For video editing does it help to have a good video card.

[necro007]

Hi.

I just want to know if having a fast card like a 7800GT will be a big diff copared to a 6600GT when it come to video editing.

I have a Sony DV cam, and i want to upload the videos i took and edit them on my PC, will a 7800GT make a big diff here when compared to a 6600GT.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Matthias99]

No difference. The main encoding/transcoding/editing is done via the CPU. Use a 6200 if you want; it won't do anything.

A few editing packages can use the shader pipelines of a fast card to do realtime effects/previews (newer versions of Liquid do this, not sure about other programs), but it's not going to speed anything else up. At least until they start using things like PureVideo/AVIVO for transcode acceleration.

 

[Erasertone]

IMO, I think the CPU is the one that handles most of the work load in video editing but I guess a faster card will do a big difference as it can render images much faster.

 

[gsellis]

Originally posted by: Erasertone
IMO, I think the CPU is the one that handles most of the work load in video editing but I guess a faster card will do a big difference as it can render images much faster.

It depends on the editor. Avid Liquid (Pinnacle Liquid Edition) and Pinnacle Studio 10 use the graphics card, especially with HDV. There are others that like Quadros. Dual heads can matter.

BTW, found out this weekend that I can get realtime preview while in Liquid via my AIW card. Going to hook up a TV tonight to see.

edit - BTW, that is important because NTSC color is 1.8 million colors max. PCs do 16 million. You can overcook the colors (illegal). You may have seen where white on the screen makes the speakers buzz on certain TVs.