Jeff Carpenter
1
COW Coin
Forum Replies Created
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Which one do you have?
https://www.flip4mac.com/wmv_compare.htm
It looks like you need one of the top-two options to get what you need.
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Well, you certainly want the 2 GB of RAM that the 2.33 comes with. So you’d be adding that on to the 2.16 model which raises the price.
So once you account for the RAM the price difference is $325.
For that money you get the faster processor and double the video RAM.
The processor is not such a huge deal, I think, but the video RAM is totally worth that price. Future pro software is going to depend more and more on the video card, I think. It’s a good investment.
I’d go with the 2.33.
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The “per CPU” line you’re seeing has to do with the processor cache, which is different than the RAM. It’s a function of the processor and motherboard and can’t be changed so there’s not reason to even think about it!
As for the system RAM, you’ve only got 2 slots and they’re both filled. So to get 2 GB of RAM you’re going to have to buy 2 GB and throw away the 1 GB you have now. Kind of a pain, but that’s the way these things go. At crucial.com right now 2 GB for that model is running at $226. If you’re not going to be buying a new computer this year then this is a good investment for you…it will improve your computer. If you are going to change to a new machine this year I’d say save that money and put it towards the next computer.
But if you are editing from the internal drive, that’s WAY more important to change than upgrading RAM! Getting an external drive will speed up your editing more for you than RAM will at this point. A new hard drive should be your priority. But the hard drive first and only get the RAM if you can afford both the RAM and the hard drive.
If money is an object, any firewire drive will do. However, I suggest looking at the G-RAID2:
https://www.g-technology.com/products/g-raid2.cfm
It’s got a faster RAID inside and faster connections on the outside. Use the firewire 800 plug on your laptop…I’m nearly certain it has one, right? That should get everything you do in Final Cut moving a whole lot smoother.
And if you plan your workflow right, an external drive failure shouldn’t be a total disaster. Store your Final Cut projects, music, and graphics on your internal drive. Back them up to a CD, DVD, or flash drive every night. Then make sure all the video you capture on the external drive was logged first and then batch-captured. NEVER use “capture now.” That way, if your drive fails you can re-format the drive and just re-capture all the video from the tapes by batch capturing again. It takes time, but you don’t have to do any extra work.
If you follow those rules then your entire laptop AND hard drivec could melt in a fire and as long as you have your backup DVD/flash drive and you have your tapes, you’ll be good to work on any other Final Cut system in the world.
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I think he’s talking about the new HVR-V1U. I’m pretty sure that DOES have actual 24p recording now.
It’s not as great in low light as the Z1U, so only consider it if you shoot things where you control the lighting.
Other than that, I can’t help you with your Final Cut questions. The camera is brand new so I don’t know anyone using it yet. I suggest asking in the HDV forum as they might have more experience with it.
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While we can’t possibly answer this question right now, I find it very unlikely that Apple will abandon professional users with G5s so soon.
It’s entirely possible it won’t support ALL G5s…there could still be a speed requirement and probably dual chips or dual core required.
But as for the PPC vs. Intel aspect? I’m certain it won’t be “Intel Only” any time soon.
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While we can’t possibly answer this question right now, I find it very unlikely that Apple will abandon professional users with G5s so soon.
It’s entirely possible it won’t support ALL G5s…there could still be a speed requirement and probably dual chips or dual core required.
But as for the PPC vs. Intel aspect? I’m certain it won’t be “Intel Only” any time soon.
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John,
When you do finally upgrade, I suggest using Boot Camp AND Parallels. https://www.parallels.com/en/products/desktop
What you do is instal Windows on Boot Camp first (it’s a free download now…it will come with Leopard). That works great but you have to re-start the computer to run Windows when you want it.
Once you get that going, buy Parallels and instal it in OS X. You can now use it to open up your Boot Camp partition while OS X is running. Previously you had to chose between Boot Camp or Parallels…now you can use BOTH on the same copy of Windows. Changes made to Windows in Boot Camp will still be there when you open Windows up in Parallels.
This means you have the convinience of running Windows alongside OS X if you need it, but you can also re-start if you’re running something in Windows that requires the computer’s full power, like any sort of 3D program.
Anyway, I thought I’d mention it since this is a new development and it looks like you’re still learning about this stuff. Most sites about dual-booting still present it as an either/or choice between Parallels and Boot Camp and don’t yet mention that you can use both at the same time.
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2 More notes to what Jeremy said:
1) You can hold down the ‘Option’ key while re-starting the computer to switch between partitions.
2) Although having 2 drives is best, if you really want to you can erase your current startup disc and partition it as 2 halves and use those. I’d go with the 2-drive method myself, but it’s an option if you need it.
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You’ll get slighty better results starting with a high resolution and converting down to the final size. This is nearly always true which is why TV shows are often shot on film even though the resolution is much higher than any HDTV. It’s because the higher level you start out at the better off it will look in the end.
But even more than that, shooting with a high number of pixels will give you the opportunity to crop. I can tell that’s what they do on the TV show “Robot Chicken.” They edit everything at full frame, then at the end they convert it to one large video clip and do zooms and pans on the video, simulating a camera. Because they have more pixels than they need, everything stays sharp. They couldn’t do that if they shot at the same resolution they wanted to finish at.
Search YouTube for the clip called “Voltron Gets Served” and take a look at that. Every time there’s a “camera move” on the monster or the robot it’s done after it’s edited. You might not want to do something like that right now, but it’s probably best to have the option open to you later if you change your mind. It’s always good to leave your options open.
Plus, you’re using 720×480 video now. What if someone sees your work and wants to turn it into a web video? They could make a flash animation from your work at a much higher resolution than that if they want. Or maybe 5 years from now you’ll be making some sort of HD video of your past work. You’ll be glad you can make your project look its best at that point because you shot and edited at something higher than DV. Do the best you can now and save that. Then downconvert it to DV for now. You’ll probably be happy that you did in the future.