imac 7 vs mac pro for semi pro video editing

[Manoj Sharma]

I m looking for a person like you, I am also a editor in CNN IBN India.can I have help anytime I need?

[Ben Holmes]

[walter biscardi] “I’m going to start switching over our shop, slowly, to all Apple cinema displays. “

So glad to see someone else say this – I was an advocate of the Dells etc., but I’ve just seen too many inaccurate monitors installed by resellers to say this any more.

What you get with the ACDs is consistency and clarity. And frankly, you will have to prize my 3 older 23″ ACDs out of my cold dead hands – most of the time I trust them more than my video monitoring.

I find the wider issue of iMacs interesting now – there’s no doubt there’s a place for them in an editorial role for larger shops – purely because the displays are good enough for pre-final grade work. I would continue to question their use in single setups. Here are the reasons for going Mac Pro:

1) Upgradeable for memory, gfx card and storage.
2) Affordable PCI card options for video output.

I would prefer to buy the cheapest Mac Pro and fit a Blackmagic intenstiy for viewing on an HDMI screen, than work off the canvas on an iMac. It just does not compare.

Edit Out Ltd
—————————-
FCP Editor/Trainer/System Consultant
EVS/VT Supervisor for live broadcast
RED camera transfer/post
Independent Director/Producer

https://www.blackmagic-design.com/casestudies/detail.asp?case=therydercup

[Walter Biscardi]

[Ben Holmes] “most of the time I trust them more than my video monitoring.”

That’s one thing I would never say. No matter how good the computer displays are, we trust our Broadcast monitors and rely solely on them for the final decision on “what does it really look like?”

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author.
HD Post and Production
Biscardi Creative Media

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[Al Balison]

Thanks again. Looking at this refurbished Mac Pro: https://store.apple.com/ca/product/FB535LL/A?mco=MTM5NTg5MTI

Yeah, it definitely looks cheaper on line (memory and hard drive)… https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Mac-Pro-Memory

Question: this refurbed mac is definitely a 2009 right? They didn’t make 2.26 ghz quads in 2008 did they?

Also – because this refurbed mac comes with 6×1 gb ram, macsales.com doesn’t sell ram in 1 gb (I’d want to add an additional 2 gb of ram to have 8 gb). Stupid question I know, but could I just buy a 2 gb stick of ram to add to the already installed 6×1 gbs?

I would also want to upgrade the video card to ATI Radeon HD 4870 (419.00 Apple sells at).

You can’t upgrade anything from Apple when you buy refurbished can you?

Anyway, thanks again for all your advices…..

AL

[Pat Ratkowski]

Hi Walter,

Thanks for the all of the good advice on this thread. I’m new to the Cow forum, a producer/editor making a transition to FCP from Media Composer.

I wanted to follow up on your comment about only using broadcast monitors for color grading, despite how good Apple’s Cinema Displays are. Does the Flanders Scientific 1760W qualify as a broadcast monitor? Secondly, if I can only afford either the 24″ ACD or the 1760W at this time as my client monitor, what would you recommend based on your experience? I’m working primarily in SD on a MBP with external drives through a Matrox MXO2LE (Max), but will soon be bringing 1080i in from a Panasonic HVX200 unit. Thanks for your help!

Pat

[Walter Biscardi]

[Pat Ratkowski] “. Does the Flanders Scientific 1760W qualify as a broadcast monitor? S”

absolutely. That’s what they are designed for. They’re Grade 1 Professional Color reference monitors.

[Pat Ratkowski] “Secondly, if I can only afford either the 24″ ACD or the 1760W at this time as my client monitor, what would you recommend based on your experience?”

That’s easy. FSI. That’s what they are designed to do.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author.
HD Post and Production
Biscardi Creative Media

“Foul Water, Fiery Serpent” now in Post.

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[Pat Ratkowski]

Walter,

Thank you for the quick response and advice. One follow up question on the 1760W – I think its resolution is something less than 1920×1080 (1400ish x 800ish), whereas the ACD is listed as full 1920×1200 (as is the FSI 2450W, but that’s too pricey for me right now). Still go with the 1760W?

Thanks again!
Pat

[Walter Biscardi]

[Pat Ratkowski] “Still go with the 1760W?”

Yes. We use the monitor every single day.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author.
HD Post and Production
Biscardi Creative Media

“Foul Water, Fiery Serpent” now in Post.

Creative Cow Forum Host:
Apple Final Cut Pro, Apple Motion, Apple Color, AJA Kona, Business & Marketing, Maxx Digital.

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[Jim Bell]

In regards to your comment on multicam editing… I have two dvx100b’s and am planning on multicam shooting and editing in FCP. Does your comment to mean that I will definitely need an eSata drive (or some other highspeed storage)?

Is there something about multicam that requires more disk throughput in editing? Do you not just end up with two video/four audio tracks after ingest? Forgive me that I haven’t tried it yet… Can you elaborate a bit?

Thanks,

JB

10.6.1 Macbook Pro 17″ w/express 34, G-Tech 2 TB GRaid, TC Electronic Impact Twin FW audio interface

Hindsight is always 1080p – Thanks to Zane Barker, this made me smile…you too?