HV Video what computer to buy?

[benshei]

Hello,
I am new to the HD video…

Got the Canon HF20 camcodrer, I have an old computer with Windows XP.
I was able to download the videos from the camcoder to the PC but it does not play well.

I assume I will need to buy a new computer now, that needs to be strong computer. I am debating between PC or Apple iMac.

Need you advice in what direction to go…
I like the video quality when I play them from the camcoder through HDMI cable to HD TV.

Also I would like to be able to take some of the videos and upload them to YouTube, is this possible?

Any help will be well appreciated.

Thanks, Eitan

[UncasMS]

hello eitan,

a new computer may very often be a good idea/wise decision when it comes to faster editing/processing but in your case you mention QUALITY

so let me ask you: what is it precisely that is not satisfying with your current pc?

of course you may ask 10 people and get at least 20 suggestions/opinions but a decent proposal should be based on better input from you.

outputting hd video to your hd tv may look different as material on the pc simply because the reoslution of your monitor may be (i have no idea as we still need your information updated) way smaller in terms of its resolution and thus hd video will look different/poorer when output res is probably smaller than input resolution.

the very moment when you go about editing hd material you will very likely appreciate the performance a NEW pc (a quadcore with ideally more than 4gb ram, a 64 bit os and more than one harddrive) but let's get more details from you first.

[benshei]

Hello,
My PC is ~ 5 years old with Windows XP, 160GB HD and 1 GB RAM.
I was able to download the video from the Canon HF20 to the PC using the Canon software, however I can play these HD video files but it slower and segmented.
When I play these HD videos from the Canon HF20, using HDMI cable, to HD LCD TV, it looks great!
I assume I will need a stronger computer with higher performance; also I need the right software for editing.

Can I downgrade HD video files so I can upload them to YouTube?

I am debating where to go, PC or iMac, do you know if the iMovie is good software?

What will be good editing HD video software?

Thanks, Eitan

[UncasMS]

ok, a pc with 1gb ram and ONE hdd with 160gb is defintely no good start for HD video encoding/editing, you're right

iMovie can load, edit and export AVCHD material and like other tools it can output to samller/more compressed formats for upload to video portals like youtube

iMovie is decent but i dont think we should call it GOOD software

final cut is rather good software on a mac or take pinnacle or corel video studio for windows based systems

[benshei]

Thanks for your response, now I know that I need a new computer, what will be your recommendation? Mac or PC?

Thanks for your time. Eitan

[ipaulo]

I guess the question to you is how much do you want to spend on your next computer. If you have the knowledge or someone that can help you, I would build your own pc. If you want your video to look as good as you hd tv, then you'll need a hd video card and a hd monitor.