Frank Gothmann
Forum Replies Created
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Completely agree, those are all points that should have been worked in as well. Also that X exports faster etc. etc. I just think that, if you are not familiar with any of the two apps (although I assume the majority of people who watch their show know either FCP classic or X but not necessarily MC) you don’t walk away with usable information as to why, when or who should consider what app.
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I didn’t think it was that great to be honest.
Most of the stuff that really sets MC apart wasn’t a topic. Collaborative workflows, project sharing, stereoscopic, video io, native workflows, AMA, DnxHD and MXF vs. Prores advantages and disadvantages etc., stability, support options, hardware support, control surfaces, roadmaps etc.
Also, what I really don’t find useful with such things is that its usually a feature comparison of stuff that’s there, on paper, but it hardly evaluates how things behave in real world conditions. How stable is an app, how does is handle large projects, how reliable are features that sound great on paper or look good when demoed.
In my opinion these are the aspects that truly set MC apart and make it the editor of choice for lots of people. -
[Chris Harlan] “That letter adds some clarity to my deliberations. I’m not quite ready to destroy my OS X copy of CS5, since I’m still primarily relying on my 8 Core things Adobe. I’m thinking now that converting to a PC Mobile Workstation only for Avid (and a better eSATA connection) might be a bit of a reach. So maybe, this time around I’m staying Mac. I’m still mulling, though.”
I understand completely. It would be nice if they handled things the same way Avid does. I had the same decission to make so I ended up getting another Win licence while keeping the Mac one. Depending on how things will develop in the next couple of month, that one is very likely to go Win as well once CS6 comes out.
I got a dongle for MC6 so I switch happily from Mac to HP without deactivating/activating all the time. Or put it on a laptop. I really wanted to test waters thoroughly before moving to a different OS and hardware completely but now I know I can. -
Just chiming in to let you know there are crossgrade options for Adobe’s stuff. Either when you upgrade to the next version but also with your current version (a while ago it was for a nominal fee, don’t know what the current fee, if any, in the US is).
You need to fill out a confirmation letter to do that:
https://kb2.adobe.com/cps/153/tn_15327/attachments/lod_xgrade.pdfIf Dennis Radeke reads this, he may have figures and or links to point you to but calling Adobe should also sort you out within a few minutes.
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[Craig Seeman] “Dropping a $2500 base system to $2000 is not half the price. I think a bit of nip tuck and case redesign can do it.”
You’re average consumer PC costs what? 600 bucks. And it’s the same tower form factor, with optical drive, hard disc, pcie etc. So those bits are obviously not responsible for the price of the Mac Pro or any other workstation. The only way you can save is by going with a desktop class processor and that means only one cpu, less memory etc.
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Agreed, the new Xeons peek at around 110 w which is lower than previous generations, but two times 110 plus, as Craig Seeman suggested, expansion for two possible GPUS still means an 600-800w power supply. And that’s a lot of heat for a little box to cope with.
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[David Roth Weiss] “I doubt you’ll be seeing a water cooled Mac again anytime soon.”
Oh, I agree. But the point is that keeping these cpus cool is not something that can be done with a much smaller case and passive cooling. Plus there’s the ram and gpu as well that require good airflow. It’s those parts that take up space, not an optical drive, a bunch of hard drives or a few pci slots more or less.
A workstation class processor and architecture requires a workstation enclosure. -
[Walter Soyka] “Current-generation 6-cores run around $1,000, don’t they”
Actually even more where I live, around 1.800 dollar for the top end X5690.
I don’t see how you could have decent cooling in a smaller box. HP even puts water cooling into its dual cpu machines equipped with the 3.4Ghz model. -
[kim krause] “glad you think so! read jeremy’s thread below here…he’s saying the same thing and shane is just arguing with him. i’m not implying today or even next month but if you can make a macbook air run this stuff with a thunderbolt breakout box then i see no reason why a mini can’t replace in the near future. i have replaced a 2 year old macbook pro with a macbook air and haven’t noticed any decrease in performance. who’s to say that a super hot mini isn’t in the works? you gonna have egg on your face if i’m right.”
No, they are not saying the same thing at all. Jeremy Garchow says that for his specific needs in the field an Air with TB might be a great solution and he argues that it canl be an alternative to the Mac Pro for some but certainly not for all.
I could write up several workflows that are tried and functional on a MacPro but will turn your life into a place of hurt on an Air or Mini.
First of all, the setup shown in the demo doesn’t even run on OSX at all and given the nature of the Red card it is unlikely will in the near future unless Apple makes some majore changes to the OS.
You are also making the usual mistake of comparing the previous generation of processors (or even the one before) with the current cpus found in the Mini or Laptops. A Sandy Bridge Xeon will run circles around an i7, especially if it is a dual cpu machine – in terms of raw cpu performance, system architecture and bandwith etc.
Xeons will never fit in a Mini or iMac because of the cooling requirements, let alone a dual cpu setup. The demo doesn’t really tax cpu at all, all the work is done by the Red card and the raid. Without the Red card, as seen in the dome, it’s a show stopper.Also, formats, codecs and workflows are not written in stone. New stuff will pop up, larger file and frame sizes, more bandwith intensive etc. Once a powerful tower is gone it is likely gone for good and you are stuck with a lightweight laptop that might suffice for your work requirements today but might bog down with whatever comes around the corner tomorrow.
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[kim krause] “like i said 6 months ago…the mac mini will be the new mac pro! it’s all about evolution.”
That’s one of the most uninformed comments in weeks. Kudos!