Beginner Questions

Jorodi25

Newbie Joined: Dec 28, 2011 22:26 Messages: 2 Offline

Solved by

Dec 28, 2011 23:21

Hi,

I'm new to video editing and am considering purchasing PowerDirector 10. Before I buy, I'm hoping someone can help answer a few basic questions to make sure everything should work properly.

1. Will my computer be able to comfortably edit and burn HD videos taken with a Sony HDR-CX160 camcorder? Also, will it be able to take advantage of the fast rendering capabilities of PowerDirector? The specs are:
- Windows 7, 64 bit
- Intel Core i7, 930 @ 2.80 GHz, 2801 Mhz, 4 Cores, 8 Logical Processors
- 9GB DDR3 RAM
- 1.5 TB Hard Drive
- NVIDIA GeForce GT 420 graphics card

2. Can PowerDirector transfer the videos from my camcorder to my computer without degrading the quality? Or should I use the software that came with the camera for this purpose?

3. Is PowerDirector able to work with the following recording modes?
- AVC HD (28 Mbps)
- AVC HD (24 Mbps)
- AVC HD (17 Mbps)

4. Related to #3, is there a noticeable difference in quality between 28 Mbps and 24 Mbps?

5. Am I correct in understanding that videos recorded in 1920x1080/60p will not be able to be burned to Blu-ray discs? If so, is there any reason to record in 60p if my main objective is to view the videos on TV via burned Blu-ray discs?

6. Is there a noticeable difference in the quality of videos recorded in 1080p vs 1080i?

7. My current TV is not compliant with x.v.Color, but I may be upgrading soon to one that is. If I record videos with x.v.Color, how will they appear on my current TV that is not compliant?

These questions probably seem silly to everyone here. I'm sure there are more questions, but this is all that is coming to mind right now. Thanks in advance for any input or help anyone can provide.

CubbyHouseFilms

Senior Contributor Location: Melbourne, Australia Joined: Jul 14, 2009 04:23 Messages: 2208 Offline

Dec 29, 2011 01:07

Quote: Hi,

I'm new to video editing and am considering purchasing PowerDirector 10. Before I buy, I'm hoping someone can help answer a few basic questions to make sure everything should work properly.

1. Will my computer be able to comfortably edit and burn HD videos taken with a Sony HDR-CX160 camcorder? Also, will it be able to take advantage of the fast rendering capabilities of PowerDirector? The specs are:
- Windows 7, 64 bit
- Intel Core i7, 930 @ 2.80 GHz, 2801 Mhz, 4 Cores, 8 Logical Processors
- 9GB DDR3 RAM
- 1.5 TB Hard Drive
- NVIDIA GeForce GT 420 graphics card

2. Can PowerDirector transfer the videos from my camcorder to my computer without degrading the quality? Or should I use the software that came with the camera for this purpose?

3. Is PowerDirector able to work with the following recording modes?
- AVC HD (28 Mbps)
- AVC HD (24 Mbps)
- AVC HD (17 Mbps)

4. Related to #3, is there a noticeable difference in quality between 28 Mbps and 24 Mbps?

5. Am I correct in understanding that videos recorded in 1920x1080/60p will not be able to be burned to Blu-ray discs? If so, is there any reason to record in 60p if my main objective is to view the videos on TV via burned Blu-ray discs?

6. Is there a noticeable difference in the quality of videos recorded in 1080p vs 1080i?

7. My current TV is not compliant with x.v.Color, but I may be upgrading soon to one that is. If I record videos with x.v.Color, how will they appear on my current TV that is not compliant?

These questions probably seem silly to everyone here. I'm sure there are more questions, but this is all that is coming to mind right now. Thanks in advance for any input or help anyone can provide.

Hi Jorodi25

Welcome to the forum

Before you consider buying PD10, download the trial version FIRST and test it on your system.

1. Your computer specs appear to be OK - ensure you have the latest video card drivers by going to the manufacturers web site.

Also ensure you have the latest Quicktime installed.

2. You transfer the video files to your computer and then import them into PD. There is virtually no loss in quality and you can use a custom produce mode to get the best quality possible (although this option may not be available in the trial version).

3. PD will work with those modes (not sure about 28 Mbps).

4. Not noticeable to the naked eye

5. Not sure

6. Not sure.

7. Not sure

As I said earlier download the trial version first

http://www.cyberlink.com/downloads/trials/powerdirector/download_en_US.html

Happy editing

Happing editing

Best Regards

Neil
CubbyHouseFilms
My Youtube Channel
My Vimeo Channel
PD3.5, 5, 6 & 7. Computer: Dell Dimension 5150, Intel Pen. 2.80 GHz, 2GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8600GT 256MB, Windows XP Pro!!
PD8 Ultra v3022. Computer: Dell Studio 1747, Intel, i7 Q740 1.73 GHz, 8GB RAM, ATI Mob. Radeon HD 560v 1GB, Windows 7 Ult. 64
PD10 Ultra v2023. Computer: HP Pavilion dv7, Intel, i7 2630 2.00 GHz, 8GB RAM, ATI Mob. Radeon HD 6770 2GB, Windows 7 Pre. 64
PD12 Ultra v2930. Computer: HP Pavilion dv7, Intel, i7 2630 2.00 GHz, 8GB RAM, ATI Mob. Radeon HD 6770 2GB, Windows 7 Pre. 64
PD13 Ultim v3516. Computer: HP Pavilion dv7, Intel, i7 2630 2.00 GHz, 8GB RAM, ATI Mob. Radeon HD 6770 2GB, Windows 7 Pre. 64
PD16 Live v2101 Computer: HP Pavilion dv7, Intel, i7 2630 2.00 GHz, 16GB RAM, ATI Mob.Radeon HD 6770 2GB, Windows 7 Pre. 64
Director Suite 6: PowerDirector 16 Live, PhotoDirector 9, ColorDirector 6, AudioDirector 8

Cameras: Sony(s) HXR-NX5P, HXR-NX70P, NEX-VG10E, a6300 4k, HDR TG5E, GoPro 4 Black, Canon 6D DSLR

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ro22tol

Member Joined: Sep 30, 2006 00:53 Messages: 63 Offline

Dec 29, 2011 01:54

Your computer specs are about what I have. As indicated above, update all your drivers and programs including quicktime and directX.

Read this thread about the 1080P 60fps issue:

http://forum.cyberlink.com/forum/posts/list/20074.page Land of fieros, North Dakota USA

mdas

Newbie Joined: Dec 29, 2011 01:41 Messages: 14 Offline

Dec 29, 2011 01:59

Quote: Hi,

5. Am I correct in understanding that videos recorded in 1920x1080/60p will not be able to be burned to Blu-ray discs? If so, is there any reason to record in 60p if my main objective is to view the videos on TV via burned Blu-ray discs?

6. Is there a noticeable difference in the quality of videos recorded in 1080p vs 1080i?

5. Why don't you try to test it with a small video first,then you will come to know if it is possible or not possible.

6. 1080i and 1080p are both High Definition display formats for HDTVs. 1080i and 1080p signals actually contain the same information,Both 1080i and 1080p represent a 1920x1080 pixel resolution .The letter is an abbreviation for the type of scan the TV uses -- 'p' stands for progressive and 'i' stands for interlaced.

Progressive scan is better than interlaced because it processes the images twice as fast. This faster scan rate produces better clarity and color in the on-screen picture.

abatkhan1

Newbie Location: USA Joined: Oct 02, 2011 21:13 Messages: 2 Offline

Dec 30, 2011 12:11

I did not find the option to create BD disk in 1920x1080/60p format in PD10 trial version. In my understanding the full version is the same, unless recent updates corrected the issue.
It was available in PD9 however. I'm surprised that Cyberlink decided to downgrade output quality for BD in the new version. It looks like that you if take movies on 1080p on your camcorder you're going to lose some quality by producing movie in PD10.
I'd like to be wrong about that.

Alex B

abatkhan1

Newbie Location: USA Joined: Oct 02, 2011 21:13 Messages: 2 Offline

Dec 30, 2011 14:04

.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at Dec 30. 2011 14:27

Alex B

JoeVideo

Newbie Location: Los Angeles, California, USA Joined: Nov 27, 2011 16:08 Messages: 31 Offline

Dec 30, 2011 14:15

J25
For a new video editing guy you sure post smart questions,
as to question #2. If your current computer recognizes your camcorder as an external drive/storage device
you can drag and drop the video clips into any of your computer folders you designate, without
a loss of quality. I whole heartily agree with all the rest of the comments...try the Trial Version first.
regards
Joe O JoeVideo
H Envy 17.3" Notebook Touchsmart M7-J020dx
4th generation Intel (R) i7 4700MQ @2.4GHz
1TBl HD Toshiba MQ1ABD100
DVD optical Drive, RAM 8
gb
Display Adapter Intel (R) HD graphics 4600
64bit operation system, Windows 8.1

ynotfish

Senior Contributor Location: N.S.W. Australia Joined: May 08, 2009 02:06 Messages: 9977 Offline

Dec 30, 2011 16:01

Hi Jorodi -

PD10 can work with AVC HD clips shot at 28MBps, and can output in the same format.

You may find your NVIDIA GeForce GT 420 wanting at times!

Cheers - Tony
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Jorodi25

Newbie Joined: Dec 28, 2011 22:26 Messages: 2 Offline

Dec 30, 2011 23:20

Thanks for all the replies, I really appreciate the help.

A few more questions:

Just to clarify my question about being able to use PowerDirector to transfer videos from the camcorder to my computer - if PowerDirector is capable of doing this, I won't need to use the software the came with the camcorder at all. In other words, the software that came with the camcorder is very basic in terms of editing, so if PowerDirector is capable of getting the videos from my camcorder to my computer, there is no need to use the software that came with the camcorder at all. Is this correct? It seems like it would be easier to use PowerDirector for all video-related stuff and not have to jump between programs.

Secondly, after digging through the forums here, I came across a thread about having problems installing the full version of PowerDirector if your computer came pre-installed with other versions of Cyberlink software. My comptuer came with Cyberlink DVD Suite Premium, so I'm wondering if this is going to cause problems in getting PowerDirector to work properly.

Quote: Your computer specs are about what I have. As indicated above, update all your drivers and programs including quicktime and directX.

Read this thread about the 1080P 60fps issue:

http://forum.cyberlink.com/forum/posts/list/20074.page

After I downloaded the latest driver directly from the NVIDIA website, a separate NVIDIA update became available via Windows Update, which I downloaded. After the Windows Update went through, it seems to have reverted the NVIDIA driver update back to what it was originally. Does anybody know what would cause that?

Also, how do I make sure that quicktime and directx have the latest drivers?

Quote: You may find your NVIDIA GeForce GT 420 wanting at times!

Cheers - Tony

Does this mean the graphics card will not be capable of handling or doing certain tasks?

Thanks again, everyone.

HalCon

Senior Contributor Location: Charlottetown, PEI Joined: Mar 01, 2008 10:36 Messages: 719 Offline

Dec 31, 2011 09:33

Just to clarify my question about being able to use PowerDirector to transfer videos from the camcorder to my computer - if PowerDirector is capable of doing this, I won't need to use the software the came with the camcorder at all. In other words, the software that came with the camcorder is very basic in terms of editing, so if PowerDirector is capable of getting the videos from my camcorder to my computer, there is no need to use the software that came with the camcorder at all. Is this correct? It seems like it would be easier to use PowerDirector for all video-related stuff and not have to jump between programs.

Jorodi,

PowerDirector does not transfer the files to your hard drive. You can import them directly from the camera to PD BUT that is not a good practice. Please notice the bold capatalized 'but'.

PowerDirector does not make any changes to the actual original files, whether that be in format or location. It makes a text file that references the media in the library and the location of that media. If you import from the camera you will have to have the camera hooked up to the computer while you are editing. Unhooking the camera then rehooking it may cause the drive letter of the camera to change. If it changes PD will not be able to locate the media. The other problem is, you cannot delete the files from the camera until you have finished editing.

For the best editing experience you have two options to move the files without losing the quality. When you connect the camera it should show up as an external hard drive. Look for it in Explorer.

1 - First option is to use the software supplied by the camera maunfacturer to copy (backup) the files to your hard drive. This should have no effect on the quality of the media.

2 - Navigate to the correct folder on the camera and manually copy the files to a folder on your hard drive.

I use a combination of both methods shown with my cameras. I use a seperate folder for each set of files I copy. The thing to remember is to move (copy) the media to a location on your hard drive before you attempt to use the files in PowerDirector.

Hal
OS - Win11 Pro, Alienware R13, CPU - Intel Core I7-12700KF 12 CPUs), 16g DDR5 4400 RAM, Video - Geeforce RTX 3080ti 12g, PD11 & PD365
My YouTube

ynotfish

Senior Contributor Location: N.S.W. Australia Joined: May 08, 2009 02:06 Messages: 9977 Offline

Dec 31, 2011 15:26

Quote: Does this mean the graphics card will not be capable of handling or doing certain tasks?

Looking at the specs of the GeForce GT 420, and where it sits in benchmarks tests, I wouldn't be throwing too many Full HD 24/28MBps clips at it and expecting it to be able to keep up the pace.

Of course, I'm only guessing based on what other editors have experienced. If the project was shorter or less complex (not so many tracks) it would probably process what it needs to OK. In a longer, or more involved, project I just wouldn't expect it to be an easy ride.

My PC has a similar CPU (i7-920) and a GTX 260, and there are times (when the going gets tough) that it lags trying to process what I'm asking of it, using AVCHD clips @ 24MBps. Getting myself behind a faster GPU is one of my most immediate goals.

Here's a basic performance comparison chart http://www.hwcompare.com/6815/geforce-gt-420-vs-geforce-gtx-260-core-216/

I just said you may find it wanting.

Cheers - Tony
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pjc3

Senior Member Location: Australia Joined: May 29, 2010 19:33 Messages: 247 Offline

Dec 31, 2011 15:37

Quote: Hi,

4. Related to #3, is there a noticeable difference in quality between 28 Mbps and 24 Mbps?

5. Am I correct in understanding that videos recorded in 1920x1080/60p will not be able to be burned to Blu-ray discs? If so, is there any reason to record in 60p if my main objective is to view the videos on TV via burned Blu-ray discs?

6. Is there a noticeable difference in the quality of videos recorded in 1080p vs 1080i?

7. My current TV is not compliant with x.v.Color, but I may be upgrading soon to one that is. If I record videos with x.v.Color, how will they appear on my current TV that is not compliant?

4. In theory, 24Mbps for interlaced video has more bits per pixel but in practice, the benefits of encoding progressive outweigh the theoretical advantages.

5. You can author a menu-less AVCHD disc using multi-AVCHD (freeware) which will play 1080p60@28Mbps on some Bluray players as well as PS3.

6. I believe so, especially for amateur videographers and editors.

7. It will extend the colour and grey scale gamut beyond your TV's ability and some colours may be a little off. You probably won't see a difference. I tested it a few times turning on it off and it did not end up really affecting the content. I suspect a few would complain that colours aren't quite right. Panasonic SD9, Panasonic TM700, Panasonic SD600, GoPro HD Hero.