Laptop Video Editors Buyer's Guide

Don Collins
June 2000

It used to be that you could easily spot video editors by the pasty color of their skin and their aversion to the sun from having spent too many hours cooped up at an editing bay. But thanks to recent developments in the computer industry, there's a new field of video editing that's beginning to blossom: full-fledged laptop video editing systems at affordable prices. Now you can edit your footage anywhere, whether you're in the heart of the Amazon or on the coast of Zanzibar.
Now you may not be in the jungle or halfway across the world anytime soon, but the fact that you can now edit on the go opens a world of possibilities to the video editor. If you like the idea of grabbing a beverage, a lounge chair and a laptop and heading out to the beach or park to edit, then you're going to love what's available on the market.
There are a couple of immediate advantages of choosing a laptop video editor. Like most turnkey systems, the manufacturer has gone through all of the headaches and hassles of configuring the system so you don't have to. The second, and most obvious, advantage is that they are compact and portable. Improved technology has enabled laptops to pack a wallop without compromising performance or design. New processor chips run faster and cooler than their predecessors do. And, hard drive capacity has increased as sizes and prices have decreased.

Apple Computer and Sony Electronics are leading the way in this relatively new category of editors. Apple offers the PowerBook line for the Macintosh and Sony has the PC-based VAIO series. Both systems are slim, sleek and designed to work equally well in an edit bay or at 30,000 feet. With Apple's dual-battery capacity, you can edit for up to 10 hours. Although the Apple systems can edit video, they are not true turnkey systems. You need to buy and install compatible editing software like Apple Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere to make the package complete.
All of the VAIOs come with Sony's proprietary software for editing and capturing video, though they will run other popular editing software. The newer VAIOs will also include a simple editing software by Sony that can edit automatically for you. The VAIOs only have FireWire (or iLINK) input. That means you must have a Mini DV or Digital8 camcorder with FireWire to capture your video. One advantage Sony has over every other computer company is that they manufacture camcorders as well. So if you have a Sony camcorder, it will probably work with a VAIO laptop. Even so, it's a good idea to check the compatibility of your camcorder before making a final purchase decision.
The Sony VAIO PCG0F420 retails for $1,699 and has a 450Mhz processor, 64MB RAM and a 6GB hard drive. Going up the ladder a little, there's the VAIO PCG-Z505HS that retails for $2,999, has a 500Mhz processor, 128MB RAM and an 18GB hard drive. At the top rung, the VAIO PCG-F490K has a tag of $3,999 and comes with a 650Mhz Pentium III, 128MB of RAM and an 18GB hard drive.

ProMax Systems specializes in taking Apple PowerBooks and beefing them up to be full-on turnkey systems with more capacity and options than the original PowerBooks. For $4,995, ProMax offers the FireMAX Portable Studio Core System with a 400Mhz G3 processor, 192MB RAM, 6GB hard drive and Final Cut Pro editing software. Take a big step up and you can have the FireMAX Portable Studio Pro System. Not only does it have 192MB of RAM, a 400Mhz G3 engine, 18GB of hard drive space and Final Cut Pro, but it includes composite and S-video in and out in addition to FireWire. This means you don't have to have a Mini DV camcorder. You can go ahead and digitize footage from your Hi8 or any other analog camcorder.
DVLaptop.com, Inc specializes in Configuring PCs for video editing. They offer an attractive setup in the 8800P3. For about $3,600, you get a 500Mhz Pentium III, 128MB RAM, 25GB hard drive and Digital Origin's Edit DV editing software.
As time goes on, you can expect laptops that edit video to continue to decrease in price as they increase in speed, power and storage capacity. If the idea of editing in the field is appealing to you, then a laptop might just be the video editor you're looking for. Check out the accompanying buyer's guide for a complete rundown of prices and features.