What Mac G5 needed for SD editing?

C

CineAlta

Well-known member
Hi,

I plan to shoot and edit in Standard definition. Which Mac configuration would I need to comfortably do this using FCP (dual or quad? clock speed? ram? hard drive? SATA or RAID? video card? video ram? monitor size? etc)?

Also, are any of these systems capable of HD editing out of the box (no RAID, no AJA Kona etc).

Thanks!

p.s. I can't wait for the intel macs. Gotta start working this Spring.
 
Any system dating back to an old 1.33ghz powerbook can handle HD. They should all be fully capable of handling SD.

Apple specifies a 1ghz processor and 1gb of RAM to edit HD. I've got the bottom-of-the-lineup G5 dual, w/2 gigs of ram and just the internal hard disk, and it can handle multiple streams of 1080/24p HD in realtime.

Not so good for capturing footage though. I'll probably get a G-RAID anyway. But have no fear, all the current G5 systems are total overkill for SD and they can all very comfortably handle DVCPRO-HD.
 
At the very least you will want to get a second hard drive for your media. But like Barry said you will be fine with any G5 out there. I still cut on a dual G4 (I know, I know) and I have done a few small HD projects with it.
 
CineAlta said:
Also, are any of these systems capable of HD editing out of the box (no RAID, no AJA Kona etc).
Click to expand...


Like everyone already mentioned, any G5 system will handle SD footage no problem.
As far as HD goes, you might want to check out the HD for Indies FAQ

Mike Curtis did a good job of laying out all the requirements for different types of HD editing when it comes to Macs.
 
A G5 for SD? Are you joking? People have been editing SD footage since at least the G3s, and maybe earlier. Any G5 in existence on this planet will smoke your SD footage without blinking, assuming you put in some RAM, and assuming you don't store it on a 12 RPM Hard Drive.
HD 720 or 1080? 720's not so bad, space and CPU-wise, but 1080 is. Like Luis says, check HD for Indies, and Apple should have some listings on requirements as well. Happy editing.
 
louis, that help was awesome. Thanks for the link. I've been wanting to shoot an HD project but have had some issues without answers.

Just got the answers.

THX

-rook
 
Good to hear. I had been reading, on the Apple message boards, horror stories about 24 hr "batch rendering" and "Compressor" not taking advantage of the Quad processors, and taking hours to render DVD's???

I don't even know what all these terms mean, but it sounded like Quad G5 with 8 mb ram and a terabyte of SATA were really straining to editing video, and export to DVD.

Thanks for the tips. Sounds like HD for Indies is a good resource.
 
CineAlta - While editing DV isn't all that taxing on a system, it's possible that the people you are talking about were doing a lot of effects work. Motion Graphics, extensive color correction, and multiple layers of video can still take a long time to render. That's where the computer horsepower really comes in handy.

Also - SD can mean a lot of things.
DV doesn't take much computer power at all.
But if you wanted to work with 10bit uncomressed 4:2:2 Standard Definition footage then you'd still need a decently powerful system.

Rook - Glad the link helped. Don't thank me, Mike Curtis did all the work.
I'm just passing on the link. It's a great site to keep up with all things 'Mac' in terms of HD post work.

:thumbsup:
 
Luis Caffesse said:
CineAlta - While editing DV isn't all that taxing on a system, it's possible that the people you are talking about were doing a lot of effects work. Motion Graphics, extensive color correction, and multiple layers of video can still take a long time to render. That's where the computer horsepower really comes in handy.

Also - SD can mean a lot of things.
DV doesn't take much computer power at all.
But if you wanted to work with 10bit uncomressed 4:2:2 Standard Definition footage then you'd still need a decently powerful system.

Rook - Glad the link helped. Don't thank me, Mike Curtis did all the work.
I'm just passing on the link. It's a great site to keep up with all things 'Mac' in terms of HD post work.

:thumbsup:
Click to expand...

I plan on doing a lot of effects/motion graphics and layers. So what type of Mac do you think would be good
 
SilverWolf said:
I plan on doing a lot of effects/motion graphics and layers. So what type of Mac do you think would be good
Click to expand...

One tip I was told, is to see if the software program you intend to use, utilizes the power of Quad processing. If so, you can't go wrong with the Quad. Also, apparently "universal binary" programs will be compatible with Intel Macs.
 
Is it even a good time to buy a G5 ? I'm not in dire need of one but I will be switching to FCP and a mac eventually. Its the reason I picked Premiere Pro for now because it looks so similar. I've heard that I should wait for the intel G5's
 
SilverWolf said:
Is it even a good time to buy a G5 ? I'm not in dire need of one but I will be switching to FCP and a mac eventually.
Click to expand...

That's a whole debate I've been following (along with anticipated specs, release dates etc) on Apple's message board, Think Secret, Mac OS Rumors & Mac Rumors.

As I understand it, the Quad processor should remain state of the art, and supported, for at least several years. The theories are that Apple will begin rolling out weaker versions of the Intel (?Core Duo) towers initially (?June). But apparently, software designers (Adobe etc) are running behind, so that early software versions that are not universal binary, will run on the Intel in Rosetta emulation (slower than native G5). By 2007, all the software should be up to date. Reportedly, although Mactels will appear this year, the really high performance (Mac Extreme) towers won't roll out until at least 2007, and they will cost a premium.

You should be on the cutting edge with a G5 for at least 2 years, and it will likely be functional for 3-5 yrs, or until the software is no longer supported. Obviously Apple software (FCP etc) will be up to date the soonest.

But who really knows? If you need it, get one now. It's like the HVX200. 18 mos from now, the HVX200A could be out with new features!
 
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