Ready to step up to HD, advice please...

Question

Ok, i'm ready to venture out and get a new SONY Z-5 camera, but i'm worried about my processing power to be able to edit HD in real time.
I currently have the Non-Intel Dual Power G5 w/ 4G DDR RAM
My Mac already seems to be stumbling over very large 2-4k pixel images I import to apply a "ken burns" effect. HD has to be rendered each edit too...
So this leads me to this question: Should i lean towards a hardware graphics accelerator like AJA KONA or similar products....
OR
Lean towards getting a NEW FAST DUAL/QUAD INTEL POWER mac?
I asked Samy's Camera video dept. and the guy said that accelerators were too buggy and that a fast computer is way better... Is this true in your vast experiences?
THANKS A MILLION GUYS

Answer 1

The simple answer - and you have already received it here - is to go out an buy the biggest, baddest currently offered computer as this will offer a longer lifetime of use. The problem with this answer is it is, well ... simplistic.
Issues you'll need to address -
1. All new Macs come with intel processors. This may put your current application lineup into a world of hurt. If your applications are still largely PPC G5 era, you will be looking at a significant cost to update software to versions that will run on your new processor(s).
1a. The new MacPros come with a completely different slot structure. All older cards will not likely work.
2. All new Macs come with Snow Leopard (OSX 10.6) installed. Snow Leopard will also place demands on your software, drivers and so on. What the intel processor may not break, SL might.
3. Purchasing the leading edge of any hardware line involves the "early adopter tax". This is the premium Apple (and every other manufacturer) adds to those machines. It is much more cost effective to purchase the second tier processor and wait until the first rush for the latest shiny offering from the boys & girls of Cupertino has passed. By waiting, you gain the benefit of letting others point out any residual teething problems and have a solid machine that the issues have been sorted by the time you get one.
FWIW, this "what until the first adopters rush is over" attitude works equally well for software. Not so much in price (though it does happen). Let someone else deal with the inevitable snags while you actually get work done. Why risk tearing your hair out (if you still have any after spending any time in this game...) as you play "late beta tester"?
4. HD is not SD writ large. It is a whole different animal. Actually it is a whole herd of different animals - and most are different species sharing nothing more than the vague label of "HD".
You REALLY need to do your homework. Accepting as a bald fact that the AJA lines are "HD accelerators" or similar half truth statements will cost you a ton of money and will leave you pretty bitter about the process. Accepting advice over the internet without any idea of the qualifications, experience or judgement of the people you are listening to can have it's painful moments as well.
Mass forums (like this one) have a tendency for the knowledgeable to float to the surface but are not an infallible source. We are only as accurate as the last post - and who knows what they know? Unless you are willing to really spend the time digging through the thousands of posts on any particular topic (most of which may be junk by the way), you won't have the full vision of the issue.
If you don't have the time or energy to invest in bringing your knowledge up to speed by wading through that kind of a process; dealing with a quality value added reseller can be a real alternative. I'm not talking about Joe down at the camera store, but people who's business is creating functioning editing bays and keeping those bays functioning. They have the expertise to listen to your needs and develop a system that fits those needs - not simply selling you something because it's cool and expensive.
I hope you don't take this as a slam, but take it for what it is. Video is hard and it is expensive. Be smart.
Good luck,
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