video workstation advice
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- stupidresponse
I've been tasked with setting up a mac video editing workstation, and I'm not really a video guy, so looking for some advice.
we're an art museum, so we get DVDs from all sorts of artists from all over the world in various formats. The most common thing we have to do is extract bits from different DVDs and compile them into a single DVD, transcode, convert from PAL, stuff like that.
what softwares would you recommend for this?
- skelly_b0
Handbrake is good for ripping DVDs. Beyond the Compressor, a part of the Final Cut Studio, is great for converting video files to other formats. Also in the Final Cut Studio is DVD Studio Pro, great for authoring. And of course Final Cut handles all your editing needs. Basically, you will find no better software suite for the money.
- rtr0
look into Episode Pro too in case you have to put stuff onto small portable devices
http://www.telestream.net/produc…
- ninjasavant0
The problem with Handbrake and FCP is that FCP tends to choke on the files. There have been countless times I ripped something and couldn't do anything with it, even Compressor would throw an error. I'm not sure how FCP 6 does as I only have 5.5.
I found the best program for video conversion is VisualHub http://www.techspansion.com/visu… Its $29 and has saved my ass numerous times in converting to an FCP friendly format.
Honestly though, if you're not doing major editing with requirements for effects or anything you could do the job completely with VisualHub. There's an option to create DVD compatible video files and then just burn a DVD from the files in the order you put them in. It doesn't create a menu so as soon as you pop in the DVD it starts playing chapter 1 (the first file) and you can back/next your way through the clips. Or you can stitch them together into 1 chapter.
If you need minor editing and effects capabilities and a DVD menu but don't need it to be branded or overly fancy you could do the job quite handily with iMovie and iDVD. I do a lot of my lighter jobs using those 2 when I don't want to think about it, just want to get it done.
If you need a broader range of editing capabilities but don't want to shell out the total cost for FCP Studio you can get FCP Express and a copy of Roxio Popcorn.
As far as hardware, spec out the fastest machine you can afford then bump it up to the next level and eat the cost.
- demafleez0
MPEG Streamclip is the best free way to convert VOB files to any quicktime format for FCP.
use handbrake to transcode stuff to your ipod and such. the resulting files are not edit friendly within FCP.
use mac the ripper to strip those pesky macrovision encoded files, otherwise just open the VOBs within streamclip.
- Llyod0
get a mac
- madirish0
seeing that the first sentence of thread was:
"I've been tasked with setting up a mac...",
that is an awesome post, Lloyd....
- stupidresponse0
thanks everyone!