Edius on a laptop... several questions

[DMS Video]

After a couple of weeks of getting my older canopus sytems back into running order I now have a little time (finally) to look into the latest that Edius has to offer. I would like to buy at least two new systems. The first being a laptop. We are still shooting mostly SD but already made the jump in HD. I'm using our new EX-1s for two weddings this coming weekend. So here goes...

1. Is it practical to edit both SD and HD with a Laptop running Edius (I don't necessarily mean at the same time). I'm sure that SD is a no brainer but can a laptop really handle EX-1 footage? With my current old Storm systems I pretty much don't have render anything. That and other reasons have kept me away from buying a mac.

2. Assuming the answer to the previous question is yes, what is the most powerful laptop currently available (that works with Edius)? Is there anything new coming out soon, in terms of laptop upgrades, that's worth waiting for?

I visited http://www.1beyond.com/products/GoFl...search=laptops
and this laptop looks like a beast. It also costs a LOT. I don't know anybody personally using this particular laptop or any other so I need some opinions. At this point I'm not sold on this particular laptop by any means but it seems to be one of the most powerful I could find.

3. I would like to be able to use external drives that I could edit the same project on a laptop and a desktop. Ideas?

Thank you.

David
DMS

[Bluetongue]

So long as the laptop has a core2duo processor Min 1G memory, 2G preferred and a large HD, at least 100G you should be Ok
I use a Toshiba Satellite P100R010A series with an Intel Core2duo T2400 @1.83 Ghz 1G memory and I have no problems capturing to HQ AVI or editing. I also have a USB2 disk 250G that I take around but rarely use, it is just in case there is too much for the HD so the bigger the better.
I use this in the field for a rough edit and then transfer to my main Editing machine for finishing.
There are plenty of faster units out there so this may give you a guide as to where to start from.
All my editing is in HDV.
Regards Barry

[triciclo]

I would suggest that you get a Laptop with SxS ExpressCard drive for easy file transfer, a dual HD drive if carrying an external drive doesn't work well for you, core 2 duo the more the better, Edius pro Broadcast version for native EX1 files handling (Windows® XP Home or Windows XP Professional (Service Pack 2 or later)) make sure the laptop you get has drivers for XP in case you revert from Vista to XP.
If you need RT multi layers the canopus HQ codec could be helpfull.

[GrassValley_CP]

I visited http://www.1beyond.com/products/GoFl...search=laptops
and this laptop looks like a beast. It also costs a LOT. I don't know anybody personally using this particular laptop or any other so I need some opinions. At this point I'm not sold on this particular laptop by any means but it seems to be one of the most powerful I could find.

I can personally attest to the fact that the 1Beyond GoFlex317 IS a beast, but a powerful one at that. A LAPTOP with a Core2Quad Q6700 processor, plus a system drive and a fast internal RAID--it's actually a pretty good price for what you're getting, not to mention the 3 years of service built into the purchase price. We put it through it's paces on the show floor at NAB this year, and it really came through.

Right now, there are some issues with the EX-1 HD content being down-scaled to SD. It seems that there are problems both with the camera and with EDIUS, as reported in several other forum threads. You may want to do a search of forum threads for more info and possible work-arounds.

[DMS Video]

Barry, Triciclo and Chris,

Thanks for your input and opinions. I went back and read every thread with regards to downconverting and even though I have twenty five years experience most of the pocedure was way over my head. Is GV actually working on a fix so you don't have to go through so many complicated steps to downconvert?

Chris, would you say that the specs on the GoFlex317 are the most powerful right now? I would consider buying it if there isn't a pending update. I know you have to get in at some point but I'm planning on doing a lot of multi EX-1 camera shoots and use a lot of filters so I know I'll need a lot of power. I haven't been able to find any faster laptops that are soon to be released.

Triciclo, any suggestions on external harddrives for EX-1 footage? On another forum I think I remember reading I may need a raid config?

Barry, thanks for the feedback. I'm going to do some more research.

Best,

David
DMS

[triciclo]

You probably have read this, http://www.acnc.com/04_01_00.html , it will suggest products at end of the page for the different choices if you decide upon raid 0 or raid 3. The products are expensive but the pick at the specs is free.

[DMS Video]

That's what makes this forum great. I have done a lot of reading / researching in recent days but haven't seen that site. Very informative. Thanks Triciclo.

[Bluetongue]

I went back and read every thread with regards to downconverting and even though I have twenty five years experience most of the pocedure was way over my head. Is GV actually working on a fix so you don't have to go through so many complicated steps to downconvert?

David
DMS

David
The process looks complicated BUT once set up is so quick and easy to use it is really no real bind, especially when considering the quality of the final product which surpasses many SD DVD's produced from other products.
Regards Barry

[DMS Video]

Barry,

Thanks for the support.

I went back to look at the 1beyond goflex 317 laptop. Here's a list of the main specs...

First with Intel Quad Desktop processors Q6600 2.4GHz, Q6700 2.66GHz 1066 FSB
Intel Desktop Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66GHz or E6850 3.0GHz 1333MHz FSB
Firewire port, 4 USB 2.0
8x DVD burner dual layer drive, Blu-ray optional
Hard Disk Drive: Three SATA2 100 or 200 GB
7200 RPM internal drives, 60 MB/sec at RAID 5; Hardware RAID 0/1/5 support
Latest PCI-Express 16x modular video, NVIDIA 8800 with 512MB
17” 1920 x 1200 resolution polished LCD,
DVI for 2nd monitor
Full size keyboard with separate numeric keypad
Memory up to 4 GB
High Definition audio, 8 channels 192 kHz/32-bit quality
Dolby Surround Sound, 4 speakers
Built-in digital video camera and microphone
Gigabit LAN, Wi-Fi A/G/N, Bluetooth, Infrared
Express card slot
Built-n 7-in-1 Card reader: MS, MMC, SD

In real world editing of EX-1 footage what type of performance could I expect. How many layers (if any) of hd footage (with filters) can I edit in realtime? I'm trying to get sense if I should even get a laptop at this point.

Thanks

David
DMS