Help me build a Video Editing System!!!

Chris Santucci said:
3 GHz Dual Quad Core Mac Pro
7 or 8GB ram
Final Cut Studio
ATY RadeonX1900 video card
2 - Samsung SyncMaster XL2370

End

Of

Story

Spend the dough and you'll never have to worry about a thing. Ever.

It never ceases to amaze me how many problems I see people have with PC's. I deal with post houses all the time and even though I can sit here and crunch multiple layers at 1080, export/import almost anything, they seem to be far more limited in what they can do (ie, there is no DVCPRO HD codec for PC's).

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Looks like a sweet system. What are we talking about ? $6,000 or so?

My goal is to be able to edit HD smoothly from an EX-1 or Canon 7D without going overboard. I produce mostly documentary or corporate, not Avatar or Benjamin Button.

I like the fact that I can port my skills over from Premiere by putting CS5 on the Mac, then learning Final Cut at my leisure.

P.
 
I edit DVCPRO HD all the time on my PC with Media Composer, so no issues there. Version 5 gives me direct link access to QT H.264, RED, and other file formats wrapped in QT in addition to the native XDCAM, P2, etc. It all depends on your style of editing, amount of footage, how to manage, lists (if needed), etc. Also, I depend heavily on ScriptSync for drama based edits as well as transcripts for docs, interviews, etc. When v5 comes out in a couple weeks (June 10) give the 30 day full functioning trial a spin and see what you think.

Michael
 
Thanks Michael. I've decided to stay away from Avid products and stick with Premiere (which I love) and Final Cut (which is what all the freelancers are using).

However, I just started pricing out some dual quad-core systems on the mac website and a mid-range system (8 GB Ram, x2 1TB hard drive, 30" display,etc.) is costing $7,000 +

Wow. The PC system I can build for that would power the Space Shuttle.

I don't mean to sound facetious, but Mac really does seem to me exponentially more expensive then a comparable PC. Yes I want to have a system that compatible with what freelance editors and students are using, but I don't want to pay double for it.

Arrgh.

P.
 
Peter Reynolds said:
Looks like a sweet system. What are we talking about ? $6,000 or so?

My goal is to be able to edit HD smoothly from an EX-1 or Canon 7D without going overboard. I produce mostly documentary or corporate, not Avatar or Benjamin Button.

I like the fact that I can port my skills over from Premiere by putting CS5 on the Mac, then learning Final Cut at my leisure.

P.
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I paid $3K for that system from a dealer on eBay with 2TB of internal drive space also.

For what you want to do, it's way more than adequate. You'd probably be fine with much less, but in terms of software, with Final Cut Studio, you just don't need anything else except maybe Photoshop which you already have in CS5.

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MichaelP said:
I edit DVCPRO HD all the time on my PC with Media Composer, so no issues there. Version 5 gives me direct link access to QT H.264, RED, and other file formats wrapped in QT in addition to the native XDCAM, P2, etc.
Click to expand...


An editor at a big post house near me told me not 5 months ago that there was no DVCPRO HD codec for PC's and yeah, they use Avid systems. It figures that was BS. I've had ALL kinds of issues handing off footage to people using PC's with Avid and Matrox systems.

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If you use FCP's DVCProHD codec, it's not available on PCs. You have to buy a DVCProHD decoder, which sets you back about $80. If you hand off raw P2 footage though, pretty much every NLE on the PC can handle it. If you have to hand off DVCProHD footage to an Avid editor again, convert it from FCP's DVCProHD to Avid's DV100 codec. The Avid codecs are free to download - just run the files through compressor.
 
There's no way to use AIC in Windows, but that's a limitation of AIC, not Windows.

Seriously, saying you should use one platform absolutely and forget the other is just borderline trolling, and it's definitely FUD. It's all about preference. Both can do the work superbly.

Mac vs. PC debates get old, fast.
 
Sorry if my post came across as pro mac, not intended that way, its just what works for me.

I will say this again though. I am totally in love with the Euphonix MC Color - works with Color and Red Cine X. I feel like grading is no longer a task, I look forward to it. I dont think I have ever felt as connected to the image apart from the shoot stage.
 
Had an interesting conversation the other day...

I was speaking with a CG Artist and he recommended caution about purchasing a Mac for
editing if I was planning to rely on Adobe products (i.e Premiere Pro).

Since the Flash/iPad debacle last month, there seems to be some question in the industry of how much support Adobe will provide Apple for its products. Perhaps out of nothing simpler than spite.

That seems a little childish, but my understanding is that Adobe does have a history of
moving slower where Apple is concerned.

The last thing I want to do is get in the middle of a war between these two. Perhaps it's
safer to just buy a PC and be done with it.

Any thoughts? It's an compelling argument.

P.
 
Which system to buy? The adventure continues...

I'm now considering purchasing a Macbook Pro to run CS5.

The advantage is that I can introduce myself to the Apple workflow, without a terribly
huge investment. While I'm learning, I have my old PC system with CS3 to edit my
SD projects with (SD still being 90% of my work).

Best case scenario, it works like a charm and later I purchase an Mac desktop as my
primary edit station. Worst case scenario, it doesn't suit me and I purchase a new
PC editing system and use the CS5 I purchased for the Mac (my understanding is
you get both versions when purchasing from Adobe). The Mac then goes to my wife.

Is this a reasonable plan? From what I've read a new, off-the-shelf Macbook Pro with
4GB Ram should be able to handle HD editing easily. Again, for those who haven't read
the previous posts, I'll be editing mostly 7D and EX1 video.

If there's something I haven't thought of, please let me know. I'd like to pull the trigger
this weekend.

Thanks.

Peter
 
If you go for the desktop Mac, I'd recommend the top iMac. I just got the 27" i7 Quad Core 2.8 ghz with 4GB of ram and a fantastic video card! But with THAT much power, you are practically stealing the display vs. a Mac Pro!
 
Macbook Pro & CS5

Macbook Pro & CS5

Hi Andy.

Thanks the for the post, though it's a little confusing. I'm not sure what
you mean by "stealing the display vs. a Macbook Pro".

I know that a Mac desktop will handle whatever I throw at it. The BIG
question is will a 2.53 GHz Macbook Pro with 4GB of Ram running CS5
edit 7D and EX1 HD footage smoothly.

I'd appreciate any hard specs people can provide. This will be my first
introduction to the Mac world, so I'm really counting on fellow users to
help me make the right decision.

P.
 
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