Processor speed

I found this old thread when searching, but I couldn't reply to it. Is this still accurate information on processor speed? I have a P3 550 that I want to do some encoding on. Will using a slow processor to encode cause loss of quality or just take longer? What about editing with Ulead Video Studio. The system requirements say 800 Mhz. I was able to "capture" through Firewire to my PC without losing any frames using this setup.

BTW, isn't Firewire a file transfer, not a capture? Therefore no frames should be lost and there should be no loss in quality?

I plan to get a new computer in the first part of next year, but would like to get started on a couple of projects now if I could.

Thanks. This forum has been very helpful.

Thad

 

Nephilim,

Thank you for your reply.

I hear/read that people "captured" via Firewire. My question is, is transferring via Firewire really a [bold]capture[/bold] or is it a [bold]transfer?[/bold] If it's really a transfer, that would make sense that there would be no loss in quality. Capturing brings in the potential for quality loss, but simply moving data from one place to another doesn't. Do I understand this correctly?

Thad

 

Your computer may still be too slow to use for editting.

Firewire transfers video at a constant rate. If the computer can't keep up, it'll drop frames.

If the editing software says 800 mhz, then you may find things don't work at 500 mhz.

Only way to know for sure is to try though.

 

For those interested, I've been able to transfer via Firewire 20 GB worth of video with NO dropped frames. I disconnect my internet connection and close all unnecessary programs. Hopefully by the weekend, I'll try some simple editing...cropping beginning & end, changing the brightness, and adding some titles and transitions between clips.

Thanks for your reply, K-Dawg. I'll see what happens.

Thad