Is movie-making for your home or business one of your resolutions for this year? Be sure you get your shopping list right - the most important purchase might not be the camera.

Sure you'll need a camera, but what's even more important is the PC that you use to create your video masterpieces. After spending several years trying out nearly every new hardware and software combination, I'm convinced of two things. First, the tools for movie-making have finally become fun. Second, don't do it on an old computer.

The first point is relative, but I think most people who try out video-editing software on powerful computers find them easy and fun to use. And, if you follow my second piece of advice, you'll get much of the tools already integrated into a new computer. Right out of the box, many multimedia PCs give you the ability to point, shoot and edit right away. You'll also avoid turning your room into a landfill site for confusing manuals that come with all the add-in cards you'll need if you try to upgrade an old computer.

But, which computer should you buy? There's the rub. Companies such as Compaq Computer Corp., Sony and Gateway have cooked up special configurations for movie makers. These computers usually run on a Pentium 4 chip, have a 1394 port to connect to a DV camcorder, and some even have the ability to record your own DVDs.

After trying all three, I would recommend every one. And while they each have quite different features and prices, all offer incredible options at great prices.

The Sony Vaio MX ( www.sony-style.com ) has the most features of any units I've tried recently. This computer comes with a Pentium 4, DVD-RW drive and a plethora of ports. With the DVD recorder, you can create DVD movies for friends and family, or use the DVD discs to back up your critical data. You can even plug in just about any type of accessory device without ever opening the computer case. Among the built-in ports are USB, 1394 (also known as FireWire), PCMCIA, Memory Stick, DVD, CD-R, MiniDisc, S-video, cable TV and audio. It even comes with a remote control, so you can channel surf or play a CD or DVD from across the room.

It also includes Sony Giga Pocket software, which enables the computer to act as a personal video recorder. Like Philips TiVo or Microsoft Ultimate TV, it records TV shows onto a hard disk. What's great is that it's much easier to set up than any VCR that I've ever seen. By clicking a Web link, entering your ZIP code and choosing your cable provider, it will show you all the programs for the next couple of weeks. For more details, you can click on the hyperlink for detailed information about the show including actors, guests and topics. Just pick the show you want to record, and there's no more worrying about missing a show you want to watch, or messing with VHS tapes. Everything is recorded painlessly to your computer's hard drive.

Next, you can save TV shows or home movies to a recordable DVD. It will free up space on your hard drive, and will let you share your videos with anyone who has a DVD player.

The front panel of the unit is also more advanced than any other computer I've seen. It has an LCD screen built right in that provides information about what the PC is doing. If you insert a music CD, the screen will let you know there is an audio CD in the drive, and the buttons just under the display will let you play, fast forward, pause or change the volume of the music. You don't even need to pick up the mouse to accomplish any of this.

I believe the Sony Vaio MX will take its place not only as a powerful work horse, but also as the center of entertainment in the living rooms of many homes.

The Sony Vaio MX can replace not only your VCR, but your cable TV tuner, DVD, stereo, audio receiver, and even that pile of remote controls. So while its price of $2,799 to $3,269 may seem high, consider all its amazing capabilities.

We're just starting to see how the PC is revolutionizing home computing. Stay tuned.