) also has their place in the video maker’s toolset.

Next we have the display/playback options and there are a number of options here. A hi-def TV is needed obviously, and there are many, many options available here from a bunch of major manufacturers (Samsung, Panasonic, Sharp, Toshiba, Sony, LG) and lesser known brands usually classified as lesser quality than the premiums. I won’t go into the pros and cons of plasma v LCD v LED or even projectors here as I am not qualified in that area and there are many references on the ‘net that abound discussing the pros and cons of each. But do remember “You’s pays for what you’s gets”.

Most TVs these days will accept content on an SD card, or more likely, you will have a digital ready DVD recorder/player plugged in acting as a media player and TV receiver.

But here is where the most interesting part of the puzzle starts, and I’d like here to offer one possible solution. PVRs are quite popular as they allow recording (using digital media guides) and even internet connection.  In the past I have used a DVICO TVix, but there are many others such as Topfield, Happauge and STRONG available.

Windows Media Center

But if you are shooting your own stuff, does it not make sense to make full use of its capability? So have you considered a combination of a Blu-ray player/burner and Windows Media Center? I have been using WMC for around 2 years and have got to know its quirks and limitations, especially living in the country and only getting ABC and occasional (weather permitting) SBS broadcasts. This is not a drama for me as I rarely watch commercial TV – AFL is on GWN 7 as are the V8 Supercars, F1 I get through the ‘net from Channel 10’s live feed via the BBC and that mostly satisfies my advert based viewing. (7NOW via the ‘net is absolutely abysmal in its streaming capability so I don’t even bother).

This means I can set up WMC with the IceTV digital media guide to use the PC as a video recorder, and I have installed a dedicated Seagate 1TB hard drive for just this purpose. The PC is also my radio station – surprisingly I don’t have a great interest in “country” radio’s topics, and instead listen to ABC Perth, Triple M Sydney and others that stream via the ‘net. One interesting thing I have found is that with my PC’s video card connected to my Denon receiver amplifier via HDMI, I get full stereo broadcasts via my hi-fi and even streamed TV (eg F1) comes through with full digital stereo audio. This is a much better set up than using a set of speakers attached to the PC obviously and a bonus!

Similarly, Blu-ray discs or my own creations either direct from the PC or via a burnt disc, can also be played through the system.

If you are running Windows 7 Premium or above, you already have Windows Media Center available, Blu-ray player/burners have plummeted in price in the last years to around the $250 or less mark, an HDMI enabled video card may already be installed, but if not, can be had for under $100 and I am willing to bet you already have a hi-def enabled TV.

Once you have seen your own footage played back in all the glory it was meant to be shown, you’ll never go back. And the added convenience of WMC as a stored music, movies and photo centres, especially in a networked environment allowing all devices to connect simply makes sense. (For networking I use a SiliconDust Homerun Tuner).

All the technical knowledge you need is to be able to use a screwdriver and understand the concept of folder sharing and libraries. Windows 7  and the WMC software pretty much takes care of the rest.

Companies / Products mentioned

• Adobe Premiere Elements
• Boris Red
• BluffTitler DX9
• ProDAD
• Pinnacle Title Xtreme
• Pixelan Spicemaster
• Trapcode
• Shine
• Particle Illusion
• FXHome
• Red Giant
• Samsung
• Panasonic
• Sharp
• Toshiba
• Sony
• LG
• DVICO TVix
• Topfield
• Hauppauge
• STRONG
• IceTV
• Denon
• SiliconDust Homerun Tuner

By David Hague

David is the owner and publisher of AusCam Online. He has a background in media dating back to 1979 when he first got involved with photojournalism in motorsport, and went from there into technology via a 5 year stint with Tandy Computers. Following that, he ran a software distribution company on the Gold Coast and was one of the first to recognise the potential of Microsoft Windows.

Moving back to WA, David wrote scripts for Computer Television for video training for the just released Windows and Office 95 among others, and was then lured to Sydney to create web sites for the newly commercial Internet in 1995, building hundreds of sites under contract to OzEmail including Coates Hire, Hertz Queensland, John Williamson, the NSW Board of Studies and many, many more.

He went back into full time journalism as the Managing Editor for Channel 7's 'Gadget Guy', Peter Blasina's publications VideoCamera and Pixelmag, before starting Australasian Camcorder magazine when these publications were shelved. He lives at Sydney's Avalon Beaches nearly on the ocean front with dog Budweiser and in his spare time is a nut for motor sport, road safety, fishing, science fiction - especially Dr Who - and technology.

David can be contacted via david@auscamonline.com