Used G5...Okay for video editing???

Hello there. I am looking to buy a Mac explicitly for video and music editing as well as perhaps Internet browsing. For now I just wanted to focus on the video editing part. Since this computer will only need to do these things for me, I will be able to keep the hard drive very clean (I hope). Now, I was interested in getting a used one from this website:
http://www.gainsaver.com/Catalog/Detail.aspx?&CCode=1015^Apple&CCode=1024^iMacs& cICode=65467
I was wondering if you guys had any opinions on that sort of thing. Notice that you can add whatever specs, ram, etc. you want so essentially even though it's older computer I could still optimize it for video editing, right? Let me know if this is a good plan or if it's really necessary for me to get a newer model. Keep in mind that it will cost a heck of a lot more even though the specs could be essentially the same and that I'm also pretty new to video editing so I won't be doing anything crazy... yet.
Also, any important differences I should know between Final Cut Express/Pro? Thanks guys!

As stated before in:
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=13148516#13148516
and apparently ignored by you, the Mac in your link is NOT a G5. That means notta, negative, nil. I hope that is clear, if I need translate it to a different language, I will, or somebody else can. It is closer to be described as a G6, only Apple never called it that. Apple ran through the gamut of G processors with their joint venture of IBM & Motorola. Once it moved to Intel, it dropped the G prefix from the processor name.
For all intents the G1 was was the 68xxx series processors by Motorola.
For all intents the G2 was the 6xx series processors by IBM and Motorola.
G3, G4, G5 were the last of the IBM and Motorola processors Apple used through 2005, and left over machines that didn't get the Intel processor change until later in 2006.
Are you intending to buy the Mac in:
http://www.gainsaver.com/Catalog/Detail.aspx?&CCode=1015^Apple&CCode=1024^iMacs& cICode=65467
? Because if you are, do NOT seek out software that is G5 compatible as it may not work with the Mac in that link. You want something known to be Intel Core2Duo compatible. You got this thread posted in the right forum, but persisted in saying "Used G5" in the subject line.

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I am planning to buy mac mini 2.5Gzh. I will be using it mainly for video editing and I am planning to upgrade up to 8GB. Is it a good buy or should I try some other alternative.

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So my question is should I buy the mac mini or Imac?

Great advice from RRFS!
For video editing, do go for 16 GB of RAM ffrom OWC & consider the twice as fast i7 2.6 model, see Geekbench scores here..
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_mini/specs/mac-mini-core-i5-2.5-late-2 012-specs.html
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_mini/specs/mac-mini-core-i7-2.6-late-2 012-specs.html

Hi sir im using fcp 7 for video editing in i mac, how can i edit mts files in fcp 7 without log n transfer, is their solution for fcp 7?

Hi sir im using fcp 7 for video editing in i mac, how can i edit mts files in fcp 7 without log n transfer, is their solution for fcp 7?

>No, you are not right.
Going to question the biggest contributor to this forum? (Yes, my ego is talking). OK then...
>Install the QT-Plugin, restart your Mac and you will be able to import and use .mts files in FCP 7.
Sure...yes, that makes it POSSIBLE to read the files natively in FCP...if they come from a Panasonic camera. BUT...just try working with those files. Right away the system won't be nearly as responsive as it would if they were ProRes. First...there are no sequence settings for that format...so you'll have to use ProRes and have a green render bar. BUT, that's no big deal. The big deal is trying to work with the AVCHD format, which is VERY processor intensive...inside an application that doesn't like to work with much outside of the FCP editing codecs.
Is it possible? Sure? Will it work well...will you be as zippy and error free as if you converted to ProRes? Not by a long shot. OH, but don't just take my word for it. Go ahead...try it and see. No skin off my nose...no waste of my time. See how well this works.
I'm just here to relate real world working solutions to issues. And yes, I did try that plugin, and boy, was editing a pain.

Using external monitor for video editing.

Hello all,
I own a IMAC that I use for video editing on FC7. I was wondering via Thunderbolt to VGA (or any other way) if there was a way to use an external moniter as my canvus and the internal comands to do so. Also the opinons of doing this. Good? Bad? any good ideas?
Thanks.

Eeewww! Oh, the horror of what you are trying to suggest!
No. A video signal for a computer display and a video signal intended for TV are very very different things. If you want to PROPERLY see what the video you shot looks like, a computer monitor is the LAST place to look. You want to use an HDTV at least. I'd even say avoid computer displays with HDMI inputs...but even those are better than VGA. VGA is a very low quality connection. DVI, HDMI...those are better.
But if your intention is to view your video at full quality...an HDTV is your better option.

Using MBP 2.0ghz for Video Editing

Hey All,
I'm looking to buy a MacBook Pro 15" 2.0ghz for an array of uses, but mainly for video editing/DVD authoring.
My question is this:
If anybody out there uses their MBP primarily for video stuff (ie. editing, rendering, encoding, etc.) can you kindly provide me with some performance feedback?
I will most likely be using Final Cut Pro and DVD Studio Pro combined with Adobe After Effects.
Thanks in advance,
Mark

I'm now looking for a good but relatively cheap
external harddrive. I'm looking for between
200-300gb.
What brands should I be looking for / avoiding? and
should I go with firewire or USB 2.0 or both? I know
the speeds of each but I don't know which is more
deliable for steady video?
Cheap is a bad idea for video as video has very high data transfer demands. USB is a no-go due to its limited bandwidth and subsequent frame-dropping. FW400 is minimum for DV, adding a /34 FW800 card and a FW800 drive is recommended (and mandatory for standards above DV) or - if affordable - Firmtek has introduced a /34 SATA card and external chassis, that would be the optimum and would even cover 8-bit uncompressed safely (no idea if you need that).
Edit: OWC, G-Tech and LaCie FW drives work pretty well - alternatively get a good FW chassis (e.g. MacPower) and put a HD in yourself.

Which video card for video editing?

I am about to order my first iMac. I've always had MacBook Pros and have never had to choose a video card as I always just got the one that came with the laptop. I will primarlily use the iMac for video editing using FCPX
I do not know what kind of impact the video card has on vdeo editing with FCPX.
I do not play video games and I do not create complex 3D graphics.
Will I notice any better performance if I go for the faster, more expensive video card that is offered for the iMac?

AppleBrianJones wrote:
… will I notice a difference in performance if I go for the faster, more expensive video card…?
not on edit.
on Im-/Export, a 'faster' GPU with more VRam could make a difference.
but ... 'waiting' 12 or 15minutes? ... is a 20% improvement, but less than a coffee/cigarette/hello-my-dear-texting. Plus,you can do other things meanwhile ...

13 inch 2.9GHZ MBP or 15 inch 2.3GHZ? for video editing

Hi, everyone. im looking to buy a new MBP but i don't know which one to buy, the 13 inch 2.9GHZ MBP or 15 inch 2.3GHZ? i will mainly use the computer for video editing and sometime photoshop. i'll be using Adobe Affter effect, and premier. i have a samsung and i think i already had enough of it. it takes me 40-60 min to render a 7 min video and if i have effects from after effects in it, it take even more to render my videos. im thinking about buying the 15 inch mainly beause of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 512MB of GDDR5 memory. but i don't know if the money is really worth it. i have the budget to buy these computer, so the budget is not a concern, but i still don't want to throw the money around.
i also been thinking about the 15 Inch 2.6GHZ but i don't see that big of a jump from the 2.3GHZ. BTH forgot to mention i want to buy the non-retina Display MBP
Which one wold you guys recommend.

that's an easy answer.
go with the 15' for what you'll be using it for. it has it's own discreet graphics.
the 2.3GHz is better because of the quad core design. especially true for video editing.
the 13' will also do what you want but slower because of the built in intel video which is driven by the processor and uses part of the system RAM.
if you're not worried about speed and are more concerned about portability, then you can stick with the 13'.
whatever, you decide to buy, you'll be happy with either macbooks. just make sure you max out the RAM for your purpose.

Thinking to buy a new 15inch macbook pro retina display. Aim to use it for video editing and compositing... Is ıt worth for it?

Hi... I am a freelance filmmaker. Now I have 2008 model mac pro and I am thinking to buy a new macbook pro 15 inch retina display. Do you think its worth for it? I aim to use the macbook mainly for video editing, video compositing (after effects) and photo editing. My current old mac pro has 12 GB and the graphics card is ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT 256 MB (Yes I still use it). My main question is, do you think its better to move to macbook pro or upgrading the old one? Making it 32 GB of RAM and buy a new NVIDIA cuda capable graphic card? I dont have enough budget to make it together... Want to hear your suggestions...

I'm not sure, I've seen pro animators use MBPs but usually with a large monitor. Especially doing video editing, compositing and editing it might make more sense to upgrade the Mac Pro to an SSD as the boot drive. What kind of CPU setup is in your Pro?
Check these out:
mac pro SSD upgrades?
SSD as system disk while users folder + data on HDD
Early 2008 8-Core Mac Pro GPU Upgrades
I deal exclusively with OWC. I'd call them and walk them through your system and see what they say.
What you do takes a lot of CPU, RAM, graphics and boot disk power.
I've upgraded my two computers to SSDs and the first thing I noticed was that Photoshop CS6 opens in 7 seconds vrs. 50 seconds when the application was on a HDD.

Using Final Cut Express for video editing without attaching external device

Hello,
I am a newbie to Final Cut Express as well as Mac's in general. I am wanting to use Final Cut Express for video editing of files, but without an attached camera. Is there any way to have Final Cut Express startup without having it prompt for an external A/V device? I just want to do some basic editing and use the chroma key feature. Can anyone help?
Greatly Appreciated,
Knight2000
iMAC Mac OS X (10.4.9)

Hi Zak,
Unfortunately, I've tried that and I get into an issue that was addressed in this posting: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=836595&tstart=120 where FCE will show the splash screen and then the program doesn't start. I then have to delete FCE preferences and then I will get the Easy Setup dialog box prompt me again for choosing the external device.
I am looking for a way to use FCE for video editing of files that I already have on my computer that I created using iClone software and is in .avi, or .mp4 format. I get FCE to work one time without the external device actually being attached, but then when restarting the program I get the dialog box asking for the external device and if it's not there, the program just closes, and to get it to work again, I have to delete the preference files and go through the process all over again which is time consuming especially when this is at work. If FCE is not the right program, can anyone suggest a good video editing program that doesn't require an external device and is as good or better than FCE?
Thanks again for your help and support,
Knight2000
iMAC Mac OS X (10.4.9)

I am considering a base 21" iMac ($1099 @ Best Buy) for home use. It would be my first Mac. Is the base model powerful enough for everyday home use and some light video editing or should I upgrade the CPU, Ram and to a Fusion drive?

I am considering a base 21" iMac ($1099 @ Best Buy) for home use. It would be my first Mac. Is the base model powerful enough for everyday home use and some light video editing or should I upgrade the CPU, Ram and to a Fusion drive?
Purchasing with the upgrades through Apple would add about $800 over the Black Friday deal at Best Buy. Just looking for some advice if I will be satisfied with the based model.

All models will do what you want. Upgraded models will do it faster than the standard models.
Just why are you thinking of switching to a Mac?

Storage options for video editing

For video editing is it better to use an external drive as the scratch disc or use an internal (non-bootable) drive. I keep getting conflicting information. I would like to get an additional 500gb for my system (Mac Pro G5)but don't know what direction to go. Any advice/opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Well it all depends. Certainly, there's many good reasons to install a second internal drive. But I think it's better to use this as a "clone" of your startup drive. When I have a stable OS and application combo, I clone my startup drive to the second internal drive using carbon copy cloner (available at versiontracker.com). After cloning, I always try starting up from the clone to make sure everything's working. Then I can do a software update, install additional apps, and if my system goes south either from updates or some sort of corruption, I can quickly restart from the second internal drive and get back to work.
I've installed a sata card and bought a 5 bay sata enclosure from macgurus. Trays are about $ 25.00 and drives keep getting cheaper. I can quickly swap out drives and you can also stripe the drives if you need faster thru put.
I used to have as many as 11 firewire drives chained to my g5 and it worked great for years. But then things went seriously south and it took many months of troubleshooting to figure out the problem. It seemed like different brands of firewire drives did not play nicely together. I've been working with the sata enclosure for 2 1/2 years without any problems.

Thinking of Building/Buying a PC for Video Editing?

If one is thinking of building, or buying a PC for video editing, Harm Millaard has published an ARTICLE in the Adobe Hardware Forum. He has arranged it such that one can rather pick and choose from three levels of system - beginner, intermediate and full-blown advanced pro-level rig. There have been some advances in hardware, since the article was first published, but with the discussions that follow it, much has been updated.
Harm approaches the computer from the eyes of one using PrPro, but with the exception of the GPU requirements for the Mercury Playback Engine (MPE), PrE will benefit from his suggestions. Be sure to follow all of the links that he offers in that rather longish thread.
Also see his other NLE PC ARTICLE, and his storage requirements ARTICLE.
If one is considering a RAID setup, his RAID ARTICLE will prove very useful.
If one is considering working with external HDD's, then this ARTICLE should be useful.
Hope that this helps people, who are considering a new computer for video editing.
Good luck,
Hunt

Harm Millaard has written an update to his computer ARTICLE, and there is some good discussion in it, as well.
Hope that this helps someone.
Hunt

Which do you think; Windows 7: 32-bit / 64-bit, (plus unused RAM issues) is best for video editing?

Hi there!
Just received delivery of a Lenovo G550 with the following spec:
2.2Ghz Core 2 Duo,
4GB (DDR3 - 1066Hz) RAM,
500GB HDD
NVIDIA GeForce G210M (512MB)
Windows 7
The entire purpose for buying this laptop, was for video editing and it is the best spec I could find for my needs and budget.
So what's the problem?
1) Windows 7 is installed as 32-bit, not 64 bit. Why is this? I was given no choice in this decision.
2) Only 2.96GB of that juicey RAM is being used by Windows 7. I need as much RAM as possible for video editing.
3) Lenovo sent NO install disc. - When I eventually get a virus or my HDD fails, I have NO WAY to clean install the very product I have just purchased! (A laptop with Windows 7 OS).
Considerations:
As I understand it (please comment if there are alternative views on this); The 64-bit architecture is only useful for compatible software which has been designed to run 64-bit.
The video editing software I use is "Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD 9.0"
The suggested problems with Windows 7 run as 64-bit include:
* Possible lack of driver compatibility support.
* Possibility of 32-bit programs running SLOWER in 64-bit environment, than their native 32-bit environment.
* Higher running temperatures & processor cooling issues.
* No performance gains for all other programs running as 32-bit (email, internet browser, etc).
The suggested advantages with Windows 7 run as 64-bit could be:
* Full utilisation of the 4GB RAM. (Presently limited to 2.96GB)
* Faster rendering and video editing tasks in 64-bit environment.
Questions:
4) How can I get an install disc for Windows 7? Shouldn't this come with the computer?
5) Do you think the potential hassle and architecture conflicts are worth suffering, to get the reported performance gains of 64-bit architecture and the remaining unused RAM?
Thank you for any help and advice!

contact lenovo support line for windows 7 dvds, but make sure if they send recovery dvds instead of windows 7 dvd.
most of people are having trouble with installing windows and drivers, so companies has found as this as solution to send recovery dvd -if asked- or using hidden partition to recovery system - like one key recover - instead of.
but if you ask me, they need to send dvds.
i'll contact the mods and admins about this issue, please stay connected to this post.
anyp wrote:
the member should contact lenovo, as of recently users are entitled to request media for 32 / 64 bit if they purchased one and want the other.

Better for Video Editing? MBP 13" or 15" w/9600M GT

I am planning on purchasing a Macbook Pro for relatively extensive use of Final Cut Pro (HD video) along with possibly some light Motion work and video transcoding. In addition I will be using it for photo editing and web editing. I don't plan on using it for any high-end gaming.
I will be purchasing a $200 24" external monitor to use most of the time along with external keyboard and mouse (so MBP screen size isn't an issue), but I need the portability and don't have the funds to purchase an additional dedicated desktop yet.
I am having trouble deciding between the 13" and the 15", mainly due to conflicting opinions I've been hearing over the importance of a dedicated graphics card for video editing. Salespeople at the Apple store tell me it's important and I should get the 15". Research online yielded heated forum arguments over whether it really makes a difference or not.
The price difference is quite significant though at the configurations I picked ($765) so I am seeking advice here for whether people think the cost difference is really justified for my needs. Note that both configurations include 4GB of RAM, smallest hard drive option (i've got external drives) and AppleCare protection.
Pricing with education discount after tax:
13" 2.26GHz - $1520
15" 2.66GHz w/9600M GT 256MB - $2285
*Is there a real difference in video editing performance and if so, is it really worth an extra $765? Or is there a better option that I'm not considering?*

Thanks everyone for the feedback!
Studio X wrote:
Are you planning on making any money at this or are you only in it for fun? Have you ever edited before? Have you ever edited with FCS before? What of the 44 billion HD formats are you planning on editing? Do you have a camera? What format does it record? If it's a flash media based device, what's your back up strategy? How are you planning to externally monitor the HD material ? What are you planning to use as media drives as the system drive should not be used for media capture or playback?
Still, I guess I come down on the side of "it doesn't matter as neither one is a serious editing machine". If I was in the market for a laptop and was limited to the current apple lineup, the only machine of interest is the 17" MacBookPro. The other two MacBookPros you are considering have no expresscard slot and come only with glossy screens - both are serious deficiencies in my world.
I do plan on using this computer professionally. I am a recent college graduate but do have professional FCS editing experience under my belt. However my work was done using both school and employer resources. I do have an archive of work in Mini DV(HDV) and AVCHD formats. I don't currently own an HD camera, however will likely be purchasing one in the near future. As far as externally monitoring HD material, what else would I need other than the 24" external monitor (perfectly capable of full HD) or a separate HDTV? In addition to several older usb2 external drives for backup I do have a 1TB 7200rpm external capable of FW800 and eSATA that I would use as a media drive.
I currently have an old 17" dell notebook with a glossy screen. The screen hasn't really bothered me, but the size and weight of the notebook has. And while the 17" MBP is a little lighter and smaller than my old dell, I would still prefer a 13" or 15". But from the opinions I've been hearing I'm steering away from the 13" and fully realize the downsides to the lack of ExpressCard slot in the current 15" as well. Still wondering while Apple decided to remove it.
MartinR wrote:
If budget is a primary constraint, then consider a refurbished 15" or 17" MBP from Apple, or a used MBP from a reputable supplier.
I hadn't checked into the refurbished options, but now that I did, I found a nice 15" (late 2008 unibody) configuration that would provide a lot more value for the buck. For about $550 more than the new 13" config I would get a faster processor, 2" bigger screen, 9600M 512mb GPU, double the internal storage, removable battery as well as the ExpressCard slot (even though its not listed in specs, it's there). The only trade off I can see is battery life.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC026LL/A?mco=MjE0NjE5MA

What format is best for an external hard drive for video editing on a mac?

What's the best format for an external hard drive for video editing to be use with a mac only? I need to format my new hard drive and want to be sure I choose the right format.

I concur with Kappy. His suggestion is correct.
Allan

Used G5...Okay for video editing???

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