Edit Points: Linear vs. Nonlinear Editing (page 2)

Non-linear Nirvana

With non-linear editing systems, you're no longer a slave to VCRs. That alone makes it an attractive option for anyone who does a lot of editing.

Once you digitize the footage, the computer becomes sort of a virtual VCR. With it you can jump from the beginning of your footage to the end or anywhere in-between with the click of a mouse. You can also get instant feedback on your edit decisions without waiting for prerolls or postrolls.

Don't bother remembering time code numbers or counter numbers in a non-linear system, either. Instead, you store a frame from each video take as a picture-icon or "picon". You can also give each clip a name.

When you want to retrieve a take, glance through the clip library and select the one you want. The computer puts it in the program, which appears on-screen as a timeline in many systems.

Unlike the permanence of linear edits, non-linear edits are completely malleable. You can instantly adjust where and how a scene fits into a show by moving it around the timeline with the mouse. Trimming it ten frames one way or ten seconds in the other is a few finger taps away.

Once you organize the show inside the computer, you need to get it back on videotape so your audience can view it. This is called rendering or mastering, and non-linear systems have different ways to handle this step.

Many systems play back the edited program directly from the digitized video already on the hard disk. In this case the video quality on the master tape depends entirely on codec quality.

Other systems actually digitize the footage twice to give you the most flexible editing, and the cleanest master tape. First, they digitize raw footage at a low resolution to let you cram as much footage as possible on the hard disks for care-free editing. When it's time to create the master tape, the computer redigitizes the scenes at much a higher resolution before it transfers them to the master tape.

How does it do this? By prompting you for the original footage tapes. The process can get as tedious as a regular linear edit session, but the quality of the resulting master tape speaks for itself.

We call the third method "hybrid" editing. With this method, you digitize your footage into the computer at a high compression ratio. After making your edit decisions, the computer transfers each scene from your original master tape to the record VCR. Hence the final product is never actually digitized. This system offers the speed and flexibility of non-linear editing and the uncompromised image quality of analog tape.

Non-linear Lows

You hoped I wouldn't bring these up, right? I'm sad to report that wonderful as it may be, non-linear has drawbacks.

Cost remains the biggest. Although prices on pro systems continue to fall, and manufacturers introduce new models almost monthly that target videomakers like us, non-linear is still beyond many of our budgets.

The dedicated hardware and software don't cost much. The computers and hard drives do, however; from two to five times more than the nonlinear gear.

Don't forget about monitors, of which you'll probably need two. Anyone who works with non-linear will recommend not only two monitors, but two big monitors to make the work really glide. Again the price goes up.

When the register finally rings, the average price for a basic non-linear package comes in between $5,000 and $10,000. For stand-alone systems that approach broadcast quality, expect to spend twice that much or more.

If you knew a particular system would last a long time, and still have support years down the road, you might find it easier to justify the high cost of non-linear. Unfortunately, you don't have that promise yet.

As computer technology pushes forward, so will non-linear. Count on big gains in digital video storage and compression, as well as lower prices on computers and hard disks in the very near future.

What does that mean for you? It means a state-of-the-art edit system you buy today may be worth less than a closet full of BetaMax cassettes a year or two later.

That dependence on cutting-edge technology can also breed problems like system "crashes" because manufacturers haven't worked out the bugs. Anyone familiar with non-linear will talk of glitches appearing now and then on even the most dependable edit systems. Depending on when they hit, those glitches might force you to remake the last edit or rebuild the entire show.

Making the Choice

You may read the list of linear pros and cons and crown non-linear king. I'd probably agree.

But keep this in mind--on certain types of productions, a traditional linear system may actually be more efficient. On other types of videos, where flexibility and easy revision are important, non-linear reigns supreme.

If you decide to take the non-linear leap, do your homework. Try out as many different systems as you can, and read about the ones you can't try "hands-on." Make sure you can afford enough disk space to make a system functional. Nothing would cripple you more than a non-linear system with only ten or fifteen minutes of storage.

Also, understand that the system you choose may indeed be obsolete in five years. Remember the 386 PCs and one-box Mac computers that were all the rage a few years ago? These systems may share the same fate.

An alternative to a true non-linear system is the hybrid editing system that lets you work in either traditional linear or non-linear mode. These unique systems can control VCRs using standard interfaces, or operate as a fully digital non-linear system.

They make great edit controllers for VCRs because the computer's power helps you get the most from the editing process. Should you get a project where non-linear would make things easier, they can do that, too.

What if your work will never end up on videotape, but instead on a computer hard drive or CD-ROM? Non-linear is certainly the best option. Find a system that records video and audio files supported by your distribution format. Many non-linear software packages can export either Microsoft's Video for Windows or Apple's QuickTime formats.

Whatever you do, make sure to keep your eyes and ears tuned to the new developments in non-linear technology. If you have the budget to step into non-linear right now, you'll be on the leading edge of some exciting technology. For those of you on tight budgets, system prices are coming into your range in a hurry. And when they arrive, you won't want to miss the chance to join the future of video editing.