[Jeff Carpenter]

I’m gonna guess that he means ‘self contained.’

Instead of doing EXPORT – > QUICKTIME MOVIE, go to EXPORT -> QUICKTIME CONVERSION and go into the custom settings. You set the video and audio settings individually. Does it have WAV as an option there? I’m not home so I can’t check, but if it’s possible this will be the way to do it.

[Jeff Carpenter]

You can use the 30″ monitor on that compter.

The main screen and the external screen are different resolutions, but they don’t have to match. You can set them each to their own, optimal resolution.

[Jeff Carpenter]

Hmm…can’t say it’s ever been an issue for me. I’ve shot weddings in very cloudy, very windy, and slightly rainy conditions. In each case the video looked like that situation but no one complained about it.

Assuming you cover your basics, of course. You’ve got to get good audio if it’s windy, keep the lens clear of drops if it’s rainy, and boost your mid-tones and chroma so cloudy days don’t look so gray and dreary.

But as long as you can do that much I’ve never had anyone complain to me that the weather didn’t cooperate.

[Jeff Carpenter]

I think the card with an internal connection is how they do it.

I’ve seen sites that sell mounts and braces for holding them into the case, but all I’ve seen is for the G5 tower. I haven’t seen any for the MacPro yet, but I’m sure they’re out there if you look long enough!

[Jeff Carpenter]

Please re read my previous post. I’m sure the hard drive in powerbook was 7200RPM
Jeremy
===========================

Actually, the model he described came with 4200 RPM drives. It’s possible he had some sort of upgraded version with a 5400, I guess, but I find it very unlikely that it was 7200 at that point in time.

What you experienced, peterpez, was techno-luck. Sometimes things that are just BARELY possible work great in certain situations and then not at all in others. Because it’s unpredictable, people say “don’t do it.” And rightly so…you shouldn’t work in an unpredictable environment.

What this means, though, is that you could have just gotten really lucky with your last system. It can happen. But it means that if your current system isn’t treating you as well, there’s nothing you can do to fix it. Stick with the external drive and you’ll be fine.

[Jeff Carpenter]

The optical drives don’t run off a SATA connection.

There are usually companies out there that invent ways to cram more drives and connectors into the towers, but I suggest getting a SATA PCI card and an external SATA drive. Much easier and probably works better than puttnig even more heat-producing drives in your computer.

There are many options but G-Tech is one I know of:

https://www.g-technology.com/products/G-SATA.cfm

[Jeff Carpenter]

Thank you for the reply – would you mind elaborating what problems your method would avoid?
==========

For one, you can always re-capture the DV tape later. You have time-code accurate footage. If your current VHS-captured media needs to be re-captured there will be no way to match it to the old stuff. You’ll have to re-edit any place you used it.

If you capture from something with Time Code and deck control you can always batch-capture it again later instantly and be right back where you started with your edit.

[Jeff Carpenter]

Both previous answers are good. The difference between the lubricants really isn’t as big a problem as it used to be, but sticking with one brand is still a good idea anyway.

If you’re looking for our real-world experiences with particular brands, I’ve always been happy with Panasonic’s “Pro” line of mini-DV.

They make something called “Mini DV Professional Quality Video” that’s a dark grey cassette. 60-minutes will cost you $4 on B&H. I use those and have been very happy with them.

[Jeff Carpenter]

What are you using to convert them? Have you tried MPEG Streamclip (shareware program)?

That’s a good program, but a lot of times I find that I’m even happier with burning a DVD and playing it in a stand-alone DVD player which I then capture the analog outputs of. S-Video is good, component is better if you can do it.

Either way, I find that this method always works well whereas software conversions can be more hit-or-miss.

[Jeff Carpenter]

Final Cut requires an “AGP Quartz Extreme or PCI Express graphics card.”

All Macbook Pros come with PCI Express graphic cards, so you’re all set there no matter what.