Tablet for lightweight video clipping and viewing

[ReefHound]

First let me say I'm not expecting to do serious video editing on a tablet. I'd like something to take on trips that would be smaller and lighter than my laptop. I just want to be able to view my underwater videos at the end of the day, and if possible, losslessly clip them to get rid of the junk and reduce space. Color adjustments, arranging clips, adding music can wait til I get home.

I'm looking at a Samsung Tablet A for about $220 (with S-pen $270). Anyone using this for the above purpose? I really don't want to spend the $450+ for a Surface Pro 3.

 

[Lorenzoid]

What software would you use? I looked into using a tablet for the purposes you mentioned, but my conclusion was that the available apps do not make it easy to edit anything. The GoPro app was easy enough to use to view clips still stored on the camera on the tablet's screen instead of the tiny screen on the back of the GoPro and delete clips I didn't want to keep, but for editing, it would be better to use software on a laptop and download the video to the laptop.

 

[ReefHound]

I'm certainly aware that a laptop - and even more so my desktop - will be much better for editing and that is where the heavy lifting will occur. I haven't bought a tablet yet so I haven't selected any software yet. An initial search turns up a dozen or so Android video editing apps, and lossless clipping is a really lightweight operation that does little more than viewing with file truncation at keyframes.

When you say you looked into it, was that googling or actually trying some apps? Even just playback from the camera might be better than lugging along the laptop. Although I'd rather be able to stick in the micro SD card and use a player on the tab. Then I could review the day's videos sitting at the bar without bringing along the camera and it's cables.

 

[Lorenzoid]

. . . When you say you looked into it, was that googling or actually trying some apps? Even just playback from the camera might be better than lugging along the laptop. Although I'd rather be able to stick in the micro SD card and use a player on the tab. Then I could review the day's videos sitting at the bar without bringing along the camera and it's cables.

Just from Googling. I hope you get some informed replies here, as I'll be watching. Maybe things have improved since the time I became interested in the tablet route.

 

[shmuggy]

I have given up on this quest. I tried a Google Chromebook but hated it- it would not do anything I wanted but I didn't want to bring my home laptop on the road where it might have a drink spilled onto it by another passenger or the TSA might have insisted I check it. I don't want to spend a lot of money either so I think next I am going to see if I can find a cheap, used Apple laptop with Quick Time on it.

If anyone knows of a good tablet, it would be nice to know with Prime days coming up soon.

 

[gr8jab]

Maybe I'm a little confused about what you really want to do, but I'm guessing that any reasonable tablet will work. For example, I've used an iPad Min Gen3 (circa 2015), iMove, and a SeaLife Micro while spending a week in Cozumel. My biggest problem was the wifi/internet, not my hardware. I added a bluetooth keyboard/case so I could write content for my blog while traveling. Read my blog's earliest posts for details about the hardware. The blog also has a bunch of videos I made and uploaded from the iPad while in Cozumel: Jeff's Cozumel Scuba Blog

Tablet processing power has increase and costs have decreased since then. I currently travel with a Lenovo Tab2 A10 -70F, which is quite old. I think a 10-inch tablet is a good balance between price, usability, and size/weight. I have also used 'Videoshop' on my iPhone 6 with great success. I would guess that any middle-of-the-road andriod, like the Samsung or Lenovo would be fine for video editing. The newer Lenovo Tab4 would probably handle the work without issue, and is only $160 on Amazon.

If you are the type of person that starts the gopro when you splash, and records continuously until you surface, editing on anything (even a laptop or desktop) will be a slow and difficult process.

If you take frequent shorter videos, you might not even need editing software. Just delete the videos you don't like and keep the good ones for later editing at home.

Oh, and I've traveled all over the world for work and never had the TSA force me to check my laptop. The rare exception might be if you are taking a tiny puddle-jumper from island to island, and there is no room in the overhead for your large carry-on, but even then you just hand carry your laptop separate from your bag for that 1/2 hour flight (see Alaska's a la carte as an example). As far as someone spilling on it, just don't use it on the plane. @shmuggy I think your fears here are unwarranted. I sometimes vacation without my laptop only to reduce my carry-on weight and size, not because I fear drink spillage or TSA.

EDIT: I just watched the videos again, and wow have they been compressed! I think youtube did a lot of the compression, and I also did some on the table to speed the upload. However the tablet software also had a lossless output option.

 

[Uno1]

I use a Galaxy Tab A to transfer images and videos from my TG-5 sd card via OTG . Use the tablets to view videos and act as a backup. Also transfer the videos to other SD media as back up from the tablet. It has worked well for me.