Sunday, April 3, 2005 at 9:49 AM You sir must work for a business that manufactures movie-making equipment. Do you have any clue just how cheap it is to manufacture all those expensive cameras and microphones and stuff? I say now that you do not!" You sir, must work for a business that makes cameras and other video equipment--oh wait, you probably don't. Fortunately, I don't need to either to know the truth of the matter here. A standard digital camera which I am taking out into the field to do remotes costs $2,700--and that's the low end. A tripod will add on several hundred, a computer with the proper non-linear software to edit the footage is several hundred dollars more--and I haven't included the massive hard drive space you'll need, the top notch equipment you'll have to use, and the devise to record from the tapes (they aren't that cheap either) to the computer. Linear editing, which is actually prefered by film makers, doesn't require this non-linear editing equipment, but oh yeah, it costs more. So no, on this issue I know what I'm talking about and I'd wager you do not. The whole "they're just jacking up the prices even though making the equipment so cheap" argument doesn't work on me because I also know a few things about business and that there's a lot more in a company's cost structure than raw materials--which for electronics of this complexity, still aren't very cheap, not for the quality you need for broadcasting at least. Rant on with your anti-capitalism, anti-Americanism lines and enjoy yourself. Don't pretend to know about things you know nothing about though. —clodhopper | 
