Editing in HD - FC6 or FC7 - Mac Mini?

Hi Gang - Happy New Year
I'm proficient in Standard Def, (repair my own older G5's), using FCP Studio 6. Thinking about editing in HD 1080, upgrading cameras and equipment. I know I can open HD files in FC6 with a 20" Cinema Display, but it seems a little cumbersome. Looks like I'm gonna need a larger Display. What about FC7 vs. FC6 for HD? Opinions?
I picked up a nice used Mac Mini: http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_mini/specs/mac-mini-core-2-duo-2.4-mid -2010-specs.html with 8GB's RAM. I realize I would need FCP7.
According to this article I can actually edit 'Light HD' booting off an external drive> http://www.macworld.com/article/1152228/macminimid2010.html?page=2
Thoughts?
Happy New Year!
Mike

Shane - Happy New Year
"Mac Mini and Light HD Video Editing" < taken from the article here: http://www.engadget.com/discuss/mac-mini-and-light-hd-video-editing-1bp/
Unless I'm missing something, I don't see Thunderbolt as a provided port in the Mid-2010 - MC270LL/A Mac Mini: http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_mini/specs/mac-mini-core-2-duo-2.4-mid -2010-specs.html
According to this article I can actually edit off an external drive> http://www.macworld.com/article/1152228/macminimid2010.html?page=2 The article goes on to say its a better move than spending the money on a bigger Mac Mini HD still being limited to 5400 RPM.
Yes, thank you, I 'get it' about FC7 as oppoesed to FC6. Premiere? No, no thank you. I know my comprehension capabilities.
Shane, what about these older Apple 20" Displays I have? I'm gonna need 23" for HD, Yes? Believe me know I've got some catching up to do. We're all not as fortunate as others; money, comprehension skills, etc.
Thanx

Similar Messages

Can I use an ATI Radeon 9000 Pro Mac Edition 128MB Video Card in a Mac Min

Looking to buy a Mac mini.
In 2004 I upgraded the graphics card in my dual processor 450 MHz G4 desktop with an ATI Radeon 9000 Pro Mac Edition 128MB Video Card to run a 20-inch Cinema Display.
Now my G4 has died (probably the power supply and I'm being told it's not worth it to fix---buy a Mac mini!)
But I've read that the graphics card in the Mac mini is not stellar and I'm wondering if I could reuse the ATI Radeon 9000 Pro Mac Edition 128MB Video Card in the Mac mini. Would this be a good thing to do?
Any thoughts/advice would be greatly appreciated!
Cheers,

There are people that claim to have hooked up a PCI-e 1x card (yes, the Mini uses PCI-e). But that requires some serious hardware modifications including soldering, a PC power supply, and so on. But that card is an old AGP card so even that wouldn't even work for what you've got.

Mac mini to iMac?

Hello everyone,
I was just doing research for a new Mac computer and I noticed the benefits of the Mac mini. It's the cheapest, it's the smallest, and it works well.
My question is that if I can use an old iMac (to be specific, an iMac G5 iSight edition) as a monitor for a Mac mini as of 2011? Any help and ways to make it work would be great!
-Justin

Not if you don't have a separate monitor to set up a product such as ScreenRecycler.
(58397)

Text Edit application for Mac Mini 10.4.11

I am not sure if everyone is familiar with my "Mac Mini Saga", ( BDAqua certainly is! - by the way, congratulations for passing the 11000 mark! ).
Now that the Mini is finally updated to 10.4.11,(without the original install discs), so that the elderly lady owner can use Skype, she would also like "my" Text Edit app. which is not listed in her apps. - i was told it should be there, but it is not!
Looking at the details of this app on my iMac (version 1.5, 22.1 MB on disc), under File, i have the option: "Burn Text Edit to Disc". So, is it possible to include (transfer) this app. to her Mini after i copy it to a disc?

Not exactly similar, this text editor and writing tool can do several things;
and it (may still) runs free. I have a version of it.
• Text Wrangler: powerful general purpose text editor...
http://www.barebones.com/products/textwrangler/
The original Text Edit, part of the System's original apps package, is more
integrated with the original system installation; and should not be missing.
However, you can choose to have another similar app as default to open
or work with similar types of files.
And for more office-like apps, there's a 'free running' donation-ware suite:
• Neo Office:
http://www.neooffice.org/neojava/en/index.php
Text Edit version 1.4 from about 2005 (or so) should be what OS X 10.4.11
would have included in the installer and then on the computer in question.
The app is about 8.5MB, and may require the installer to place it correctly.
You may look into the OS X 10.4.x Install DVD for Tiger and use Pacifist
utility to look for and see if you can find the package in there, and extract
it via Pacifist; then install Text Edit from the desktop via this utility. It will
work in a demo mode, so you don't have to buy it, to try it out. It works.
• CharlesSoft - Pacifist:
http://www.charlessoft.com/
There is no reason why the original TextEdit would not be in Tiger 10.4.
Unless some files were corrupted at a point during installation process.
Good luck & happy computing!

Mac mini as a server for video editing?

Hi I have bit of networking experience as well as being a mac user for over 20 years. I am however at the moment stuck on finding a solution to our current workflow.
We are a small production company and have the following:
(1) 2013 iMac
(2) 2013 Macbook Pro's
(1) Belkin thunderbolt hub
(8) Firewire HD's
(2) Thunderbolt drives
(1) Thunderbolt Raid
Here is what I need to do.
We currently have a home office that has been hard wired directly to our Fiber connection. We have a DIA line and 5 static IP's. I have setup a switch in the office and running a direct connection from the fiber to it. From there each machine (including the hub) is connected. Each machine is setup with a static IP and can access the drives via the hub.
My problem is the speed of connection to the drives. Its extremely slow for anyone plugged in besides the iMac. My thinking is to purchase a Mac Mini and set it up as a server with a Pegasus Raid attached (http://www.promise.com/storage/raid_series.aspx?m=192&region=en-global&rsn1=40& rsn3=47) that can be accessed by all the machines on the network.
Is that all that I would have to do to be able to get each machine (and users from other locations who remotely login) access to the footage at a high rate of speed on transfer?
I hope I've worded this correctly and that someone can help.

I heavily use iTunes (190 GB), iPhoto (120 GB) and iMovie (30 GB, but want to do more when I get time). Additionally, I store lots of old videos on circa 10 portable hard drives (1 TB each), which I access occasionally.
The family use all this content and we currently have a MacBook Pro and are considering buying a new computer - either a new MacBook Pro or an iMac. We also have iPads, iPhones etc and a Time Capsule.
[…] We want all our music and pictures in single master libraries that we can all access and update.
The "update" portion of this is where your problems will arise. You'd be better to consider your proposed system initially in terms of content "consumption", before getting into the nitty-gritty of editing shared content.
iTunes has the Home Sharing feature built-in, which solves the content consumption issue.
I don't know anything about sharing iPhoto libraries, but this KB article looks useful.
As for iMovie, I think there are two things you want to do: share the raw data (sound effects, music, photos etc.) that are used to create iMovie content; and share the finished results. Is that right? I'm not sure how you'd go about doing that, but if you clarify your aims in this regard, it'll help the next person who comes along.
When it comes to updating content, such as adding new music to iTunes or iPhoto, I'd suggest you do it through the Mac mini directly. This seems the least problematic solution. You wouldn't necessarily need a dedicated display for the Mac mini - you could use remote desktop or VNC or what-have-you.
As for speed: doing anything across a network is always going to be slower than doing it locally. But, it probably won't matter for content consumption (though if you're all watching different movies at the same time the drives on the server may struggle, and the wifi bandwidth might be tight).
I hope this represents a good initial response to your query.

Mac mini for video editing

I have just started to video edit and need a new machine. As of now I have a late 2006 black MacBook. It is very slow and lags in iMovie. I am considering getting a ssd but I know that won't help entirely. I will use this machine to run final cut pro x or possible final cut 7. I will also be doing stuff involving special effects and what not. I am still new too this stuff. I love film and want to make a couple short films. I am going to college for history and communicatins and want to get my noise wet before hand. Would you consider a Mac mini good for a starter and something that will last a couple of years. Also what model. I want to put a ssd in it and want to know of toi is hard to do. I want quad core so I am looking into the server model. Is the server worth the money? Please don't tell me to get an iMac I don't like them. The glossy screen hurts my eyes and besides I have a grat set up. I have a 23" apple cinema display, keyboard, mouse, and magic trackpad. Or do you think I should get a 15" MBP.

I went to the Apple Store last night after work to by the Mac Mini, but they wanted to charge me an extra £80 compared to the online price. I wanted the 1gb memory upgrade and apparently they was going to charge me for the 500mb they would have to take out to put the 1gb in.
So guess what, I didn't buy it. I've got the order placed online though. Can't wait for it to be delivered, should be about 7 days apparently.

Mac Mini for Parents (photo editing)

Hello all and thank you in advance.
My parents (for reference in their mid 60s) have finally decided to come to the mac universe. They are asking for assistance in buying a computer. I was thinking of getting them a mac mini.
In regards to their needs, they are pretty light computer users. They like to facetime, make photo collages, web surf, email, etc. Though I should mention my dad needs to have a virtual PC to log into the VA (was going to use VirtualBox). Also they would like to start doing some photo editing, note that they are very much an amateurs and will not being running super complicated workflows (he has a Nikon D700 (12MP full frame) with a ton of RAW files he has never yet bothered with). In terms of photo software, I was thinking either Aperture or the upcoming Photos app and possibly Pixelmator.
Cost is a consideration, but if the performance increase is great enough it will also be weighted justly.
I am debating between a 2014 version vs a 2012 that I would upgrade myself (add a SDD to make a fusion drive and max out the ram). If I did go with a 2012, would the cost difference to get a i7 quad core be worth it, or would the dual core i5 be more than sufficient?
thanks!

Various points:
1. You can't really diy a fusion drive. You can build a logical volume that spans two physical drives, and HDD and SSD, but that doesn't make a fusion drive, so you don't get all the benefits. Also, be aware of the issues with TRIM on Yosemite with 3rd part SSDs (short version: Yosemite doesn't allow Trim Enabler etc to load the system extensions they need to work - Apple might change this in future, but who knows)
2. For software, I recommend Aperture (even though it's being replaced by Photos). It has two big benefits: it handles storing the pictures, with all kinds of tagging and search options so you can find them again; and it does non-destructive editing - if you make a change to a picture, you retain the original in case you change your mind or want a different version. Pixelmator is fantastic value too.
3. You can run a virtual machine fine on a 2013 mini (I do it - Windows 7 via Parallels). If all it is is some light online stuff, no issue. But it's true that the newer minis are somewhat slicker.
4. In general, provided you have the RAM (8GB), any mini will do - assuming they have a decent monitor with the right connections. If they want to get serious with photos, they absolutely need a decent monitor.

Mac Mini I-7 2.0 (server edition) won't work with Dell 2709W monitor via HDMI

I just got a Mac Mini I7 quad 2.0. It's the server edition with an HDMI port. I plug my Dell 2709W monitor in and it continously flickers on and off and shows a green screen and the desktop for short intervals. Can anyone help with this issue.

Does the monitor work OK when connected to another HDMI output device?
Does the Mini HDMI output work OK when connected to another HDMI device?
You have selected the HDMI input on the monitor, right?

What is better for music editing mac mini or macbook air?

Which mac would you prefer for music editing a mac mini with 2,6gHz quad-core i7 CPU, 16 GB RAM and SSD 256GB or a macbook air 13" with 1,7 dual-core i7, 8GB ram and 256GB SSD? Both will be connected to a 27" screen so portability doesn't matter.

The Mac Mini would be better in performance; I tried simple photo editing on my MacBook Air and I was dissapointed.

Mac Mini and Video Editing

I wanted to find out if the new Mac Mini is powerful enough for basic home video editing. This will not be anything professional, simply Vlogs to post to Youtube. I was looking at building a new PC for this task however I have been looking at the new Mac Mini's, which comes with I movie, and with the new I5 and I7 chips, I was thinking that would be a better option. Thoughts
Mike

I would recommend starting with Imovie on a mini, since it will come for free on your system, and if you don't like it/need more, move up to a higher end program. CS5.5 and Avid Media Composer 5.5 have some great student/teacher discounts if your still a student or have a teacher in the family. FCPX is priced low for non students as well, 300 ain't a lot for a high end program like FCP, it used to be 1 grand for it til this version came out. You should be fine running any program on a mac mini (or any model) with at least 4gb of ram. If you get into professional post production you can always upgrade the mini to 16gb of ram, get a 6g SSD, a external thunderbolt drive, etc. My 2 generation old mini works fine with high end NLE software, so the new one should work just as well/better.

Latest Gen Mac Mini and Editing?

I have always loved the idea of a Mac Mini as a supplementary editing machine to my Ma Pro.
I’m looking at a 320G, 2.26GHz Dual Core Mini with 4GBs of Ram and an external HDD.
Avid Media Composer requires a nVidia Graphics Card no smaller than an FX560 and the new Mini has a NVIDIA GeForce 9400M. I really want to use it to digitise/capture hours + hours of “talking heads” some DV some HDV. I can use the Mac Pro for all the other stuff. But if a Mini can help me capture all the footage I have then I can double my output very cost effectively. I would only use the Mini to run Snow Leopard an Avid MC or FCP 6.
Any advice? BTW – Has anyone tried FC Suite 2 on a Mini or at least FCP 6??

Yes, you are right to be concerned. Hopefully someone with that exact monitor will respond to your post.
The Mac mini has an issue driving displays with non-coherent TMDS receivers in them above a certain frequency. In the following link, see the "Graphics and Video Support" section.
http://support.apple.com/specs/macmini/Macmini_Early2006.html
It's a roll of the dice whether the BenQ has a coherent TMDS receiver or not. If not, likely it will suffer the same fate as your friend's monitor. You can usually fix things with third-party software (SwitchRes X), but that's a bit of a pain.

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.

I am planning to buy my next desktop. I will be using this mainly for video editing. I am not a professional video editor, I normally do home made videos for youtube, like tutorial, DIY project etc. I use Nikon D3100 camera and some basic green screen techniques as part of recording. So my basic video editing would be just syncing audio, editing videos to cut un-necessary frames etc and some basic effects. I am also planning to buy final cut pro.
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

Editing 1080 50fps on a mac mini

I want to edit video shot in 1080 50fps using adobe premiere elements. I want to edit the original .mts files with the h.264 codec. Will the new Mac mini 2.3 ghz quad core be able to do this? (maybe with a memory upgrade) or do I need to buy an iMac?

If you have more than one user account, these instructions must be carried out as an administrator.
Launch the Console application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Console in the icon grid.
Make sure the title of the Console window is All Messages. If it isn't, select All Messages from the SYSTEM LOG QUERIES menu on the left. If you don't see that menu, select
View ▹ Show Log List
from the menu bar.
Enter the word "Starting" (without the quotes) in the String Matching text field. You should now see log messages with the words "Starting * backup," where * represents any of the words "automatic," "manual," or "standard." Note the timestamp of the last such message that corresponds to an abnormal backup. Now
CLEAR THE WORD "Starting" FROM THE TEXT FIELD
so that all messages are showning, and scroll back in the log to the time you noted. Select the messages timestamped from then until the end of the backup, or the end of the log if that's not clear. Copy them to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. Paste (command-V) into a reply to this message.
If all you see are messages that contain the word "Starting," you didn't clear the text field.
If there are runs of repeated messages, post only one example of each. Don't post many repetitions of the same message.
When posting a log extract, be selective. Don't post more than is requested.
Please do not indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.
Some personal information, such as the names of your files, may be included — anonymize before posting.

Can Mac mini edit High Definition?

Hi,
I believe that Apple's specs say you can work with HDV with a 1 ghz or better G4, but I was wondering if anyone can tell me about their experience?
My father has a "rev A" iMac G5, and it imports HDV from my Sony FX1 at 1/2 speed or 1/4 speed. I am yet to get everything imported because it is kind of quirky and lags so far behind the actual video.
I don't want to use his Mac all the time, so I am considering a Mac mini (all I can afford ).
Will a Mac mini allow you to capture HD footage and work with it in iMovie of Final Cut Pro? If you've had any experience using a Mac mini for HD, please post your thoughts.
My machine is an 867 mhz G4 Quicksilver and it falls below the specs for editing HD.
Thanks,
- John

Hi,
Thanks for the reply.
One thing I guess I should say is that I'm not that interested in speed, although I guess that's what my original post kind of implied because I mentioned the time it takes to import footage and how it lags behind. I really want to know if it works at all. My 867mhz Quicksilver is over 4 years old, but I still make a living with it and have done all of my TV shows on it, in DV though. I guess I'm used to waiting for things to render, so that's not an issue at this point. I would love to have a G5, but I simply can't afford one and I need to get some work done without taking up time on other's machines.
Thanks again,
- john

Can the mac mini i7, 8gigs ram, edit avchd 1920/1080p without having to convert it?

Can the mac mini i7, 8gigs ram, external FW800 drive, edit avchd 1920/1080p without having to convert it?
Can you scrub the TL at 5x speed and not have it stutter?

By default it converts it to ProRes 422, though you can specify other codecs.
Why convert it?
Although FCP X can handle AVCHD natively, AVCHD being a "delivery" codec is not really suitable for editing.
ProRes is designed specifically for ease of editing especially with complex effects and colour correction.
If your editing is going to be fairly basic you can get away with leaving your media as AVCHD.
Note also that an hour of ProRes is around 50GB !

Editing in HD - FC6 or FC7 - Mac Mini?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for