Coming Over From The Darkside

[Jerry Hofmann]

Dual 2.7 CPU. AJA’s Kona 2, Huge systems 4 gig dual fibre channel array, ATTO Celerity card for the array.
4 gigs RAM (or more if the editors are running lots of apps at the same time). This will result in not only a reliable setup, but will result in the most RT you can get. None of the capture cards out there do any better RT and I think customer service is best from these companies.

This be the best IMHO.

Jerry

Apple Certified Trainer

Author: “Jerry Hofmann on Final Cut Pro 4” Click here

Dual 2 gig G5, AJA Kona SD, AJA Kona 2, Huge Systems Array UL3D

[Walter Biscardi]

I’ll second Jerry, though I would go with Medea FCR2X for the Fibre Channel array and I just run the Apple Fibre Channel card. I had some problems with my ATTO Celerity and sent it back.

Also, if you will require Analog I/O, then you may want to look at the AJA Kona LH which gives you both SD and HD along with Analog I/O. Or you can go with a Kona 2 with the AJA Io LA for the Analog I/O.

I was on Media 100 for 6 years before making the switch. Took me about 2 weeks to get used to the interface and about 4 months to get to the point where I was faster on FCP than Media 100. The most important thing to do when you get your system is to run the FCP Tutorial. That goes a LONG way to introducing you to the interface and where all the “buttons” are.

I actually run the G5 Dual 2.0’s here in both of our suites as we get plenty of real-time and I really didn’t want to spend top dollar for a G5 when they may completely change next year. You’ll get plenty of realtime transitions, graphic overlays and such.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com

Now editing “Good Eats” in HD for the Food Network

“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters

[Andy Stinton]

Whay do you both suggest fibre channel when I can get 200mb per sec throughput from a striped raid ( 4 x 25omegs) at a third of the price?

Andy Stinton
Corporate Video
Live & Stage Events
Business Practices

[Walter Biscardi]

[andy stinton] “Whay do you both suggest fibre channel when I can get 200mb per sec throughput from a striped raid ( 4 x 25omegs) at a third of the price?”

Fibre Channle is much more reliable than anything I’ve ever run. I get up to 375mb/sec all the way to 90% full on my FCR2X. I get more realtime via the FCR2X than any other array I run. In over 8 years of running Medea products, I’ve never missed a deadline due to a harddrive failure.

Storage is one area that I never go for the cheapest option, I go for the most reliable because I can’t afford to have my drives go down, ever.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com

Now editing “Good Eats” in HD for the Food Network

“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters

[Herb Sevush]

If real time HD is your main concern, then I would think about either the Leitch Velocity or the Matrox Axio/Premiere Pro solution. Those systems are “real” real time, FCP is not. There are many other reasons to buy FCP, but “real time” is not one of them.

Herb Sevush
Zebra Productions

[Andy Stinton]

Herb

Right now I have clients that are

[Herb Sevush]

The dynamic scaling, especially if you are dealing with DV, lets you edit most things without having to stop and render. But when dealing with HD almost every effect beyond a basic dissolve requires rendering for final quality. You can’t mix different formats on the same timeline without long slow renders, and the same goes true for color correction and long title sequences (like a credit roll.)

I don’t have clients lurking over my shoulder, so this isn’t a big problem for me. However, if I were working in that type of situation with HD, I would look seriously at either Velocity or Axio.

Herb Sevush
Zebra Productions

[Les Kaye]

[andy stinton] “The few times that I have played around in FCP I found that rendering the whole file before mastering an interesting experience !!!!!”

Probably due to a timeline set to a different codec setting than your material. I don’t have this problem when working with DVCPRO HD, with 6 camera multicam. Works fine and I find most renders are pretty fast. OTOH, down converting HDV to DVCPRO HD is a watching paint dry exercise. Haven’t tried it with other codecs.

In any casem one person’s RT is another’s “what’s taking so long?” Your best bet is to take a test drive on all the systems suggested with the type of workflow you use. A hardware solution may work best for you, or it might not. After all, even if the car goes 60mph in 3 seconds, what’s the point if it doesn’t have power steering, airbags and a heater? Meaning, IMHO, that the editorial workflow needs to be considered as well.

Good luck.