[Amanda Duff] "So finally I succumbed to pressure from son and was about to buy a Hauppage pvr 1313 when I realised it doesn't ahve a hard drive correct? I thought it was like set top box but now realise it's more like an external capture card so that means I would have to have my pc right next to the xbox - correct?"
That's correct. The HD PVR is a capture device that connects to a computer via a USB cable. I have mine connected to my laptop.
[Amanda Duff] "That changes things because the pc is shared by all and physically can't fit next to the xbox so now I'm confused as to my best option."
You could move the Xbox close to the computer just when he wants to record. Really the only options are to bring the Xbox to the computer or the computer to the Xbox.
[Amanda Duff] "If I'm understanding correctly, my only option now would be to find a laptop strong enough to handle the job of x-box to VEgas and now we are back into big bucks."
Yea, but you can probably get away with a NetBook computer for $229USD and use that for capture. I have a Lenovo S10 that I could test with and see if it can capture without dropping frames. It should be able to.
[Amanda Duff] "So question = is there a way I can go from xbox to VEgas without having a pc connected?"
Not that I know of. There are no HD recorders on the market that I'm aware of and never will be if Hollywood has anything to say about it. That's what makes the HD PVR so popular. No one is going to ever build an HD version of the VCR because content creators won't allow it. People have responded by building HTPC's (Home Theatre Personal Computers) and there is quite a good business supplying cases for such PC's that fit with other home theatre equipment.
There are even off-the-shelf HTPC's like:
Acer AspireRevo AR3700-U3002 Slim and Compact Desktop for $339USD.
Lenovo Ideacentre Q150 Series 40814AU Desktop for $309USD
Zotac MAG Intel Atom N330 for $270USD with no Operating System
It may be possible to run the HD PVR software on one of these. I would check with the manufacturer first.
The point is, having a PC next to your TV is becoming more common place and buying an HTPC is not that expensive (Although I'm sure you don't need the extra expense.)
[Amanda Duff] "ALSO - where is best to post about editing software classes/websites/careers for my son? I'm in Australia and Ic an see it's a passion of his so need to start looking into what subjects he should be doing in upper high school and where he could go after high school. thanks."
That's difficult to say from the USA. Here in New York State we have a school system within a school system called BOCES. It gives students technical training while they are in High School. Students attend their regular High School for 1/2 a day and BOCES for the other 1/2. My oldest son went there for Culinary training and he's now attending the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in no small part to attending BOCES. My middle son is going their for Graphic Design and my daughter might go for Video Production next year. They have an awesome video production course all taught on the Adobe Creative Suite (not my first choice but not a bad choice either). Having a solid background in Math and Science is always helpful when trying to understand aspect ratios and lighting angles.
If there is nothing like that in Australia you could purchase training from VASST that will give him a lot of insight into how the Sony Vegas tools work. We have DVD training from beginner to advanced. I would recommend that he volunteer to be a cameraman for a local videographer and learn the ropes from someone in the business. You could set this up as a one year apprenticeship where he agrees to work for free for a year with the option to get hired on for pay after that if he does well. The bottom line is he now has a year of experience in the business to put on his resume' even if he doesn't get hired and he will learn valuable shooting skills in the process.
~jr
http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com 
