[veblen]

Greetings,

I am going to be honeymooning in Figi in June. I need to buy a dv camcorder. The above is what I am considering. If you have any reasons why I should go with something cheaper let me know.

Hardware: I have a Pismo and a G4 TiBook with I think a 20GB HD. I don't have a superdrive hence the need for an external burner with or without dvd authoring software. My fiance is in school so I can get Studio Pro for $500, but I thought if I got the formac devideon I would have some authoring software to play with and then decide about Studio Pro, but will probably get SP in the future, however, on the apple site for SP it does not list the formac drive, which is a Pioneer DVR-AO4 - not a Pioneer DVR-A03. Any thoughts on this difference? Can I use SP with a Pioneer DVR-AO4 [ formac devideon ]?
Also, will I need a bigger HD for my TiBook? I have a couple more years on my AppleCare so I don't want to void this, therefore the MCE Superdrive internal upgrade for PB G4's may not be an option, because I'm afraid this is will void my AppleCare or I would do that and simply use iDVD - you know the dilemma. If I were to upgrade to the MCE superdrive or put in a bigger HD would this void my AppleCare?

Anyway, can I shoot video and pass VCR tapes through the GL2, edit in iMovie, and burn my dvd's with the formac system? Also, can I create slideshows with iMovie and then burn them to dvd with the formac system?

I would appreciate your expertise and experience with respect to dv camcorders, external dvd burners, authoring software options, as well as, editing software. Please provide your thoughts on my tenetative plan as to whether it will work and any other options that I may not be aware of. BTW, I am new to this type of thing, but excited about the experience and possibilities.

Regards,

Philip.

[Feathers]

First off. Don't bother with the Devideon. The software and the encoding quality are lousy and the burn capability of the software is tied to an ID in the drive's firmware.

A far better option encoding-wise is Bitvice coupled with the freeware app Bit-Vice Helper. The encoding quality is probably the best software codec available. Bit-Vice Helper then produces a compliant DVD disk-image that can be burnt using Toast. OK - You don't get the option to create menus just first class encoding on your DVD that will burn reliably through toast. And burner wise I'd go for the A104 or A105 Pioneer.

As regards the GL2, personally I don't like using a camera as a ADAC (Analog-Digital-Analog-Converter), some of the custom analog-to-DV converters such as Formac's StudioDV or Digitalvision's DAC-100, (I think Canopus also do one) are really handy as the also provide mirroring to a monitor while your working in FCP or iMovie.

Another thing to consider might be the new hardware MPEG-2 encoding device from ADS Technologies which comes bundled with CaptyDVD. Especially if your goal is DVD's, waiting around for hours to software encode MPEG-2 is a serious drag especially with 20:1 encoding times!!!!

Alternatively you might look at Pixela's CaptyDVD on it's own for your disk authoring, a quirky program but more versatile than iDVD and encoding's about on a par but nowhere near the quality and speed of BitVice.

DVDStudioPro is a monster app with a steep learning curve. I'd avoid the cost unless you absolutely find that you need all it can provide. I'd stick a toe in the water with something like CaptyDVD first.

Finally, I recently bought the MCE CD-RW for the old tray-loading iMac. The front panel was a disgrace, a crappy piece of plastic and sticky-back silver tape that would've destroyed the look of my Bondi-Blue. The panel was also covered in super-glue (Cyanoacrylate adhesive) and that white residue plus actual fingerprints embedded in the glue and plastic. My point - if MCE have quality control this poor, I'd be very cautious about buying anything from them!