AVCHD on my present computer

[Scott Francis]

I think you are underpowered. HD recommends at LEAST a 2ghz chip dual core and with AVCHD there is even more need. I would suggest upgrading if you are able, playback for preview will be iffy and 2 gig of ram and a 32bit system is also on the short end. Worst case, try it and see, but don’t get your hopes up IMHO….good luck!

Scott Francis
Mind’s Eye Audio/Video Productions

[John Rofrano]

[Robert Billings] ” Intel Core Duo 6300 @ 1.86GHz, 2 GB RAM”

Don’t even think about buying an AVCHD camera with that computer. You are below Sony’s recommended specs which aren’t really adequate in real life use anyway.

Is that really a Core Duo and not a Core 2 Duo. There is a big difference between the two with Core 2 Duo being significantly better.

Does the 6300 mean T6300 as in a laptop? You realy need something in the T9000 series for HD editing on a laptop.

Bottom line, 1.86GHz is far too slow. For AVCHD I would recommend at least 2.4GHz or 2.8Ghz QuadCore.

If you don’t believe be, download some AVCHD footage from the internet (preferably from that camera) and try and play it on your PC. I believe you will be sadly disappointed with the performance. If you have a store near you that sells the camera, go in with your own memory card and shoot some footage in store. Then bring it home and see if you can play it.

If you are not willing to buy a new comoputer, stay away from AVCHD and get HDV instead. That can be edited quite nicely on a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo.

Your other option is to do proxy editing with a tool like VASST GearShift. That is specifically designed for people with slow computers. It’s something to look into.

~jr

http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com

[Robert Billings]

Thanks very much for your reply.
Sorry I didn’t explain myself very well. My computer is a desktop, from system properties:

Microsoft Windows XP
Professional
Version 2002
Service Pack 3

Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU
6300 @ 1.86GHZ
1.86 GHz, 2.00 GB of RAM
Physical Address Extension

Can/should this machine be upgraded or should I start over?
I’m guessing start over.
Thanks, Robert

[John Rofrano]

There is no sense in upgrading a Core 2 system. The new architecture is the Core i systems (i3, i5, i7). I would get nothing less that a Core i7 quad core if you plan on using AVCHD. This is an extremely tough format to work with and you need all the CPU power you can get.

~jr

http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com

[Robert Billings]

Thanks John and Scott. I appreciate the help very much.
I’ll definitely buy the computer before buying the camera.
-Robert

[John Rofrano]

Well don’t count out downloading some AVCHD footage and trying for yourself before you go making a purchase. I just don’t think it will playback smoothly on your computer at all.

~jr

http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com