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Setting a Mac book Pro for HD editing
I have recently moved to tapeless workflow. I am producing a documentary based on a personal story (the length is still to be decided but think it maybe around 1 hour).
Here is the equipment I have and what I have done:
We filmed with a Panasonic AG-HPX171 camera in DVCPRO High Definition 1080/25p format. The camera is tapeless and uses P2 cards (32GB). We also used a F2-100 portable recorder when our cards were full. I transferred the footage into two 1Tb external drives (they are both almost full now).
I have a MAC BOOK PRO 15″ 2.93GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 8GB RAM (2x4GB) 320 GB HD,SD. With Final Cut Pro Studio (6). I used the Mac book for the transfer of the footage. It worked fine.
Now, back at our studio we want to use the Mac book to edit the video but have some questions we have not been able to fully clarify
I have attached an Apple Monitor to the Mac book (trough its mini DVI port), so I have two computer monitors.
I am thinking of buying a 4 TB G-Speed eS Sata desktop Raid, so I can have both my original footage and my editing project in it. It will go into the Mac book through its PCI slot and a video card.I need to have an additional video monitor (HD) for monitoring and colour correction. I have been given three options:
1. A Matrox MXO AV Output DVI and an external video monitor (this connects through the mini DVI port…so I would loose my second computer monitor)
or2. A MOTU V4HD Firewire Video Capture/Playback and an external video monitor (this connects through the firewire port so (I think, I will be able to keep both computer monitors and the video one) but is twice more expensive
or
3. A AJA io HD. (I have not checked the price)
My question is:
Would the Mac book be able to handle this job? If you think it will: Which of these boxes do you recommend? Finally, rather than trying to adapt the Mac book, I was also told that it maybe better to go for a Mac Pro Quad Core 2.66GHz/6RAM with a graphic Card/1Tb Initial Drive (I will have to buy additional HD 1Tb)Thank you in advance
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10 Replies
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[ana lucia cuevas] “I am thinking of buying a 4 TB G-Speed eS Sata desktop Raid, so I can have both my original footage and my editing project in it.”
BAD idea. Keep your original P2 card dump folders (the folders containing the P2 card contents) on a separate hard drive from your imported media that you are working with. If that hard drive failed, ALL of your media is gone. You have to think of those P2 dumps as your master tapes. Put them on a separate hard drive, or TWO like I do (mirrored), and then import them onto your MEDIA drive.
When it comes to tapeless, you need to archive the master footage, and be redundant if you can.
[ana lucia cuevas] “Would the Mac book be able to handle this job?”
Yes. I edited DVCPRO HD with my POWERBOOK all the time. And I still use my MBP for this today. Easy.
[ana lucia cuevas] “Which of these boxes do you recommend? “
None listed. MXO is old tech, and takes away your second monitor. MXO2, MXO2 LE or MXO2 mini, then connect to either a pro HD monitor, or HDTV for just reference. HDMI out has the same calibration tool as the MXO via DVI. And all of these are much much cheaper than the AJA IOHD.
Shane
GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
Thank you Shane, it starts to make sense.
1 I do keep two extra copies of my original Footage from the P2 (it may be over the top) but is footage that took a lot of trouble to get. So I was thinking on doing an extra copie that I will have in the Raid drives, if the drive goes I still have my originals.
2 I will look into the MXO2, MXO2 LE or MXO2 mini, the only questions is: Do they connect through the mini DVI slot? That will take my second computer monitor away.
Thanks.
Lucia -
[ana lucia cuevas] “Do they connect through the mini DVI slot? That will take my second computer monitor away. “
No…they do not. They connect via the Express34 slot on the MacBook Pros. Unless you have a NEW 15″ MBP with the SD card slot…then these won’t work. But they connect to that slot, and then you can use FW800 for footage. The DVI slot is untouched.
https://www.matrox.com/video/en/solutions/devices/
Shane
GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
I DO have a new MBP, that is the problem. I have a PCI slot with a Sata card, I will attach the Raid drives to it. (I believe Sata conection is best for HD)
So I only have 1 Firewire slot free and the mini DVI is used by the computer monitors. -
[ana lucia cuevas] “I DO have a new MBP, that is the problem. I have a PCI slot with a Sata card”
If you do have the new MBP, then you’d have an SD card slot, not a PCI Express34 slot. So do you have the Express34 slot?
[ana lucia cuevas] “I will attach the Raid drives to it. (I believe Sata conection is best for HD) “
It is, but not required. I edit, and have edited, DVCPRO HD from FW800 drives, four streams, for over 3 years. No issues. I can even do two streams of ProRes off my CalDigit and G-Raid drives. BUT, if you want that slot for a Raid, then the ONLY solution for you for external capture devices are the AJA IO HD that connects via FW800, or the original MXO, that will cost you that DVI connection to the external monitor.
Shane
GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
Yes the MBP I have, has a SD card slot…so the only options are the ones you suggested the “AJA IO HD that connects via FW800, or the original MXO, that will cost you that DVI connection to the external monitor”. I do understand now and thank you very much.
My very last question will be: Will not be cheaper then, to go for a Desktop Mac Pro with the drives “in” and a video card for external monitoring? -
I don’t know if it will work with your camera or not but you could do a video “pass-through” with it. connect the camera to firewire and then hook the camera up to a tv. it works with my canon gl.
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Thanks for the advice.
I tried to do the video “pass-through” but didn’t work…it should so I keep trying…it seems a good solution.
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Has anyone done a video “pass-through” from a:
Mac book Pro to a Panasonic 171 (tapeless) to a tv monitor?I tried today (as suggested) without succes.
Do I need to set the Mac Book so that the firewire slot knows that is video “out” and not “in”?
Or maybe do I need to do something between Final Cut?
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make sure the camera is on and attached by firewire before opening final cut.
in final cut:
view –
video playback- apple firewire
external video- all framesthat should do it.
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