How to adjust power settings and screen savers?

Your computer is probably set to power down after a period of inactivity. Normally this is a good thing because it conserves energy, but it can cause problems during video capture and some other video-editing actions. To temporarily disable power-saving options, follow these steps:

1. Choose Start➪Control Panel.
2. In the Windows Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance if you see that option, and then double-click the Power Options icon. If you do not see a Performance and Maintenance listing, simply double-click the Power Options icon. The Power Options Properties dialog box appears.
   
3. On the Power Schemes tab, set all four pull-down menus (near the bottom of the dialog box) to Never.. Alternatively, you can just choose the Always On scheme from the Power Schemes pull-down menu.
4. Click Save As, name the power scheme Video in the Save Scheme dialog box that appears, and then click OK.
5. Click OK again to apply the changes and close the Power Options Properties dialog box.

If you want to conserve power in the future, you can turn on the power saving features by simply choosing a different power scheme in the Power Options Properties dialog box.

I also recommend that you disable screen savers when you are getting ready to work with video. To do so, right-click an empty area of the Windows desktop and choose Properties. In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Screen Saver tab and choose (None) in the Screen saver menu. Click OK to close the Display Properties dialog box.

How to update VGA Card?

Windows operates the various components in your computer by using software tools called drivers. Outdated drivers can cause your computer to run slowly — or even crash. This is especially true of video display drivers in Windows XP. The display adapter (another name for the video card) is the component that generates the video image for your computer’s monitor. Hardware vendors frequently provide updates, so check the manufacturers’ Web sites regularly for downloadable updates. If you aren’t sure who made your display adapter, follow these steps:

1. Choose Start➪Control Panel.
2. In the Windows Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance if you see that option, and then double-click the System icon. If you do not see a Performance and Maintenance listing, simply doubleclick the System icon. The System Properties dialog box appears.
3. Click the Hardware tab to bring it to the front, and then click Device Manager. The Windows Device Manager opens.
4. Click the plus sign next to Display Adapter. More information about the display adapter appears in the list, including the manufacturer and model of your display adapter.
5. Click the Close ( X ) button when you are done to close the Device Manager.

To check for updated drivers, I can do a Web search for the manufacturer’s name, and then visit their Web site to see if updates are available. The Web site should contain installation instructions for the driver updates. Make sure that any driver updates you download are designed specifically for Windows XP (or specifically for the version of Windows you’re using).

Optimizing Windows for video work

Even if you have a brand new computer with a wicked-fast processor and lots of RAM, you may experience problems when you work with digital video. Perhaps the most common problem is dropped frames during capture or export. A dropped frame occurs when your computer can’t keep up with the capture or export process and loses one or more video frames. Pinnacle Studio and most other video-editing programs report dropped frames if they occur. If you encounter dropped frames (or you just want to help your computer run more efficiently for video work), try the tips in the following sections to improve performance.

I recommend running Windows XP for digital video work, and the following sections assume you are using XP (whether the Pro or Home version). If you’re using an earlier version of Windows (such as Me), you can still follow along, though some steps may be slightly different.

Choosing Windows video software

Perhaps the nicest thing about using a Windows PC is that no matter what you want to do, lots of software is available to help you. Countless video editing programs are available.Video-editing software for Windows breaks down into three basic categories:

• Basic: At the low end of the price-and-feature scale are free programs (such as Windows Movie Maker) or programs that come free with cheaper FireWire cards (such as Ulead VideoStudio or Roxio VideoWave). These programs are usually pretty limited in terms of what you can do with them; I recommend moving up to the next level as soon as your budget allows.
• Intermediate: A growing number of video-editing programs now offer more advanced editing features at a price that is not out of the average consumer’s reach. Pinnacle Studio — featured throughout this book —is one good example. Studio retails for $99 and offers more advanced editing than most basic programs — plus you can expand the capabilities even more with the Hollywood FX Plus plug-in ($49).
• Advanced: If you’re willing to spend $400 or more, you can get some of the same programs that the video pros use. Advanced video-editing programs include Adobe Premiere, Avid Xpress DV, Pinnacle Edition, and Sonic Foundry Vegas.

Installing a FireWire card

If you have a PC and want to work with digital video, perhaps the one upgrade you are most likely to perform is to install a FireWire (IEEE-1394) card. A FireWire card is crucial if you want to capture video from a digital camcorder into your computer.

To install a FireWire card, you need to have an empty PCI slot inside your computer. PCI slots are usually white and look like the open slot. If you have an empty PCI slot, you should be able to install a FireWire card. Numerous cards are available for less than $100. Most FireWire cards also come packaged with video-editing software, so consider the value of that software when you make your buying decision. Pinnacle (www.pinnaclesys.com), for example, sells Pinnacle Studio DV — which includes both a FireWire card and a full version of the Studio editing software for a retail price of $129. Shop around and you may find an even better sale price!

When you purchase a FireWire card, read the box to make sure your computer meets the system requirements. Follow the installation instructions that come with the card to install and configure your FireWire card for use. After the card is installed, Windows automatically detects your digital camcorder when you connect it to a FireWire port and turn on the camcorder’s power. You can then use Windows Movie Maker or other video-editing software to capture video from the camcorder.

Installing Windows XP for Video Editing

Earlier I recommended that you run Windows XP if you plan to work with digital video. Windows XP is vastly more stable than previous versions of Windows (especially Windows 95, 98, and Me) — and it does a much better job of managing system memory, which is crucial when you work with video. If you don’t already have Windows XP, you’ll need to upgrade.

If you already have a version of Windows on your computer, you can purchase an upgrade to Windows XP Home Edition for $99 or Windows XP Professional for $199. If you don’t already have Windows, the Full Version of XP Home will set you back $199, and the full version of XP Pro costs $299. Windows XP Professional is nice, but so is XP Home. If you don’t need the extra networking tools built into Windows XP Pro, XP Home is just fine for video work.

You may have heard horror stories from friends who tried to upgrade their old computers to Windows XP. To be honest, I have a horror story of my own (but I’ll spare you the gruesome details). For now, I can offer these three pieces of advice:

• Avoid installing Windows XP on any computer that is more than five years old. XP is a snob about modernity, and may not support some of your older components and hardware. Service Pack 2 (SP2) is mandatory for today’s working environment.A quick way to check the hardware in your computer is to use Microsoft’s online Upgrade Advisor. Visit www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/upgrading/ advisor.asp for instructions on how to download and use the Upgrade Advisor, which inspects your system and advises whether or not your computer is ready for Windows XP.
• Perform a “clean” installation. Although the installation CD provides an option to upgrade your current version of Windows, there is a really, really, really good chance that this approach will cause you troubles in the near future. So back up all your important data before you begin installing, and let the installer program reformat and repartition your hard drive using the NTFS (NT File System) when you are presented with these options. The rest of the installation process is pretty simple. (Oh, yeah, you’ll have to restore all the data from your backup onto that reformatted hard drive. You could be at it for a while.)
• Check for online updates immediately after installation. Microsoft is constantly developing updates and fixes for Windows XP, and you can quickly download and install those updates by choosing Start >All Programs >Windows Update. You’ll have to connect to the Internet to do so, so make sure you have all the necessary information handy to reinstall your Internet service.

Buying a new PC for Video Editing

Countless PC vendors offer computers running Windows for just about any budget these days. For about the same amount of money as you would have spent just to buy a printer 10 years ago, you can now buy a new PC —including monitor — and if you shop around, you might even find someone to throw in the printer for free.

You may find, however, that a bargain-basement computer is not quite good enough for digital video. The hard drive may be too small, the processor may not be fast enough, the computer might not have enough memory, or some other features may not be ideal. Look for these features when you’re shopping for a new PC:

• Windows XP: Some new PCs might come with Windows Me (Millennium Edition). Windows Me has some fundamental problems with stability and memory management that (in my opinion) make it unsuitable for digital video work. Windows XP, on the other hand, is very efficient and stable. Upgrading a Windows Me machine to XP is often challenging, so I recommend that you buy a PC that already has XP installed.
• 1 Gb RAM: Video editing requires a lot of random-access memory (RAM) — the more the better. As if you didn’t already have enough acronyms to remember, some PCs have a type of memory called DDR2 (Double Data Rate) RAM. DDR works twice as efficiently as regular RAM, so a computer with 256 MB of DDR RAM will work about as well as a computer with 512MB of other types like SD RAM.
• 128 Mb video RAM: The video image on your monitor is generated by a component in your computer called the video card or display adapter. The video card has its own memory — I recommend at least 128 Mb. Some video cards share system RAM (the computer’s spec sheet might say something like “integrated” or “shared” in reference to video RAM). This tends to slow down the performance of your computer, so I recommend that you avoid shared video RAM.
• 1.5 GHz (gigahertz) processor: I recommend a processor speed of at least 1.5 GHz (equal to 1500MHz) or faster. This shouldn’t be a problem because there aren’t too many PCs still being sold with processors slower than 1 GHz. It really doesn’t matter if the processor is an Intel Pentium, an AMD Athlon, or even an AMD Sempron. The faster the better, naturally.
• FireWire: Unlike Macs, not all PCs come with FireWire (also called IEEE-1394) ports. You can upgrade most PCs with a FireWire card, but buying a computer that already has FireWire is a lot easier.
• 80GB hard drive: When it comes to hard drives, bigger is better. If you plan to do a lot of video-editing work, 80GB is an absolute minimum. Sure, it sounds like a lot, but you’ll use it up in a hurry as you work with digital video.

Another option, of course, is to build your own computer. For some, the act of building a PC from scratch remains a vaunted geek tradition (you know who you are). If you choose to build your own, make sure that your system meets — preferably exceeds — the guidelines given here.

I built a computer last year tailored specifically for video editing — and it only cost me about $400 plus some spare parts scrounged from my own stocks. But know what you’re doing before you start down this path; it’s definitely not the path of least resistance. Heed the wisdom of this ancient computer-geek proverb:

Building your own PC is cheap only if your time is worthless!

If you’re a Linux devotee, good for you! However, if you plan to do much with digital video, you’re going to have to bite the proverbial bullet and use either a Mac or the dreaded Windoze. Currently the mainstream offers no video editing programs designed for Linux. Although some tools will allow you to run some Windows or Mac programs, system performance often deteriorates, meaning you probably won’t be able to capture and edit video efficiently.

How to Choose Mac video software?

Apple offers a pretty good selection of video-editing software for the Macintosh — good thing they do, too, because not many other software vendors offer Mac-compatible editing programs

• Adobe Premiere: Available for both Windows and Mac, this was one of the first pro-caliber video-editing programs for personal computers. It’s a little expensive (about $550), but provides an advanced, power set of video-editing tools
• Apple iMovie: It comes free with all new Macintosh computers, and you can download the latest version of iMovie for free from www.apple.com. iMovie 3 is featured throughout this book.
• Apple Final Cut Pro: If you can afford pro-level prices and you want one of the most cutting edge video-editing programs available, consider Final Cut Pro (about $1000). Final Cut Pro is used by many professional video editors.
• Apple Final Cut Express: This program offers many of the features of Final Cut Pro for a fraction of the price (about $300). Final Cut Express is a good choice if you want pro-style editing features but can’t afford prolevel prices.
• Avid Xpress DV: Avid has been making professional video-editing workstations and gear for years, so it’s no surprise that they also offer one of the most advanced video-editing programs as well. And it better be good too, because it retails for $1699 (for Windows or Mac).

As you can see, if you’re a professional video editor, you can choose between several programs for your Mac. If you’re not a pro, however, your choices are a little more limited. Fortunately, iMovie is a reasonably capable program. You can even expand the capabilities of iMovie with plug-ins from Apple (and some third parties). Visit www.apple.com/imovie/ and check out the iMovie Downloads section for more information.

Upgrading your old Mac for digital video

If you already have a Mac that is a year or two old, you may still be able to use it with digital video if it meets the basic requirements described in the previous section. If it doesn’t meet those requirements, you might be able to upgrade it.

As a general rule, however, if your Mac doesn’t already have a G3 or higher processor, upgrading is probably going to be more expensive or challenging than simply buying a new Mac. And in the end, a very old upgraded Mac probably will not perform that well anyway. One of the biggest obstacles you’ll face involves FireWire. If your Mac does not already have a FireWire port, you may have difficulty adding one.

PowerMacs can usually be upgraded with a FireWire card, but the few Maccompatible FireWire cards available tend to be pretty expensive. The Media 100 EditDV 2.0 FireWire card, for example, will set you back about $580. If you have a PowerBook G3, a slightly more affordable option is the Digital Origin MotoDV Mobile (retail price about $300) editing suite with a FireWire card that uses the PowerBook’s CardBus interface. Before you think you can get away without FireWire, keep in mind that if your Mac is too old for FireWire, its USB port won’t be fast enough to capture fullquality digital video either.

Some parts of your Mac may be more easily upgradeable, as described in the following sections. Macworld (www.macworld.com) also provides online articles and tutorials to help you upgrade your Mac.

Upgrading Your Computer for Digital Video

Picture this: Our hero carefully unscrews an access panel on the blinking device, revealing a rat’s nest of wires and circuits. A drop of sweat runs down his face as the precious seconds tick away, and he knows that fate hangs by a slender thread. The hero’s brow creases as he tries to remember the procedure:

“Do I cut the blue wire or the red wire?”

If the thought of opening up your computer and performing upgrades fills you with a similar level of anxiety, you’re not alone. The insides of modern computers can seem pretty mysterious, and you might be understandably nervous about tearing apart your expensive PC or Mac to perform hardware upgrades. Indeed, all the chips, circuit boards, and other electronic flotsam inside the computer case are sensitive and easily damaged.

You can even hurt yourself if you’re not careful, so if you don’t have any experience with hardware upgrades, you are probably better off consulting a professional before making any changes or repairs to your PC. But if you have done hardware upgrades before, digital video may well inspire you to make more upgrades now or in the near future. If you do decide to upgrade your computer, some basic rules include:

• Review your warranty. Hardware upgrades might invalidate your computer’s warranty if it still has one.
• RTM. This is geek-speak for, “Read The Manual.” The owner’s manual that came with your computer almost certainly contains important information about what can be upgraded and what can’t. The manual may even have detailed, illustrated instructions for performing common upgrades.
• Back up your data. Back up your important files on recordable CDs, Zip disks, or another storage device available to you. You don’t want to lose work, pictures, or other data that will be difficult or impossible to replace.
• Gather license numbers and ISP (Internet Service Provider) information.
• If you have any important things like software licenses stored in saved e-mails, print them out so that you have hard copies. Also, make sure that you have all the access information for your ISP (account name, password, dial-up numbers, server addresses, and so on) handy in case you need to re-install your Internet service.
• Gather all your software CDs. Locate all your original installation discs for your various programs, including your operating system (Mac OS or Windows), so that you’ll be able to reinstall them later if necessary.
• Turn off the power. The computer’s power should be turned off to avoid damage to components and electrocution to yourself.
• Avoid static electricity build-up. Even if you didn’t just walk across a shag carpet and pet your cat, your body still probably has some static electricity built up inside. A tiny shock can instantly destroy the tiny circuits in expensive computer components. Before touching any components, touch your finger to a bare metal spot on your computer’s case to ground yourself. I also recommend wearing a grounding strap, which can be purchased at most electronics stores for $2-3. Now that’s what I call cheap insurance!
• Handle with care. Avoid touching chips and circuitry on the various computer components. Try to handle parts by touching only the edges or other less-delicate parts.
• Protect those old parts. If you are taking out an old component (such as a 64MB memory module) and replacing it with something better (like a 256MB memory module), the old part may still be worth something to somebody. If nothing else, if your newly purchased part is defective, at least you can put the old part back in to get your computer running again. And if the new part works fine, you may be able to salvage a few bucks by auctioning the old part on the Internet!

Again, when in doubt, you should consult with a computer hardware professional. In fact, you may find that the retailer that sold you the upgraded parts also offers low cost or even free installation service.

Which one is better for digital video, Mac or PC?

Like the debate over whether cats or dogs make better pets, the question of whether to use a Mac or a PC has been disputed tirelessly between the true believers. It has been a largely unproductive dispute: For the most part, Mac people are still Mac people, and PC people are still PC people. But who is right? If you want the best computer for working with digital video, should you choose a PC or a Mac? Well, look at the important factors:

• Ease of use: Macintosh users often boast that their computers are exceedingly easy to use, and they are right. But if you’re a long-time Windows user, you might not think so. Some things are easier to do on a Mac, but other things are easier to do in Windows. Neither system offers a clear advantage, so if you’re a creature of habit, you’ll probably be happiest if you stick with what you know.
• Reliability: The Windows Blue Screen of Death (you know, the dreaded screen that often appears when a Windows PC crashes) is world-famous and the butt of countless jokes. But the dirty little secret of the Macintosh world is that until recently, most Macs crashed nearly as often as Windows PCs. Apple’s new Macintosh operating system — OS X — brings a new level of stability and refinement to the Macintosh world, but the latest Windows XP is pretty dependable as well. Reliability is important to you because video pushes your computer’s performance to its limits. Get a Mac with OS X or a PC with Windows XP and you should be just fine.
• Digital video support: I can’t be wishy-washy any longer; if you want a great computer ready to edit digital video right out of the box, a new Macintosh is the safer bet. All new Macs come with built-in FireWire ports, making it easy to hook up your digital camcorder. Macs also come with iMovie, a pretty good entry-level video-editing program. Windows comes with Windows Movie Maker, but it is not as capable as iMovie. Also, many Windows PCs still don’t come with built-in FireWire, meaning you’ll either have to special-order it or install a FireWire card yourself.

So there you have it: Macs and PCs are both pretty good. Sure, Macs all come with FireWire, but if you shop around, you should be able to find a Windows PC with FireWire for about the same price as a new Mac. Both platforms can make excellent video-editing machines, so if you’re already dedicated to one or the other, you should be fine.
Just don’t start any brawls, okay? You never know when a computer nerd wielding an iPod stylus might take offense.