Using a multimedia controller for video editing

A lot of video editing involves finding exactly the right spot to make a cut or insert a clip. The ability to easily move back and forth through video precisely, frame-by-frame, is crucial, but it’s also not terribly easy when you are using the keyboard and mouse. For years, professional video-editing workstations have used knobs and dials to give editors more intuitive, precise control — and now you can get that same level of control on your computer. A multimedia controller such as the SpaceShuttle A/V from Contour Design (www.contouravs.com) connects to your computer’s USB port and makes manipulating video a lot easier.

I have used the ShuttlePRO (another controller from Contour Design) extensively with Adobe Premiere, Apple iMovie, Final Cut Pro, and Pinnacle Studio, and it truly makes common editing tasks a breeze. I don’t have to spend time trying to remember which keyboard key starts playback or moves to the next frame; instead, I just use the simple, intuitive controls on the multimedia controller to swiftly and effortlessly control my editing program.

Monitors usage in video editing

Computer monitors and TV screens may look similar, but the two have profound technological differences. The most important difference involves color. Computer monitors can display more colors than TV screens. Also, computer screens are non-interlaced; TVs are usually interlaced (interlaced displays draw every other line of the picture on separate passes, whereas a non-interlaced or progressive scan display draws the whole picture at once).

The important point is that the video you preview on your computer monitor may look a lot different when it’s viewed on a TV. To address this problem, many video editors connect a video monitor (that is, a TV) to their computers so they can preview how the video looks on a real TV. Fortunately, you don’t need expensive, specialized hardware to hook up a video monitor to your computer. All you need is an old color TV and one of the following devices that connect to your computer:

• An analog capture device: If you have an analog capture card or video converter, you might be able to hook up a monitor to the video output connectors. Check the capture device’s documentation for instructions on connecting a video monitor.
• A digital camcorder: Connect a TV to the analog outputs on your digital camcorder, and connect the camcorder to your FireWire port. You can even use the camcorder itself as a monitor — but keep in mind that the LCD display on your camcorder is probably non-interlaced, so you won’t be seeing a “real” TV picture. (Is “real TV” an oxymoron? Who knows? Just make sure your movie looks right on an interlaced screen.)

Some video-editing programs allow you to play video directly to an external monitor. In Pinnacle Studio, you must first export the movie as if you were going to export it to tape. After you have exported a file, simply connect your monitor and click Play in Studio’s preview window. If you have titles or other graphics in your movie that incorporate very thin lines, interlacing could cause the graphics or letters to flicker when they’re viewed on a TV. Pay special attention to anything with very thin lines when you preview your movie on a video monitor.

How to choose external video converters?

If you don’t feel like ripping into the innards of your computer, you may want to consider an external analog video converter, such as the Dazzle Hollywood DV Bridge. These devices usually connect to your computer’s FireWire or USB (Universal Serial Bus) port. You connect your VCR or analog camcorder to the converter, connect the converter to your computer, and the analog video is converted into digital video as it is captured into your computer.

If you buy a USB converter, make sure that both the device and your computer use USB 2.0 (a newer, faster version of USB). The original version of USB could only transfer data at 12Mbps (megabits per second), which is not quite enough for full-quality video capture. USB 2.0, however, can transfer 480Mbps, which is even faster than FireWire.

How to Select Capture Cards?

nalog video-capture cards are usually installed inside your computer in much the same way. That means you’ll have to have some expertise in upgrading computer hardware, and you should follow the computer upgrade guidelines I detail in that earlier section of the chapter. Okay, it may seem obvious, but I’ll say it anyway: Make sure your computer has an available expansion slot of the correct type in which you can install the card.

Many capture cards have neat little accessories called breakout boxes. The space available on the back of an expansion card is pretty small, and may not provide enough room for all the needed audio and video ports. Instead, the ports will reside in a breakout box — which can sit conveniently on your desk. The breakout box connects to the capture card using a special (included) Cable. This product allows both digital and analog video capture because it not only has two FireWire ports on the card, but also S-Video and composite video ports on a breakout box.

How to Choose Analog Capture Hardware?

If you want to capture video from a digital camcorder, the best way to do so is with a FireWire port. But if you want to capture analog video — whether from a VCR, Hi8 camcorder, or other analog source — you’ll need some specialized hardware. You can install a video-capture card in your computer, or (possibly) use an external analog video converter that connects the analog device to your computer’s FireWire or USB port.
Read the packaging carefully before you buy any video-capture hardware and make sure that it is designed to capture analog hardware. Some FireWire cards are marketed simply as video-capture cards, even though they can only capture digital video.
When choosing an analog video-capture device, check the packaging to make sure your computer meets the system requirements. The device should also be capable of capturing the following:

• NTSC (North America, Japan, the Philippines) or PAL (Australia, South America, Southeast Asia, most of Europe) video, whichever matches your local video standard (see Chapter 3 for more on broadcast video standards)
• 30 frames per second (fps) for NTSC video or 25 fps for PAL video
• 720 x 534 (NTSC) or 768 x 576 (PAL) video frames
• Stereo audio

Although you don’t have to get a device that can capture and export S-Video as well as composite video, try to get one if possible; S-Video provides better image quality than composite video. Composite video uses the standard RCAstyle jacks, color-coded yellow for video and red/white for audio; S-Video connectors look like Figure 2-6. S-VHS VCRs have S-Video connectors, as do some higher-quality analog camcorders.