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Red Submarine
video editing laptop PC
Although
demand for edit-ready laptop PCs has never been higher, the choice still
remains limited. We look at a PIII-based Win XP contender from Red Submarine.
With the necessary
processing power now readily available in laptop computers, mobile DV
editing systems are no longer the stuff of dreams. In recent issues
we reviewed Sony's DV-edit-ready Vaio PCG-FX505 and AJP's FireWire-equipped
2200T; and, late last year, we checked out Apple's edit-ready iBook.
This month we're looking at a DV-edit-ready Windows XP contender from
Red Submarine.
At first glance, the Red Submarine Mobile Editing Work Station looks
much like any off-the-shelf laptop, but close inspection shows there's
plenty to appeal to the DV editor on the move. The machine has a Pentium
III 1.1 GHz processor, 512MByte of PC133 RAM and a 68GByte of hard disk
space (20GByte on the fixed system drive and 48GByte on a second, removable
drive). But those are not the only reasons why the Red Sub PC is some
way away from the budget end of the laptop market.
Hardware details
The left side of the PC has a combined DVD player/CD-RW drive, while
the right features a modem connection, PCMCIA port and three mini-jacks
for audio-out, line-in and microphone. The right side is also where
the second, removable hard drive goes in. This can easily be switched
with a 1.44MByte floppy disk drive that is also supplied with the system.
The rear panel includes a PS/2 port and one for 10/100 networking, and
a power socket for the supplied external AC power unit. Under the rear
flip-down cover are the parallel, serial and external monitor ports,
and two USB ports. More interesting, from a video editing perspective,
are the 1394 FireWire port for DV in/out, S-video out jack for analogue
video out, and an RCA jack for analogue video in.
Lifting the lid reveals a 15.1 TFT display, and speakers built into
the hinges. Speaker output is fine for routine audio playback on the
move, but something better would be required for mission-critical audio
editing. However, the quality of the display ñ driven by a 16MByte
ATI Rage graphics processor ñ is excellent, and its maximum resolution
of 1400 x 1050 gives a healthy amount of screen real-estate. The keyboard
and trackpad were also solid in use. The S-video analogue out mirrors
what is shown on the main display, but the VGA port does allow the desktop
to be spanned across to an external monitor.
Conclusion
In terms of basic processing grunt and connectivity, the Red Submarine
laptop is not far removed from the considerably cheaper AJP laptop reviewed
in April. However, the Red Submarine includes a dedicated second hard
drive of a size large enough for plenty of DV storage and, unlike the
bare-bones AJP, whatever additional video or audio software/hardware
is ordered will be fully configured. From our dealings, Red Sub's after-sales
support seems excellent. There does remain the outstanding issue over
analogue capture/output, but the company was commendably open about
this and did emphasis that this machine is intended primarily for DV
use.
As a mobile DV editing platform, the Red Submarine may not be cheap,
but it is very high on quality. It is also a turnkey system ñ
if video editing software is purchased with the laptop then expect to
be able to open the box, connect a DV camera and start work. As with
buying from any specialist video editing system builder, the purchaser
is paying for peace of mind and a reassurance of high-class technical
support from a single source. For those who want to get work done on
the move and are not keen to become their own IT technicians, the cost
premium may be a price well worth paying.
For the full review,
see the August 2002 issue of Computer Video.
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Recent features...
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Reviewed in August's issue:
Apple
dual-1Ghz PowerMac
Sonic Foundry Vegas Video 3
Red Submarine laptop
In August's news:
Premiere 6.updates
Philips cuts DVD burner price
Canopus analogue digital converter card
Edition DV now compatible with OHCI
Low-cost Leef FireWire drive bays
USB capture 'cable' from Pinnacle
Pinnacle adds DVD authoring
Sony MicroMV camcorder support
TerraTec £50 DVD authoring bundle
WD 200GByte EIDE hard disk
Canopus £230 analogue/DV editing card
Pinnacle sub-£70 TV tuner card trio
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