They're here! More Muvipix.com Guides by Steve Grisetti!
The Muvipix.com Guides to Premiere & Photoshop Elements 2024
As well as The Muvipix.com Guide to CyberLink PowerDirector 21
Because there are stories to tell
muvipix.com

Here's a REAL problem!

Talk about anything here.

Here's a REAL problem!

Postby William Tranter » Fri Jun 06, 2014 5:40 am

My new lady in my life has 'discovered' video (err, MY video camcorder to be precise!) and has turned into a video demon! She wants ME in front of the lens all the time instead of her, and now she wants to edit her footage.
I have PE.1, PE.2, and PE.7 (which I use for HD footage). She doesn't want to use HD because she will never see HD output - she doesn't even have a flat-screen TV, just an old 'glass bottle' set which most definitely will NOT show HD stuff.
Her computer is also quite old, but she only uses it for scanning and printing stuff - it isn't connected to the Internet, and it is an XP machine (I don't know yet whether it is SP1, SP2 or SP3, though I suspect it has NEVER been updated!). It does have one USB socket (which she uses to connect to her printer), but I think that's all.
Can anyone give me some idea of how I could get Standard Def. footage from my camcorder (a Sony HDR-CX730) into Prem. Elements 1 or 2 (which are only Standard Def.)?
If I connect my camcorder to my own computer (Win.7) it automatically installs a program called Play Memories (from the camcorder itself, not from the internet), which will then allow me to download any stills I have recorded on the camcorder, but I have no idea whether this program will also download video footage.
Has anyone any ideas? My lady doesn't want to update the computer to a later OS, as she has a more modern laptop machine for internet stuff, Skype, etc. and anyway, she is having to minimise all her 'stuff' so that I can move into her home (permanently, I hope!).
All the very best to all my friends on MuViPix,
Bill Tranter
Dell XPS 430 running Win7 Pro 64-bit with 8GB RAM, Sony TRV480E (digital8), Sony GVD800 vcr (digital8), Sony HDR-FX7E (HDV, miniDV), and Sony CX730E (AVCHD).
User avatar
William Tranter
Frequent Contributor
Frequent Contributor
 
Posts: 208
Joined: Sat Mar 17, 2007 7:15 am
Location: Harbury, Warwickshire, England

Re: Here's a REAL problem!

Postby Steve Grisetti » Fri Jun 06, 2014 7:21 am

You've got a challenge there, Bill. Video from that AVCHD camcorder is going to kick Premiere Elements 1 or 2's butt. These are programs that existed pre-AVCHD, and they simply aren't designed to work with it.

There are probably hybrid solutions -- like converting the AVCHD to standard DV before you bring it into Premiere Elements. But that's got its own set of liabilities, unless you know for sure what you're doing.

My suggestion? Go to eBay and pick up a miniDV camcorder. You should be able to find a nice Sony for under $100. MiniDV footage interfaces perfectly with early versions of Premiere Elements -- even if you decide to use version 7. Though of course even that depends on the specs of her XP computer. But she should be all right if she's running a Pentinum 4 at 3.0 ghz or better and 2 gig of RAM.

So that's what I would recommend, Bill. If you're going to work with older technology, I recommend going all-in and using a complete older technology workflow. I think if you try to hybrid things by bringing AVCHD video into the loop, you're going to have nothing but headaches.
HP Envy with 2.9/4.4 ghz i7-10700 and 16 gig of RAM running Windows 11 Pro
User avatar
Steve Grisetti
Super Moderator
Super Moderator
 
Posts: 14439
Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2007 5:11 pm
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Re: Here's a REAL problem!

Postby karri » Fri Jun 06, 2014 9:45 am

EDIT: Deleted link to Sony PlayMemories. I installed it and it's too convoluted to deal with. I did, however, find an original m2t file from a Sony CX760 (couldn't find one from a 730) and could export it from Windows Live Move Maker to a small wmv file. Wonder if that might work in PrEl?
karri
Frequent Contributor
Frequent Contributor
 
Posts: 237
Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2008 3:03 pm

Re: Here's a REAL problem!

Postby Steve Grisetti » Fri Jun 06, 2014 11:48 am

It woooooooould. But it's kind of a messy way of doing things, karri. WMVs can be pretty challenging for Premiere Elements -- especially the early versions, especially on an older computer.

I really do think the wisest move is to get the AVCHD out of the mix completely. Unless your friend is interesting in editing in Premiere Elements 10 or later.
HP Envy with 2.9/4.4 ghz i7-10700 and 16 gig of RAM running Windows 11 Pro
User avatar
Steve Grisetti
Super Moderator
Super Moderator
 
Posts: 14439
Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2007 5:11 pm
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Re: Here's a REAL problem!

Postby Bob » Fri Jun 06, 2014 12:47 pm

The Sony HDR-CX730 records SD MPEG2 video. You should be able to transfer that via usb. Premiere Elements 1 only supports dv-avi. version 2 added some mpeg support -- it might work, you'll need to try it and see. But, you may need to convert the footage to a more compatible footage type. If the computer is very old, it might not have a cpu that supports the sse2 instruction set which is a requirement for version 2. You'll need to check.
User avatar
Bob
Moderator
Moderator
 
Posts: 5925
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 4:49 am
Location: Southern California, USA

Re: Here's a REAL problem!

Postby karri » Sat Jun 07, 2014 6:01 am

Thanks Steve, I was grasping at straws after playing with SPM :conf:

:)
karri
Frequent Contributor
Frequent Contributor
 
Posts: 237
Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2008 3:03 pm

Re: Here's a REAL problem!

Postby sidd finch » Sun Jun 08, 2014 9:29 pm

William I hope you both discover a long lost inheritance that allows for an equipment upgrade. :)

Sidd
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." ..... Ferris Bueller
User avatar
sidd finch
Moderator
Moderator
 
Posts: 6542
Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2007 5:20 pm
Location: Cyberspace

Re: Here's a REAL problem!

Postby jackfalbey » Tue Jun 10, 2014 1:25 pm

Bill, you mentioned that she doesn't want to upgrade her old PC to a new version of Windows... in my opinion that would be a waste of money anyway as the hardware would still be woefully under-capable for video editing. As I see it, there are 3 options:

1) As Steve said, you could get a used miniDV camcorder from ebay. That will work with the old hardware and old versions of PE, but of course she will have the ongoing expense of buying miniDV tapes.

2) She can probably edit the AVCHD from your CX730 on her laptop, depending on the laptop's hardware... but she will still need to use a fast external HDD for the video footage, connected via USB 3.0 or eSATA.

3) Pick up a new or refurbished desktop with an Intel i3 CPU and Windows 7 (around $300-400 US; UK pricing may be different.) This would be the best option, as using HD source footage for SD final output usually gives better results than using SD source footage, plus she'll have the options of sharing the HD video online with her friends, and watching it in HD if she ever does get an HDTV in the future.

*Note: there MAY be compatibility issues with PE7 on Windows 7 & 8... perhaps someone with direct experience can comment on this...
ASRock Z77 Pro4, Xeon E3-1230 V2, Windows 7 64-bit, 32GB RAM, 3GB GTX 660 ti, 240GB SSD for OS/programs, 3x640GB in RAID0 for projects
Panasonic GH2; Adobe Creative Cloud
http://www.CMDStar.com
http://www.FamilyTreePhotography.co
User avatar
jackfalbey
Super Contributor
Super Contributor
 
Posts: 1185
Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2007 10:48 pm
Location: Cleveland, TN


Return to Water Cooler 


Similar topics


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 25 guests