RT2000, DV500: complete waste of time and money.

[dchip]

That is true Jeff. The thing seeing that video made me forget is that it was all DV. Doesn't matter how it was perfected, the result was the same, digital video. I make MPEG-1 clips all the time with my Panasonic software encoder that look as good as ones captured on hardware. Although not a good analogy to your observation about pure DV remaining pure DV, it does make me remember that the result is what counts. Not how you get there.

I am getting antsy for my own DV setup. Right now I can forsee a quality DV camera, inexpensive DV capture card, and MSP6. Still going to take it slow, though. The creative ideas will still be there when I get it all together.

[davez]

I KNOW you started this thread to basically "ruffle some feathers" and to make sure the entry level hobby-type knows there are other options....BUT, I had to reply.....

Yes, you can buy a whole (mid range) new basic PC for the cost of the RT.....this is true.....But when you start adding on things to the PC like enough HD to effectively work with video, methods of importing LARGE graphic files, etc efficiently to work with video, a decent quality card CAPABLE of outputing better than "okay" video, you will sink a lot of money into a system....regrdless of what input card you use.....

For the average home hobby type who just wants to tinker once in a while with home movies in his spare time, the route you describe is in fact fine. And before long, yes..the RT will be a dinosaur...but so will that shiny new 1 GHZ processor you have your eye on ,etc etc.......Again, the home hobby type doesn't and won't care much about "hi end" technology....

If however, you are a serious hobbyist, an event video editor, etc, this is a great card with a great set of REALTIME features for those who know how to build videos.

Tools are only as good as those who use them. You wouldn't buy a set of hospital scalpals to use for cutting open boxes of cat litter at home. But it will do the job.....However, in the hands of a skilled craftsman, those scalpals can save a life, etc.....

The RT IS a cutting edge tool (pardon the pun!) in that it offers the speed, flexibility etc for the editor who doesnt have the time or desire to spend time waiting for a single change to render out so he can see how he likes it....Dual stream video layering, PIP, 2D and 3D effects , etc are all realtime. This means increased effects in a decreased amount of time....

I am a professional editor working on a $10k card set installed in a $6,000 hi end PC at work and probably about another $200k in decks and associated gear to go with it....My time is money....and to be honest, I dont like waiting for something as simple as a 15 frame dissolve to render....that's a ridiculous waste of time.....an editor may change his mind about a particular transition 10 times in a video...if each render takes 30 seconds or a minute, the time adds up...wasted time. I bought the RT for home/extra work use......anything less than this card would have been a major dissappointment...thats why I decided against cards like the Dc30+ early on.....

The serious hobbyists and professionals in the world of video recognize that this IS a benchmark card because of the features it provides at the price it does it.....right now.

When I bought my Rainbow Runner "just for screwing around", I was very dissappointed in the quality of its output and the rendering time involved for SIMPLEt things..........now, things have changed and you CAN get good quality from cheaper cards....

But the cheap initial price guarantees that there are features that you WONT get...its up to the buyer to decide what features he can live without and which he needs....

THATS why I bought the RT and not the DIgisuite LE at $4,000.......

And "locking you into" a certain edit software package will eventually change.....But premiere IS a very highly acclaimed piece of software..I am still learning it (I'm an EMC and Speedrazor geek)....but it does what I need it do quickly and (after learning it) easily.

I can say that Premiere has much better profesional level features than the "name witheld" piece of software I got wit the the RR a while back.....


Anyways, just my $.02..........

I'll climb down off my soapbox now!

[dchip]

I don't think jeff b wanted to ruffle any feathers. Sounded more like a sigh of relief. He was one, amongst many, who was waiting for the RT2000 way back in the last century and had it shipped on schedule he probably would have scooped one up in a New York minute. His wait for it and the new MSP, in fact, proved very entertaining at times.
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