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Cameras

We live in a world of cheap digital technology – especially cameras.  Most of these camera’s will shoot better quality video than that required for the internet so if you already have a digital video camera or camcorder – odds are its going to work just fine.  Even webcams that sit on top of your monitor will work for talking head shots.

Three Key Features to look for when buying a new video camera

• The Deal.  There are deals and promo's going on all the time with cameras.  Shop your local sources for a hands on test and then Google the camera model you've zeroed in on to make sure its really a great deal.
   
• Buy a Camera that uses a Firewire connection to the computer.  this is also called IEEE 1394 or iLink. Sony calls their high speed format S400. Regardless of the name - it provides great transfer speed and top quality video.   In addition to the cable that comes with the camera - buy a 15 to 20 ft extension cable to provide a bit of mobility and with the software suggested below you can then capture your video live to your desktop computer or notebook
   
• Your new camera should also have an audio port so you can plug in an external microphone.  You'll probably have to pay more for this feature but its well worth the flexibility it provides. You basically have zero control over audio with the built-in camera mics.

AV or Non-Digital Camcorders.  Most of us have one of these analog (AV) cameras in the closet and many still produce excellent quality video - its just in the wrong format.   If you're still using one of these dinosaurs (sorry) you have two major concerns: Moving the video from the camera to the computer for editing and making sure you have editing software that's compatible with the video capture board you're using.  Both topics are covered below.

Connections Between Camera and Computer

PC Video Editing requires that the video be in digital format.  Digital (DV) cameras capture video in the correct format so all we need is a connection to the computer to copy the video from camera to computer.

Older cameras capture video in an analog (AV) format which must be converted to digital format before editing.  That conversion process is handled either by an add-on video capture card installed in your computer or a desktop converter than connects between your camera and computer.  

If you already have a camera – the type of connector it uses will dictate what type of connection you need to your computer.  You can buy add-in communication boards that are inserted into your computer or small desktop boxes that provide the appropriate connections.  Once connected your video capture and editing software will take care of moving the video from the camera to the computer.  Here's a breakdown of connection types and the hardware you'll need if any.

You Have a Digital (DV) camera and need a Firewire connection.

Option 1: StarTech.com 2 Port IEEE 1394 FireWire PCI Card - $ 21.99 at www.CompUSA.com  Part# 50358351
I use this board frequently to capture video from a Sony DVCam into Windows Movie Maker, Video Edit Magic, and Sony Vegas Movie Studio.  Works great! 

Option 2: StarTech.com 2 Port IEEE 1395 FireWire PCI Card w 3 Port USB 2.0 - $38.99 at www.CompUSA.com Part#50461406

Option 3: ADS Pyro DV - $60 @ www.Videoguys.com This board works with the majority of editing software.  

You Have a Analog (AV) camera and need a video capture card.

Option 1: Pinnacle Studio AV/DV Ver 10 w Capture Card $ 95 at www.videoguys.com This will connect your old AV cameras and also that new DV camera that you're sure to buy in the future.  Comes with Pinnacle Studio 9 which is an excellent video editor.

You Have Both DV Digital and AV Analog cameras or AV tapes you want to convent to DV.

Option 1: Pinnacle Studio AV/DV Ver 10 w Capture Card - $ 95 at www.videoguys.com This will take connect your old AV cameras and also that new DV camera that you're sure to buy in the future.  Comes with Pinnacle Studio 10 which is an excellent video editor.

Option 2: Pinnacle Studio 700-PCI Capture Card - $145 @ www.videoguys.com This Pinnacle product includes the DV / AV capture card along with Studio 10 Capture and Editing Software and DVD authoring Software.

You want an easy to use Desktop Unit    

Option 1: Pinnacle Studio Plus 700-PCI w Studio 10 Video Editing and Capture - This best of all worlds - DV, AV, SVideo in and out using a Desktop Breakout Box.  Requires XP and connects to your computer via a USB 2.0 cable.  $179 at www.compuusa.com Part # 333762.

Option 2: PYRO A/V Link with Adobe Premier Elements.  DV, AV, SVideo Connections - Full Featured.  $199 - www.CompUSA.com Part # 317952 Require Windows XP and a IEEE 1394 Card Such as the StarTech unit shown above.

Computer Hardware

The old days of needing an expensive computer and special video capture card for video capture and editing are gone.  Here are some reference points.

• Virtually any Windows XP based computer or notebook from the past couple of years is adequate for short project video work. Basic editing can be done in virtually real time.  Its the rendering of the final movie file that takes the most time.  For example, using my P4 - 2.8 Mhz computer with 512K - the Camtasia Desktop videos used in this course take about a minute to render for each minute of video.  A five minute video takes about 5 minutes to render.
   
• Video Capture and Editing software likes plenty of memory. The sweet spot for memory is 512K.
   
• Video storage eats hard drive space quickly - plus smooth video playback likes a fast hard drive.  A 120GB, 7200 RPM drive in a Firewire or USB2 connected external case is a good portable solution if you need to add drive space to your current system.  
   
• For serious video work with lots of transitions, additional video and audio, or heavy editing a high end PC or Apple is the answer.  Most editing functions are virtually real time now but making the final movie (rendering) can take many minutes or even hours on longer projects. Its not an issue for most internet videos.
   
• I don't recommend using Pre Windows XP computers for video editing.  All the neat hardware and software that makes video editing simple was designed for XP based computers.  Truth is that you can probably buy a new XP based computer for about the same cost as upgrading an older computer and you still wouldn't have the performance and ease of use of the new system.

Microphones and Audio Gear

As I mentioned above - the one weak spot of most video cameras is their built in microphone.  They generally have poor sound quality and are prone to picking up background sounds.   If you are doing a short talking head video with a webcam sitting on your monitor you may be OK.    Beyond that you’ll want to get a better mic.  

 I would highly suggest that you plan the first video’s you shoot so only one mic is needed.   However, you might want to make sure that the first mic you purchase will integrate into a multi-microphone system in the future.  With that in mind....

Take an educational visit to www.microphonesolutions.com and click on their Mic Wizard – you’ll be amazed at the variety of mics available.  You’ll probably be amazed at the cost also.  Another site is http://www.zzounds.com.

 Note:  Make sure any mic you buy will plug on to your camera via cable.  That will insure that any audio you record will go to the audio track of your video tape so it’s in sync with the video action.   Hopefully, your camera will allow you to turn off it’s on board mic or to capture the audio from each mic on a separate audio track for editing

The type of mic(s) you choose will depend on a number of factors such as now many actors or presenters will appear in your video and how they will be interacting.   If you have two speakers who will appear a different times in your video then one mic will work. Sports type or man in the street interviews with multiple actors can easily be done with one mic because the interviewer holds and controls the mic.  Other video’s may require two or more mics – and that means using an audio mixer to control the sound from all the mics and send the result to a camera or other device for recording.   This can get complicated fast.

Wireless Lapel Microphones are my favorite.   Most models clip on your clothing a few inches below your face, but some come as headsets.

I use a unit from Shure that has a lapel mic on a thin cable the runs down to a belt transmitter unit.  This connects wirelessly to a receiver unit that attaches directly to my camera.  This setup can be easily used for sports type interviews and I even use it for audio only work because it produces great audio quality.

Your audio gear is important to your video production – so spend a little time figuring out what you need and make sure it works with your camera.

 Video Capture and Editing Software

Here are some of the many choices you have for video capture and editing software

If you have Windows XP operating system on your computer then you already have Windows Movie Maker installed. Add a video capture board or USB desktop device and you're ready to capture video from most cameras. You’ll find Movie Maker by clicking your start button and opening your program listing.  It’s a good basic level video capture and editing program that lets you edit video and audio, add a few effects, transitions, titles, and create a reasonably polished video.

If you’re new to video capture and editing Windows Movie Maker is a cost free place to start. Learn to use the capabilities of Windows Movie Maker first then when you’re ready move up to a more advanced editor such as Video Magic, AVS Video Editor, or Sony Vegas.

If you've purchased a video capture board it may well have come bundled with software such as Pinnacle Studio or one of the Adobe products.  These are good intermediate level editors and will certainly handle the needs of most internet video projects.  Ulead Video Seven editor is bundled with many capture boards but its a limited or lite version.

Video Magic and AVS Video Editor are excellent choices as they both come with additional bundled software and tools for DVD and Audio editing.

Sony Vegas Movie Studio + DVD is a high intermediate to advanced video editing program.    Just a few years ago, editing programs with this level of expertise cost $2500 so it’s an amazing bargain for $89.  The version with DVD authoring is $129.  The best way to get familiar with its considerable capabilities is to download a free 30 day trail.

Camtasia Studio is considered the best screen capture and presentation program around plus it does a good job of capturing and editing digital video as well.   It’s more complex to learn but may suit your needs if most of your work is based on software demos with some video capture and editing.  One big plus is that it will publish directly to Flash format so you won’t need to use a separate encoder as discussed below.   The biggest downside is the $299 price tag. 

 Encoding and Video Player Software

As I write this, the most efficient way to show or stream a video on the internet is using Flash Video (FLV).   No matter what video editor you use - when you complete your video you will more than likely save it in either the AVI format or Windows Media Video WMV.    You will need to convert your AVI or WMV format over to Flash FLV.  The process is called encoding and for that you need a software utility called a Flash encoder.  Finally, you'll also need a video player to show the video on your web site

 You can find a number of free flash encoders by doing a Google search.  You will want to test your results if you use these to insure you’re getting both quality video and streaming.

Speaking of Google - They will host your video for free (for now at least) and provide you with a link to place on your web page or email.  Google Video

In the past - I used Windows Media Maker in all my projects in which I hosed the finished video at my website or on my own server.  Their current package actually includes both Streaming Video and Streaming Audio Software which they bundle with the flash encoding software at a price of $49.  It’s the best deal I’ve found for top quality streaming video software.

Now - I'm using a new video tool that shortcuts the whole process and handles the whole process in one step. 

YouTube is a great resource but has some bandwidth limitations but you may want to consider using Instant Video Generator on larger projects that need a lot of bandwidth because the video is hosted on their servers not mine.  They’ve got the big, high speed servers and can handle the web traffic that a popular video can generate.   You can record live directly from your desktop using a web cam to their servers or upload a video that you’ve edited.  The Instant Video Generator system will automatically take your video, encode it in flash format, and give you the code you need to put on your web page.  They charge a monthly fee but that can be cheap if you have many videos or even one in very high demand.  I suggest you try their 21 day free trial to get a feel for how easy it is.

I hope it puts you on the right track to creating great videos.

Steve Beard

Disclaimer:  Please consider any products and vendors I mention above as examples and reference points.  I cannot guarantee that they will work in your specific application.  
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Steve Beard is a 22 year computer industry veteran, internet technical expert, webmaster, and the co-owner of an award winning video production company producing TV commercials and company videos.  Click below to get Steve's Free 9 Step Video Training Program plus a list of recommended equipment, video capture and editing software, and player generating software.
9 Step Internet Video Training Course
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