May be getting a Grant for electronics - Non Profit Org

[Cinde]

My family does volunteer work with a non-profit organization that meets monthly in a large conference room of our public library. We have no place to store anything. We might be getting a small grant to purchase electronics from Wal Mart. The good part is that since I have to store it in my home office between meetings I'll have access to it all the time. The bad part is that I’ll be the one toting it back and forth, so everything needs to be portable. I was designated to get quotes because I'm the one who will be teaching others to use the equipment. Teaching them will not be a problem, but choosing the equipment is... So here I am, needing your help again, to advise me if I am making good choices.

I am looking at the HP 15.4" Pavilion dv6409wm Laptop from Wal Mart for $798.
Its specs are:
1. 1.8 GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor TL-56
2. Ram: 1 GB of DDR2 system memory, can be expanded to 2 GB (2 x 512 MB)
3. 120 GB hard drive - Serial ATA-150 - 5400 rpm
4. DVD-R/RW drive with double-layer support
5. 802.11b/g Wireless LAN network connection - Wirelessly connects to home, office or Wi-Fi networks for convenient Internet use
6. 5-in-1 digital media reader -Lets you download photos, music or data from SD, MMC and xD memory cards, as well as Memory Stick and Memory Stick Pro (SD Memory Card, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, MultiMediaCard, xD-Picture Card)
7. 2x capacity battery (installed is one 12-cell lithium ion)
8. Audio: 2.1-channel HP speakers with 30 watts of power and remote control
9. Audio Input: Microphone
10. Case Logic protective sleeve
11. Accessories include: Carrying case, remote control, external speakers, headphones, wireless mouse and 2 free movie downloads from Wal Mart.

Other things I think we need: Here’s what I have chosen so far.
Wireless router: Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G 54Mbps Broadband Router — $48.98
Flash Drive: Ematic Hi-Speed USB 2GB Flash Drive 2.0 Silver - $19.98
(I already have a Sony 8 GB MicroVault Pro which I will let them use on occasion)

Questions?
1. Ram? Get the additional 1 GB now?
2. What about an external hard drive?
3. Do we need the 2nd battery for the 2x capacity. How are batteries charged? Do I need to look at something to do that?

Camcorder - JVC GR-D770 MiniDV Digital Camcorder with Bonus Deluxe Tripod Kit - $248.54
(It will be used mostly indoors in large rooms that may not be well lit.)
What about the video quality? Will it also do good quality still pix?
Will this work well with Premier Elements v3?
(I’m not gonna store this stuff and teach everyone to use it if I’m not able to use it for my own personal use too. )

Voice Recorder: - Sony Digital Voice Recorder, 256MB, ICD-B500 - $39.82

A Scanner and printer or all-in-one combo will be purchased also, but I think I can handle that.

How am I doing so far? What am I forgetting?

[Chuck Engels]

Hi Cinde,
Just a couple of quick thoughts, I will have to take a more in depth look later (lots of tutorials to do this weekend).

Don't forget the Battery Backup/Surge Protectors - APC brand are good and you can get a nice one for around $80
They are the best protection for your equipment you can buy.

The JVC camcorder will not do well in low light, it will work very well with Premiere Elements.
If you want a good low light camcorder you will need to spend at least $400
Panasonic has a nice 3CCD GS320 camcorder that you can find for around $400, you cannot connect an external microphone though.

Get the extra RAM now and a 500gb external drive also.

Be sure to check the Dell Outlet for laptops, you bet you can find a better one than the HP for the same price.

[jackfalbey]

Ditto what Chuck said. Here's my 2 cents...

-If you're going to be recording direct-to-drive, which you CAN do with PrEl3.0, you'll want a 7200RPM internal drive. And MAKE SURE the laptop and camcorder both have a FireWire/1394 connection port.

-For video editing, you'll want an eSATA-connected external HDD to store all of your video files. USB is just too slow. I use a Western Digital MyBook Premium ES 500GB ($140 from Dell) connected through a PNY eSATA ExpressCard ($70 at Best Buy) and get data speeds as fast as an internal HDD.

-I use the CanoScan 4400f ($90 at Circuit City) to scan photos and the quality is incredible. I use a Canon Pixma iP4200 ($70 at Amazon.com) to print photos and DVD covers, again the quality is excellent. I think separate components usually deliver better results than all-in-ones.

-Wireless mice often have signal-loss problems, and the batteries don't last as long as they should. It ain't pretty, but I prefer a wired mouse even on my laptop.

-You can get a great camcorder for a few hundred bucks these days... check reviews at http://www.camcorderinfo.com

-I would go with a separate camera for stills, but again there are really good cameras out there for really low prices; you can get 6 megapixels for under $100 and 10+megapixels for under $200! Personally, I like the imaging sensor on the Canon Point-&-Shoot models.

-If you're going to be using the laptop mostly indoors, and it will be plugged in to the outlet, you won't need the second battery.

-If the lighting conditions aren't favorable, you can always add more light with cheap lamps from Wal-Mart or Target (or even a garage sale). For well under $100, you ought to be able to properly light the room for video.

[Cinde]

Chuck - I’ve added the Battery Backup/Surge Protector, extra ram, and 500 gb external drive to the list.

I’m looking at the Panasonic 3CCD GS320 camcorder. If the camera is set toward the back of the room, would it work if we put a (Sony - Digital Voice Recorder, 256MB, ICD-B500 ) digital tape recorder at the podium? Will it be easy to add the recorded audio to Premier?

Dell Outlet is not an option. I have to submit a quote and the funding agency will issue the check to the quoting company. By the time I submit a quote from Dell Outlet and get the agency’s permission, the item may no longer be available.

Jack — The internal drive of the one I am looking at is only 5400 rpm.

(you said: And MAKE SURE the laptop and camcorder both have a FireWire/1394 connection port. And you'll want an eSATA-connected external HDD to store all of your video files) Oops, this is where I run into trouble. I’m really struggling and can’t get a grasp on all this technology.

I am using the CanoScan Lide 70 and love it. So we will go with something similar to that one.

Wireless mouse is included in the bundle, but I will add a tethered one to the quote.

I’ll go with Chuck’s advice on the camcorder.

Several people will be using this equipment, so your advice for a separate digital camera is well accepted. I’m currently using my Olympus Camedia.

As far as lighting conditions… I’ll have to talk to the facility manager.

Removing the extra battery from the quote will give more $$$ for upgrading the other items.

Computers - $$$
Cameras/camcorders - $$$
Advice from Y’all - Priceless.

[jackfalbey]

Cinde,

FireWire (also known as IEEE1394) is a type of data connection that is the best for capturing video from a camcorder. The GS320 does have a FireWire port, but according to HP's website the Pavilion dv6409wm only has it on select models, so I would be sure the one you are looking at has it. FireWire allows the editing software to control the camera during video capture, making for an easy and error-free process. It also allows for recording directly to the laptop's internal hard drive, which can save time because you don't have to wait for the tape to be captured in real-time... as soon as you stop filming, the files are ready to view or edit. You can also review what you've just shot to see if a re-take is necessary.

Video files are large and contain lots of information; a fast hard drive is necessary to keep up the information stream, so 7200rpm is better than 5400rpm. You can get by with 5400, especially if you will be editing with the video files on an eSATA external hard drive, but if you are going to be editing from the laptop's internal drive you might have slowdowns and dropped frames with 5400rpm. Many affordable laptops don't offer 7200, so you may not have a choice on this, though.

External hard drives come in 3 main types of connectability: USB, FireWire and eSATA. USB transfers data at 480 Mbps, FireWire at 400 Mbps and eSATA at 3Gbps, which means eSATA is 6-8x faster than the other two. It's basically an external version of the same connector that your internal hard drive uses, which makes for fast and smooth video editing. eSATA drives are about the same price as the others, but most laptops don't yet come with this connector built in so you just have to buy an ExpressCard adapter ($30-$70, depending on brand and store).

Recording audio separately may prove to be a nightmare when you try to sync up the video and audio tracks later... it's always better and simpler to record both audio and video on the same tape at the same time. The Canon ZR850 (<$250) has a mic input, but the video probably won't be as good as the GS320 although the difference may not be very noticeable.

The Pavilion dv6409wm comes with Windows Vista pre-installed... I don't know if this will be a problem or not since many people have had conflicts with Vista and Adobe software. I still use XP on my PCs, so I'll let a Vista user comment further on this.

Dell's Home& Home Office and Small & Medium Business sites have some great prices on XP-equipped laptops. Since this purchase is for a non-profit group, you should be able to order from the Small Business site. The Inspiron 1520 http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/ ... WKA5&s=dhs and the Vostro 1500 http://www.dell.com/content/products/pr ... bundlestab both have the features and connectors necessary for a good video editing laptop.

[Chuck Engels]

Just a little note from my experience with audio sync.

When I am editing event tapes there is generally one camera that has the main audio feed, the other one or two cameras have audio from their onboard mics.
I have to sync the two or three together and they all have video to reference, but when you are trying to sync to an exact frame it still isn't easy.

What I am trying to say is that syncing different video clips is hard enough, why add something else to the process?

[Cinde]

Bad news, good news.

The funding agency just called to go over some guidelines for purchases. The bad news is that they are really restricting our use of the money. There are some items we really do need but won't be able to purchase with the grant money.

The good news is that we can divert that money to upgrade our electronic choices. So... I'm ready to restart our quoting process to look for the things you are suggesting.

Chuck and Jack, your information has been so very helpful to us. The officers and members want me to thank you for all your help.

[jackfalbey]

No problem, Cinde. Glad to be of assistance.

[Cinde]

We are almost ready to submit the proposal/quote to the non-profit funding agency for all the things we are looking at on Dell Small Business Online Shop. Our budget may be as high as $5,000 to $6,000. We need to make sure we have EVERYTHING we want/need with the original proposal/quote. They won't let us upgrade after the original submission, and they may even ask us to downgrade to the $2,000 - $3,000 range.

There are a few things that I'm not quite clear about.

The major thing is whether or not the laptop we are asking for has a firewire port. Also need to know if the camcorder at is compatible. Laptop is Dell Precision M4300, Camcorder is Panasonic PV-GS320 10X Zoom Mini DV Digital Camcorder.

Also found Adobe Production Premium CS3 for $ 1,300, good deal?

Can any of you gurus take a look at what we are asking for to make sure we have included everything? And suggestions of what we can downgrade or delete if we really have to. Chuck and Jack have already given me extensive information but I am still having a problem grasping it. For example: eSATA-connected external HDD, And MAKE SURE the laptop and camcorder both have a FireWire/1394 connection port.

A brain injury keeps my brain in a fragmented mode. The information is there and sometimes I can connect it, but more often I can’t grasp new information unless I use it repetitively. It’s easier for me to ask for help and someone tell me get this, and this, and this, etc.

If anyone wants to step up, PM me and I'll send you the Dell Small Business Shopping Cart link.

[Chuck Engels]

Both the laptop and the camcorder come with Firewire connections. I know for sure that the camcorder does, and all of the specs I have looked at for the M4300 say it does also.
Just make sure you check the Tech Specs for the laptop, under Ports it should list 1394 or IEEE 1394.

[Chuck Engels]

$1300 is a reasonable price for the CS3 Production Premium Suite. The upgrade price from a single program to the suite is $1199, that's only $100 more.
Here is a link to the Adobe donation page, you can get a free version is your organization meet certain requirements
http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/philant ... tware.html

[jackfalbey]

As Chuck said, the m4300 does have Firewire input. It is the "little brother" to my m6300, which has proven to be a dynamite performer with Adobe CS3. It is rock-solid with heavy-duty construction and the internals run like the proverbial well-oiled machine. If you plan on doing High-Definition video, you'll want to get the WUXGA LCD panel because it is 1920x1200 pixels; if you will only be doing standard-definition NTSC video, the base LCD will be fine.

About the external hard drive... for video editing, it is best to have the video files on a separate drive from the editing software to avoid system slowdowns and freezes. eSATA is simply a different type of connector that is much faster than USB. USB is just too slow for video editing. eSATA is basically an external connection that is the same speed as an internal connection. I use this drive http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/prod ... u=A0965998 and it is almost as fast as the RAID in my desktop. The only catch is that you need an ExpressCard adapter to hook it up to your laptop and the one that Dell sells doesn't work with their BIOS. I got this one http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp ... 8561324563 on sale for $69.99 and it works perfectly and was easy to set up.

About CS3 Production Premium... $1300 is a great price! I paid $1700 when I ordered it with my m6300 and I still think it was worth it. I haven't even scratched the surface of its capabilities and I have had great results. Just be prepared for a lengthy learning process; http://www.lynda.com is a tremendously helpful website and $25 a month is very reasonable for the tutorials that they offer. Just check out the free tutorials and you'll see. As a side bonus - you can install CS3 on 2 different computers under Adobe's license agreement so you can have a "work" install and a "home" install if you want; the catch is you can only have one installation in use at a time (you could use CS3 on the m4300 at your Non-profit meeting and then go home and use CS3 on your Precision 390 for other projects).