ioHD- Does it change the laptop v. desktop decision?

[Bob Zelin]

Bill writes –
I don’t do this stuff for a living and therefore don’t have to have the fastest machine available

REPLY –
If you don’t make money doing this stuff, and don’t have professional delivery requirements, then why buy ANY of this gear. Just go firewire in and out, and be done with it. Products like the I/O HD, Multibridge, Eclipse, Kona, etc. are for professionals, that support their families with this equipment. If you have having fun, go firewire, and take your money, and do something useful with it.

Bob Zelin

[Arnie Schlissel]

[Bill Doyle] “I’ve been thinking it’s time to get back to a desktop, but I hate to give up the portability.”

You don’t have to give up portability. You can keep the MBP & simply buy a desktop for your other needs.

Arnie
Now in post: Peristroika, a film by Slava Tsukerman
https://www.arniepix.com/blog

[Bill Doyle]

Bob and Arnie,

Thanks for the replies. The bottom line is that I don’t enjoy editing in native HDV and the inability to get a card for a laptop to transcode has lead me to the ioHD.

Any thoughts on the more generic part of my quesion- do you think the ioHD, with the hardware ProRes codec, has or will change the thinking on the viability of a laptop v. desktop in closing the gap?

[Arnie Schlissel]

[Bill Doyle] “do you think the ioHD, with the hardware ProRes codec, has or will change the thinking on the viability of a laptop v. desktop in closing the gap?”

I don’t think about it in those terms, so I’d be the wrong one to ask. To me, these are different combinations of tools to work in different environments, or to meet specific needs for certain projects.

And I believe in setting up a workflow system specifically to meet the needs of the project on hand, not in making the project conform to my existing setup.

Do you need the mobility? If so, then a MBP with an IOHD is one of the best options. If not, then an IOHD with a MP is still a very powerful choice. If you need true uncompressed, any dual-link SDI or 2k workflow, then you won’t get it from an IOHD, you’ll need a Kona 3. I can see many situations where both a laptop on set with IOHD and a MP tower in the edit suite with a Kona 3 are needed.

Arnie
Now in post: Peristroika, a film by Slava Tsukerman
https://www.arniepix.com/blog

[John Ladle]

“do you think the ioHD, with the hardware ProRes codec, has or will change the thinking on the viability of a laptop v. desktop in closing the gap? ”

oh, definitely it is closing the gap! it wont replace desktops, but what can be done in the field for HD wont be the same after this ships in july.

HDV on a laptop is near punishment if you are pushing pixels. scaling, IBP compression, no monitoring. ioHD brings full raster, i-frame and monitoring. it makes laptops use a codec they could not have used in capture.

so here is the beauty. if you bought a desktop for heavy work you could use the ioHD on both.

[Bob Zelin]

you people are all wacky. The “fantasy” is to have the laptop, and to be able to capture and edit with nothing but this little tiny package that you walk into a hotel room with. The “fantasy” is based on a DV (or HDV) camera, a single firewire cable, and the laptop.

Now, bring in real life – especially when you need the I/O HD or any similar product to interface to professional VTR’s. First, you have the VTR’s – they are big, and require a LOT of cabling – what cabling ? You don’t know in advance, so you bring A LOT OF CABLES with you, just in case. And a lot of adaptors. This is a small road case, not including the VTR (or VTR’s). Now you need a TV monitor, unless you use the hotels TV in the room (and you need cables for that). And you need speakers, and a small mixer. And your in a hotel, or on location, so you need a UPS so you don’t blow up your equipment, and some AC outlet strips. Client wants to take a VHS with them to their room, or a DVD, so you need a DVD-R.

The “fantasy” is shooting with the HD camera, and on your shoulder is the laptop running FCP (or VTR XChange, etc). recording your ProRes422 video (or uncompressed, etc). You planning on shooting for 2 days on your internal hard drive ?

I just don’t see the continuous appeal of trying to use the laptop instead of the mini tower G5, when you have 4-5 other road cases full of equipment and cables. Forget about doing a hi end pro job – if you are doing a convention video for a group of 300 people in conference room, you need STUFF to make this happen.

Bob Zelin

[Jeremy Garchow]

You are pretty funny Bob. If you are going to a conference (like in Orlando) and you need extra stuff, you simply rent from the staging company. No need to travel with monitors unless you really need to. All the other stuff (an ioHD, a drive array, and cables) can fit in a large pelican case and a suit case while you carry on your laptop to watch DVDs from the long flight across the country. If you aren’t going to a conference and you need extra stuff (like high end VTRs), chances are the resources you need to get a deck on set will be available, along with craft services, personal chefs and a trailer with wireless high speed internet.

[Bob Zelin]

yea yea – craft services, and personal chef. The I/O HD SUCKS – can it microwave popcorn, can it make coffee? How will Walter use it on Good Eats, when the I/O HD can’t bake a cake. The junk they make these days. When I was young, you would buy a Sony 1″ VTR or a GVG200 switcher, and it would make cookies, and hot chocolate. Those TBC controls on the lower panel, doubled as oven temperature.

Bob Zelin

[Jeremy Garchow]

Well, if it means anything to you…if not vented properly, my MacBook Pro can double as a griddle. Great for breakfast…eggs, french toast, bacon. Try that with an expensive deck.

[Christopher Wright]

It truly is a breath of fresh air hearing Bob vent!
It was also good swilling a few good margaritas with you and meeting you at the Hard Rock in Lost Wages!
Rock on!