Enter the world of digital video with Windows Movie Maker

Windows Millennium Edition makes it easy to take advantage of the latest in video—whether you have cutting-edge digital equipment or use an older, analog camera. Either way, this article summarizes some of what you can do now with Windows Movie Maker (included in Windows Me), and gives you some pointers about new cameras and other equipment and software you may want to consider to take your video experience to a new level.

New life for your old videos
If you’ve ever edited VHS tape, you know it's a big hassle. You need two VCRs to do it, and it's a mind-numbing process: push play, then record, stop, rewind, play, record... Once you get Windows Me, you can say goodbye to the tedium and stow away the extra VCR next to your old rotary telephone.

This new operating system brings video editing to the computer desktop. Amateur filmmakers can now work with tools like Windows Movie Maker to easily create and share digital home movies with friends and family. With Windows Movie Maker, you can store video on your hard drive, and then send it to friends and family via e-mail or post it on a Web site. Never again will you have to force guests to watch the full-length yawner of your trip to Yellowstone National Park; they'll be happy to receive the highlights-only version in their inbox to view at their leisure.

Windows Movie Maker also uses high-compression features that make it possible to store more than twenty hours of video per gigabyte of hard drive space. With this kind of compression, you can store all your home movies on your computer, instead of just a few select clips.

No camcorder required
Even if you don't own a camcorder, you can still play with digital video in Windows Movie Maker—no one said you have to use footage you shot. Go crazy, cull the Web for digital video, then use Windows Movie Maker to edit and play with all you find. Here's your opportunity to create a piece of art by incorporating still images, music, and narration. Or if you have something more personal, like wedding pictures you want to share on MSN communities , simply scan the stills into Windows Movie Maker and turn your snapshots (literally) into moving pictures. Professional filmmakers often mix still images with video—now you can get the same effect on your computer.

Consider a digital camera
Remember, Movie Maker works smoothly with your existing analog camcorder (whether it be Hi-8, 8mm, VHS-C, or even an old VHS). And with a low-cost video capture device connected via Universal Serial Bus, or a dedicated capture board in your computer, you can begin to digitize your videos one at a time.

But if you're ready to go completely digital, and shoot all your footage from here on out using a digital camera, Windows Me supports the latest DV and Digital-8 cameras. To learn all about the features available and to find the best camera for your needs at the lowest price, a good place to start is the Internet. Do some online searches, and read product reviews and testimonials to get a feel for what features you really want and need. ZDNet is one site that lists product-reviews, as well as price and feature comparisons that can help you make a decision.

Crystal clarity
You may notice that digital video offers a clearer picture than analog. That’s because DV cameras provide higher resolution—some boast 500 lines of horizontal resolution, providing sharper picture detail from the additional color information that's recorded. High-end cameras provide the same optical system used in professional video cameras. The result is more accurate color rendition and saturation levels with a higher signal-to-noise ratio for greater clarity.

Higher-end cameras also use technologies that correct for some of the bouncing created by an unsteady filming hand. When you hold a camera for more than a few moments, your hands will inevitably shake due to small-muscle fatigue. Horizontal and vertical motion sensors help reduce these subtle vibrations.

Prices may vary
Camera prices can range anywhere from $400 to $10,000. The main factors accounting for that whopping variation in price are color and sound quality. Many newer camcorders can take still photos as well. If you want both a digital video recorder and a digital camera, one of these combination models might be just what you're looking for. A few digital camcorders offer a respectable array of features and are available for as low as $500. These cameras still feature a wide range of zoom capabilities and a pull-out color viewing monitor.

A few technicalities
Nearly all DV and Digital-8 camcorders have an IEEE 1394 port. If your computer has a matching connector, you can directly transfer video from your camcorder to the computer without dropping a single bit. You can also transfer video back to your camcorder from the computer (this capability might be disabled in some camcorders sold in Europe).

Newer camcorders often use Lithium-Ion batteries, which last much longer because there is almost no limit on how many times they can be recharged—unlike previous nickel-cadmium batteries. Also, Lithium-Ion batteries do not contain any poisonous metals such as, lead, mercury, or cadmium. To extend battery life even further, you may want to consider buying a second, larger Lithium-Ion battery, which can easily outlast a standard 60-minute DV tape.

Extra effects available
Once you get comfortable with your camera and start using Windows Movie Maker, you can invest in more advanced digital technologies for your computer. Some videographers will want to purchase advanced software programs that allow them to create special effects—like dropping a cityscape into a video of their backyard, or adding a pod of whales to footage of their ocean expedition. If you get really ambitious, you can use one of the many graphics programs on the market that allow you to add animation to your videos. The possibilities are literally endless.

There are many excellent video editing packages compatible with Windows Me from companies like MGI and Ulead. But be warned, these programs work directly with DV video, which does not have the same compression capabilities as Windows Movie Maker. If you remember, Windows Movie Maker compresses more than 20 hours of video into a single gigabyte of hard drive space. The editing packages that work directly with DV video, like MGI's and Ulead's, can only store four and a half minutes of video per gigabyte. Using these advanced editing programs requires a lot more hard drive space. Still, these applications provide almost broadcast-quality video, and you can return the finished work to tape when you’re done editing. You can also add titles, effects, and transitions that lend a professional quality to your creations.

Whether you have an older analog camera, a stack of VHS tapes, or a top-of-the-line digital video camera, Windows Me will help you get all your video onto your computer and create short movies you can e-mail or post on a Web site. What you do beyond that is only limited by your imagination.