For the past several months I've enjoyed reading the posts, but now I'd like to ask for some advice. Two years ago I bought a digital video camcorder and have been using my PC to download, edit, and burn the video I shoot onto DVD. I then got into putting my old VHS tapes onto the camcorder using my VCR and then editting them and burning them onto a DVD. ( I guess I should have bought a capture-card and put the VHS tapes directly onto my PC but I never got around to it.) Soon friends and family were asking me to put their VHS memories onto a DVD. Now friends of friends want me to do it for them as well. A light bulb comes on and I see a side source of income at my doorstep! Here's my question. I want to get a new computer just for video editting. I do not plan to connect it to the internet. I'm thinking 3 gigs of processor speed, at least 1 gig of RAM, and tons of harddrive storage. So: 1 - Almost 2 out of 3 people I talk to who are familiar with what I want to do say go with a Mac. But if I'm not going to be online and expose myself to all those nasty virus does it matter? (PCs cost less.) 2 - How much dedicated video memory will I need if I want to feed analog video directly into my system or should I use a capture card? 3 - Could you recommend a VCR that will be gentle to these old VHS tapes that are turning into dust. Thanks.
1) Won't be long until Mac's are using Intel chips anyway. So I really wouldn't recommend buying a high end Mac now since even apple admit that it is obsolete. 2) Got nothing to do with video memory and I can't see how you are capturing now without a capture card or firewire and an analogue to digital converter.
As with so many things in life I tend to do things the hard way. But in response to you question, I play the VHS on my TV set and download (copy) it onto my digital camcorder off the TV. The camcorder does the digitalizing of the analog TV signal. I realize I loose quality in the process and if I'm going to get serious about putting VHS onto DVD I need to get the equipment needed. Thanks.
