[Todd Reid]

Thanks everyone.

The guys at the DR Group have hooked me up and it should be here by wed.

[Todd Reid]

I have looked at their website and it says they have them in stock. But that is what my reseller told me when I ordered it.

I have had several instances both business and personal where a website says it is in stock, but when I order, then the emails come that it is backordered. So I don’t trust them.

i was hoping that someone out there has recently ordered and received one. Then I would check it out.
Also B& H is much more expensive than what my reseller can get, but I’d rather have it in hand, then a good price at this point.
I’ve also checked Markertek and again don’t trust the in stock claim.

I thought I’d consult the cow, before I start making phone calls.

Anyone from AJA??????
Was I giving solid information, or am I getting the run around from my reseller?

I’d love to deal directly with you!!!!

[Todd Reid]

Its no problem.

I just glad I had a part in helping someone else out.
i have been helped NUMEROUS times from this forum.

Lets all keep it up no matter what level of experience you provide.
I have been shown new ways of thinking or procedures from people who are
just learning, just as well as from the experts and pros.

Keep the questions coming, keep the constructive answers following.

[Todd Reid]

I think I have a 1st generation MBP 17″ (glossy–yeah, I said glossy and I love it)
I’m running at 1680×1050.

[Todd Reid]

I have been running FCStudio 2 on a mac book pro with great success. With an added express 34 card adapter, I also have a SATA raid (along with 4 firewire Lacies) and have been editing DVCPro HD.

I think you will do fine, however, I grew tired of the slowness (not bad, but it adds up) and I am in the process of building a tower system. But my laptop made me a lot of money for a little over a year!!!

Not sure about how much RAM FCP will see/use, but I say if you can afford it, put it in there. Some programs are bound to use it. I have much less, 2GB, which was the max when I purchased.

Welcome to the wonderful world of mac, where NOTHING EVER goes wrong! 😉

[Todd Reid]

technically you would mask out the area you want to be black and white, leaving what you want colored, but I think you get the point. I’d mask what I needed, then invert the mask.

[Todd Reid]

you can do it in FCP….
duplicate the clip and place it frame accurate on v2.
tint the bottom layer black and white.
on v2, mask out the area you want to stay in color (hopefully there isn’t much movement or you will have to keyframe or rotoscope).

That is a basic way, there are others, but this may get you what you need.

[Todd Reid]

i may be missing something here, why are you using your internal harddrive for video projects?

With all the processor power needed just to run the os and other programs, you may want to think about migrating everything to an external drive.
In my business, I keep the autosave vault on the internal and NOTHING else (as far as FCP projects). This way in case a drive ever goes down, I can recreate a project with the autosave, and if my internal drive goes down, I have my project and media files externally. Finished projects (quicktimes and such) may be ok on your internal, but always keep a backup externally too.

Whatever you choose, bus-powered, or not, I think you might have a smoother ride overall if you keep all your most of your video elsewhere. Harddrives are relatively inexpensive, I have 4 Lacie’s 500GB, daisy chained and a SATA RAID (1TB) hooked up to my MacBook Pro, with 2.5 TB on order.

Does your workflow ever slow you down (drop frames, slow response time, sluggishness)?

Just some alternative thoughts, hope it helps.

[Todd Reid]

That was kind of a joke, but since you flamed it, I’ll respond.

As most editors, importing/digitizing/exporting/ftp/converting and such are “grey areas” that can be variable when charging depending on the client and situation. I never charge actual hours for these situations, I also have a lower rate for these activities.

I made that comment as a joke, but I see absolutely no problem with including at least some of this time on an invoice.
Even if it doesn’t require any skill to “watch a blinking light”, it is part of the process of getting media into my system in order to apply my skill and craft to it.

You may like this….
I also charge for long render times…….

ok, that joke was uncalled for 😉
actually I usually put that in the “grey area” too.

[Todd Reid]

I have a MBP 17″ glossy and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I’m beginning to think I’m crazy cause most people fervently say to go matte.
I looked at them side-by-side and it was a no brainer, the glossy look MUCH better to me.
I was never distracted by any reflections as I can move the screen to avoid them.
I have to say that I don’t take mine in the field, it is my home editor with controlled environment, so maybe that is the major factor to consider.

using it in the field to monitor isn’t ideal, as suggested, but its MUCH better than the camera’s viewfinder. If you can’t get a proper monitor, use what you got.