[Alexander Gao]

By the way, when you say “you guys”, you’re referring to me, singular, a college student in a dorm room! So what do ya suggest?

🙂

Thanks,
Alexander Gao
USC School of Cinematic Arts
John C. Hench D.A.D.A.

[Alexander Gao]

Not stuck. I just would like a firewire interface because it is more robust than having a USB interface. I don’t have an HD video monitor currently, so video out is currently not on the menu. When the time comes, I’ll worry about that.

UNLESS

Is there a good box (I’ve seen a few examples from AJA and Blackmagic) that will give me accurate HD out to my 24″ monitor, as well as better audio out than only RCA?

Thanks,
Alexander Gao
USC School of Cinematic Arts
John C. Hench D.A.D.A.

[Alexander Gao]

Oh, and I realize that this kind of storage is intended for a high-end desktop workstation, but is there a card that would allow for a RAID system like the MaxxDigital to be used in accordance with a Macbook Pro?

Thanks,
Alexander Gao
USC School of Cinematic Arts
John C. Hench D.A.D.A.

[Alexander Gao]

Walter, can the MaxxDigital RAIDs be used in any RAID configuration? I won’t be getting one soon, but I’m keeping these high end storage solutions on the back stove. Oh, and for RAID 5, what is the ratio of physical storage space to ACTUAL usable storage space once everything has been backed up, etc.?

Thanks,
Alexander Gao
USC School of Cinematic Arts
John C. Hench D.A.D.A.

[Alexander Gao]

Thanks for the kind words, it really means a lot to have the support of such a great commmunity. Oh, and I’ll make sure to share any must-know tricks I might pick up… after all, that’s what I’ve been getting from the cow all these years!

Thanks,
Alexander Gao
USC School of Cinematic Arts
John C. Hench D.A.D.A.

[Alexander Gao]

Ok, thanks for the tips. I have to ask about pre-blacking tapes… isn’t it easier this way, just so there are no accidental timecode breaks? It’s not hard to do, and it seems to make things smoother because after reviewing a shot, I don’t have to go back and worry about starting to roll again before timecode breaks… and apparently some people think it can get rid of any little dust particles, etc. that MIGHT happen to be in the fresh, new tape… I’m not questioning your authority, I highly respect what you are advising me on and I kow you are a professional, I’m just trying to iron out the discrepancies between what you tell me and what I have read online elsewhere. Thanks for keeping me thinking!

Thanks,
Alexander Gao
USC School of Cinematic Arts
John C. Hench D.A.D.A.

[Alexander Gao]

🙂

Thanks for the break, I’m just about to start at USC tomorrow as a freshman, so I assume that my parents’ dough will start workin’ soon. But yes, the COW plays a vital rolein teaching me!

Thanks,
Alexander Gao
USC School of Cinematic Arts
John C. Hench D.A.D.A.

[Alexander Gao]

So if I only need to output 2 channels, and not input, do I still need to look into a mixer right now? Also, Is the only purpose of the amp to make the signal louder?

Thanks,
Alexander Gao
USC School of Cinematic Arts
John C. Hench D.A.D.A.

[Alexander Gao]

Hey Mitch,
I thought the case is that a Matte screen is actually jsut a glossy screen, except that the matte screen has a layer of anti-glare plastic laid over it… so basically the matte screen is the same, but with more. That’s just what my research has told me.

Thanks,
Alexander Gao
USC School of Cinematic Arts
John C. Hench D.A.D.A.

[Alexander Gao]

You don’t think the Radeon HD 2600 pro w/ 256MB gfx mem will be sufficient to run Motion? That card is pretty beefy… I know it won’t come close to the real-time and GPU rendering of a 512MB Quadro FX in a Mac Pro, but won’t it at least be good? Do you think the Macbook Pro’s 256MB nVidia 8600M GT will not be good for motion? I haven’t ever used Motion before, but as a heavy After Effects user, the 128MB Radeon 9600 in my iMac G5 was certainly capable albeit quite poky on complex comps.

Thanks,
Alexander Gao
USC School of Cinematic Arts
John C. Hench D.A.D.A.