First of all, there is no “answer” that fits everyone. I open and work on anything. This scares the crap out of people around me. Many others have no desire to hold a screwdriver in their hand.
My own experience:
I have a fantastic editor who is brilliant at what he does, but, if we need to add more ram, I have to do it. He could probably do it but I hired him to edit, not fix or upgrade electronic devices. A former editor spent too much time tinkering and it cost me plenty.
I used to sell Discreet Edit and spent a lot of time building systems. My clients, however, were not at all interested in opening the box for any reason. If it stopped working, I did a service call.
You can buy a computer from Apple and they will send it with all of the software installed, ready to run but don’t ask them how to digitize footage or how to put Jay Leno’s head on a female body builder.
Some of us are techies an some are artists.
Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona
It’s a dry heat!
Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck
5 Final Cut (not quite PRO) systems
Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck
2-Sony EX-1 HD .