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Post by speed on Nov 30, 2005 18:14:56 GMT -8
I'm looking to buy montage making equipment and if any of you could give me suggestions on editing programs/external hard drive's/Capture cards I will greatly appreciate it. Now onto my question.. will this Moviebox work the same as a capture card? and my next question if the first question answer is yes: Will this External hard drive work with that moviebox? FYI: Im looking for a USB 2.0 not an AV/DV or DV. ANY HELP WORKS!! |
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Post by FrkUout on Nov 30, 2005 21:57:22 GMT -8
So here's the good and the bad...the good is that yes the moviebox will work. It's the same movie box that Brandon and I use. You can get it a lot cheaper though at www.tigerdirect.com. They have refurbished ones for $40 plus shipping. That also includes the Pinnacle 9 software. Now fow the bad....the hard drive cannot hook up to the moviebox. The moviebox only has 1 USB 2.0 and that's for the computer connection. Plus, a 4 gig drive isn't going to get you far in the way of capturing and editing movies. I'd get at least a 20 and that's like bare minimum. Once you get enough videos together you'll easily fill a 4 gig if you use the highest capture quality. So, let me try to give you a visual of how it'll hook up.... You'll take the output cables from the xbox and hook them to the moviebox Then you'll need another set of cables to run from the moviebox back to the TV or VCR so you can see while capturing the video (unless you us splitters to allow for a direct connection to the tv and the moviebox, this will not hurt the video quality) You'll need to have a computer nearby to hook the moviebox to. Once you're all set you'll need to run the Pinnacle software to initiate the moviebox and get the picture to appear on the TV. If you do not plan on capturing video you can shut down the pinnacle software but do not disconect the USB or your picture will go to colored bars on the screen. So to recap...Yes the moviebox will work and no you cannot connect a hard drive directly to it. You can however use the harddrive externally on the computer. |
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Post by killr on Nov 30, 2005 22:18:44 GMT -8
I can't wate to see your montage Calico. Hope all the technical stuff works out, cause FrkUout is a genius.
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Post by TequilaDo on Dec 1, 2005 5:48:24 GMT -8
Rick i have two hard drives one which im not using at all i dont know why its in there but my friend put it in there. so i have a 60Gb hard drive is that enough space for everything or should i start saving for a bigger one? also my mommy has a problem buying stuff off the internet is there any way that i can get that movie box for cheap at a store or should i beg for a CC number?
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Post by FrkUout on Dec 1, 2005 8:05:30 GMT -8
The 60 gig is pleanty of space...probably more than you'll need because once you host it you can delete the files. Usually you'll need about 10 gig free for a 4 gig movie to render and convert the files. As far as a store for the moviebox you can get it at Bestbuy or Circuit City but they are still expensive. Around $100 or so. You can get it much cheaper on the internet.
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Post by Zangief on Dec 1, 2005 9:53:02 GMT -8
One question Tyler. How nice is you computer? The reason I ask is because if you are looking to spend some money, you might want to consider a video card upgrade. This will get you your capture card and a new video card for you PC, if you need one.
You should only consider this option if you are comfortable unstalling hardware or have someone that can do it for you (I DO NOT recommend messing wit that if you don't know what you are doing). As far as hard drive space, this will depend on what kind quality you want to capture video in. For Halo videos it does not need to be anything spectacular. Hopefully you can capture better quality than I do (my computer is in desparate need of an upgrade).
60 gigs will do you wonders for storing your videos. And like rick said, once you render your completed videos, you can delete the captured stuff. If you really want to save it, burn it to DVD. You can get 4.7 gigs on a single layer dvd. And to do that you will need a dvd burner, something I recommend having now a days.
That is the more complicated way of doing things because you have to know how to install the hardware. I much prefer installing internal drives verses usb because it creates way too much clutter. I have enough USB compenents, I don't need capture cards and hard drives up the but. BUT usb is much simpler.
If you consider a new video card, let me know and I can make suggestions. Otherwise follow the path of the all mighty frkuout.
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Post by speed on Dec 1, 2005 13:46:37 GMT -8
Money isn't the issue. My computer is alright, and yes I think i am going to get a new and better video card. How much are they? I also have my older brother who knows all kind of stuff.. site creater of SourceHack so any of the technical stuff is just a call away for me. and yes like I said, i am going to have to buy a new video card so i can run everything smoothly. Rick my computer and xbox are like 4 feet away so the hook ups should be quite easy. what kind of cables will i be needing? any? Also one last question rick, do you suggest i get an internal or external drive? Will it effect anything? Looking online for a 60gig now by the way.. =EDIT= what about THIS |
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Post by Zangief on Dec 1, 2005 14:26:39 GMT -8
I would recommend internal for things such as hard drives, dvd/cd drives and burners, video/capture cards. Only reason I would go external would be if I wanted to use it on multiple PC (like a usb capture device) or to transport data (like a usb har drive). If you / your parents can spend the money, why not go big? Spend $150 on a better sized hard drive. 60 gigs is on the low end now a days, but it will do you fine for storing captured halo video. Now a good video card will be very expensive. Top of the line G-Force 7800 or over $500, same with Radeon 850xt's. I will do a little research when I get home from work, but you can should be able to get a good video card for $200-$300. Of course there are cheaper ones, but I am not going to recommend those. Partly because when I get something, I like to get the top of the line stuff if I have the money for it. I will post some links for you. In case you are misunderstanding it, when you buy a nice video card, it is your capture card as well. There are AV inputs on it. It will include detailed instructions too. So if you want to upgrade your video card, there will be no need to look into moviebox or things like that. It will most likely come with some capture/video editing software too. One last thing, before you buy some new hardware like a video card, we need to make sure it is compatable with your system. So let me know your specs, mainly how much ram and what processor. *edit* Top of the line video cards: ATI Radeaon X1800XT - $589 GeFroce 7800GTX - $459 More affordable yet really good video cards: GeForce 7800GT - $309 ATI Radeon X800XT - $299 GeForce 6800GT - $249 |
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Post by speed on Dec 1, 2005 14:44:20 GMT -8
Ok, I have a question. Can i get my system specs from my computer then view system information? Will it include what i have added onto it (RAM..) or will it say what it was when i bought it?
Oh and i will greatly appreciate it if you do post some links about video cards you suggest when you can get around to it.
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Post by FrkUout on Dec 1, 2005 14:45:01 GMT -8
All good advice from Jeremy. I would recommend an internal hard drive as well. If you have support for the Serial ATA connections go that route. They have bigger transfer bandwith. If not a good 7200 RPM hard drive of whatever size would be great.
If your computer supports PCI express then see if you can spend the bucks for a good upgrade. If not, there are very good AGP cards that'll do what you want. The ATI all-in-wonder comes to mind.
On a side note, you can get just a capture card add-on rather than a complete video card replacement. Just make sure your computer meets the requirements for the software that comes with it and that you have an empty PCI slot available.
As for your connections, if you choose to go the moviebox route you'll only need a USB 2.0 cable that'll reach to your computer. Any port is fine.
Another way is to get the audio/video cables that are long enough to allow the moviebox to be right on the computer desk.
Depending on the configuration you'll need the following:
A USB 2.0 cable- I think one comes with the moviebox
A audio/video cable to run back to the TV or VCR--depending on how you hook the xbox up
You can run it this way as well:
From the xbox connect 3 RCA Y-adapters to the cables then plug in 2 sets of A/V cables to the Y-adapters. One set will go to the moviebox input and the other will go to the TV or VCR. ---This way will prevent the picture from going to colored bars if you accidently unplug the USB from the moviebox.
System specs are updated whenever you add something such as RAM. So if you right click on My Computer and go to properties the general tab will give you the basic information about your computer. Such as Processor speed, Amount of RAM and operating system. You'll need to look in the book for the motherboard/system or open the case to see if you have AGP or PCI express video.
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Post by speed on Dec 1, 2005 14:49:35 GMT -8
Wow.. then when i switched computers i must have forgot to put all the ram in this one.
Heres some info of it now i guess.. give me ideas for items and upgrades please
AMD Sempron 2200+
1.5GHz
384 Mb of RAM
i will open my case here in abit and see if i can find that info for you, rick.
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Post by FrkUout on Dec 1, 2005 14:54:21 GMT -8
First thing would be a definite RAM upgrade. 384 is good but 512 or 1 Gig would be better. You don't necessarily have to open your case to find out what's in there. If it's a Dell or something of that nature and you have the sticker on the front that'll tell you most everything. Most PCI express slots are blue and near the top of the slots. AGP are generally brown in color and are offset from the rest of the slots.
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Post by Zangief on Dec 1, 2005 14:57:50 GMT -8
The reason I ask is if I start recommending kick ass video cards, they may be too much for your PC. AGP vs PCI express will be the main compatibilty issue.
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Post by speed on Dec 1, 2005 14:58:54 GMT -8
Rick i cant really tell and since i can't seem to find a screwdriver ill just ask the person when they get home.
Thanks jeremy for all those cards, but do they come with capture devices? It didn't seem like it.
Actually, i might call him in a few minutes.
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Post by FrkUout on Dec 1, 2005 15:05:27 GMT -8
The capture device is built in to the video card..so you'd have to run some cables from the xbox to the video card and back or slipt the signal like I explained before.
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