editing video

[leso55]

Hi all, bit off base maybe,but the amount of knowledge on here always amazes me. I have recently bought a drift HD Ghost action camera to capture footage when out on my motorcycle, it records in MP4 file format.
The problem I now have is when I want to edit them it's taking for ever, the spec of my laptop is obviously not up to handling large files and if I use Windows Movie Maker it wants to convert to AVI files which I don't want. Scouring the internet the general opinion seems to be that Apple products seem to be much better for video editing.
So... My question is does anyone know if an Apple Mac Book Pro would be up to the task? Don't want to go to the expense of a brand new one but have my eye on one or two on E Bay about 2/3 years old.
Any suggestions guys?

 

[Windy Miller]

I'm guessing that the MacBookPro would do the job, but if you let me know the specs I can ask the MAC guys at work. I only dabble in MACs but we have a specialist team that does them day in day out...

 

[leso55]

I'm guessing that the MacBookPro would do the job, but if you let me know the specs I can ask the MAC guys at work. I only dabble in MACs but we have a specialist team that does them day in day out...

Thanks for the reply and help, this is the kind of mac I've been looking at it has 4 gig of ram and a 500 gig hard drive
Additional information about Apple MacBook Pro 13.3" Laptop (June,2009) - Customised

Product Information
This is a customised product of Apple Laptop MacBook Pro 13.3" (June, 2009)
Product Identifiers
ManufacturerApple
Product FamilyMacBook Pro
Model IDMacBookPro5,5
Model NumberA1278
Motherboard
Bus Speed1066 MHz
Display
Display Size13.3"
Display Max. Resolution1280 x 800
Technical Features
Security FeaturesKensington Lock Slot
Expansion Ports1 x IEEE 1394b (FireWire 800), 2 x USB 2.0, DVI (Digital Video Interface), FireWire 800, RJ-45 (NIC), VGA out
Expandability1 x SD Card Slot
Special FeaturesIntegrated Video Camera, MagSafe Power Adapter Port
Memory
RAM TechnologyDDR3 SDRAM
Max Supported RAM8 GB
Audio
Audio Output TypeHeadphones, Line Out, Optical Digital, Sound card, Speaker(s)
Audio Input TypeIntegrated Microphone, Line In (3.5mm), Optical Digital In
Networking
Networking TypeBluetooth, Integrated 10/100/1000 Network Card, Integrated Wireless LAN, Network Adapter
Data Link ProtocolAirPort Extreme, Bluetooth, Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n
Battery
Battery Run TimeUp to 7 Hours
Battery TechnologyLithium polymer
Dimensions
Depth22.7 cm
Height2.4 cm
Width32.5 cm
Miscellaneous
Release DateJune,2009

 

[Angusdog]

I do high end graphics on a mid-2012 Mac Book Pro 2.9GHz and you'd have no problems with a MBP. You can use iMovie, Final Cut, Premiere or even Quicktime Pro v7 (v10 doesn't have as much control). MBPs last for ages because of the build quality - they're robust and don't break nearly as much as a plastic Dell etc.

 

[tlovatt]

It depends what you are looking to do, If you just want to chop up the MP4 files then free software such as Avidemux http://fixounet.free.fr/avidemux/download.html should do it quickly depending upon the original encoding, others can stitch MP4s together quite quickly.

There is plenty of good video editing software for windows or Linux and you will tend to get more machine for less money without the Apple logo.

If you are looking to transcode a lot of video then all machines will be slow as it is a lot of data to process

 

[Normsthename]

Have a look at these Video Editors, I found them really easy to use and also very fast.
If you setup the output format correctly to match the original format it will only encode the transitions effects

Andy

 

[leso55]

It depends what you are looking to do, If you just want to chop up the MP4 files then free software such as Avidemux http://fixounet.free.fr/avidemux/download.html should do it quickly depending upon the original encoding, others can stitch MP4s together quite quickly.

There is plenty of good video editing software for windows or Linux and you will tend to get more machine for less money without the Apple logo.

If you are looking to transcode a lot of video then all machines will be slow as it is a lot of data to process

Just want to be able to to cut sections out and construct small movies from footage I've shot when out on the bike, I have iMovie on my phone and it seems fine for what I want.

 

[leso55]

Have a look at these Video Editors, I found them really easy to use and also very fast.
If you setup the output format correctly to match the original format it will only encode the transitions effects

Andy

Can't see any video editors?

 

[rtbcomp]

These guys do lots of small video utilities

http://www.dvdvideosoft.com/index.htm

 

[Wedg1e]

Can't help with the Mac problem but I've used a few Windows-based video suites over the years and every one has ground the PC to a halt. I think the last I tried was Sony Vegas Pro (8 or 9, I forget which) but I can never be bothered trawling through all the hours of footage from my on-bike camera (first a Dogcam HQR2, lately a GoPro 3 Black) when the boys and I have been fooling around in the Alps

 

[doubleboost]

Video eats RAM for breakfast

 

[Normsthename]

↑
Have a look at these Video Editors, I found them really easy to use and also very fast.
If you setup the output format correctly to match the original format it will only encode the transitions effects

Andy
Can't see any video editors?

Oops..... Forgot the link

http://www.womble.com

Andy

 

[tlovatt]

If you set the camera up properly, MP4 video can be very quickly cut and joined without any need for transcoding (changing the format), the link I suggested above can do this - you can cut up a 6 GB movie into chunks in less than 1 minute even on my low power PC