Discreet's Cleaner 6 supports MPEG-2 encoding. For actually burning a DVD Toast Titanium is my tool of choice even though I use DVD SP. Toast does not require re-multiplexing as DVD SP does.

OK, so I should upgrade from cleaner 5 EZ (I guess that is a light version) . I already have Toast titanium. Now I need an external DVD burner?
any sugestions?

Right now all I want to do is break a 1 hour video up into 5 or 6 clips on a dvd for ease of viewing. Eventualy I will want full authoring.

I've also found simply moving the clip to a different track will often "fix" the duration problem. Happens to me all of the time too...

If you're going to be doing frequent video work where you'll need a powerful compression and formatting tool you'd be well served to get Cleaner 6. If your Mac already has a SuperDrive you already have a burner. If not you should consider getting an internal Pioneer A04.

I just received a new G4 dual 1.25gig. I have been reading about partitioning drivces and seems there are many who have different recomendations. this is what I have done. Should I do differently?

system: for oxX 10.2 and 9.2.2
applications (all apps)
files
Drive 2:
render
video
video 2

I read a message that said put OSX and apps on same drive. and 9.2.2 and apps on same drive. Would this be better?

This is a clean machine so now is the time for me to start on the correct foot...

Are you doing this in preperation of using Final Cut Pro 3?

If so this is how I would do it:

Partition 1 (small): OS 9 and all OS 9 apps including FCP3

Partition 2 (large): OS X and ALL OS X apps including FCP3

Have seperate internal drive(s) for your scratch disks (media) Apple does not approve FireWire drives for FCP 3.

Be carefull because some of the software that ships on the drive may not be included on the install disks.

Jeff

Could you explain in more detail the phrase:

Be carefull because some of the software that ships on the drive may not be included on the install disks.

I know that on the iMacs, iDVD 2 is on the drive, but not included in the software package. iTunes usually comes with free music that is not included with the restore software. I don't know about every Mac model. But every new Mac comes with at least 90 days free Apple Care. Call the toll free number and ask if your worried.

Alright, im going with 2 19inch monitors of the same make and model. But what I want to know is there anything else I need to keep in mind. Maybe as far as some kind of pixel lines or something.
Thanks
Ryan

What video card will you drive the monitors with and do they require an adapter? I wouldn't worry about the specs on the monitors. Most are more than adaquate for NLE use. They won't match NTSC video, so if your work is for broadcast you'll need a monitor to check your colors, titles etc. A TV with RCA video in will work for starters. You can add on later if your feel the need.

Jeff

Ill be using the video card that comes with the quicksilver power g4. Could you please elaborate on the NLE and NSTC broadcasting a bit for me?
Thanks
RYan

Computer monitors and video monitors are different. They display their images different, use different phospors for color, have different resolution, use different signals etc. What you see on a computer monitor will not match the image, once it goes to tape and is displayed on a TV. Sometimes the differences are subtile, others are huge. It sometimes helps to preview your work in progress on a TV (or better yet a broadcast monitor). The differences are more noticeable with graphics (titles) and colors. Computer colors don't bleed, video will. It will take a little getting used to and making a few adjustments.

The other thing is the outputs on the included video card with your mac will not power two identical monitors without an adapter. I don't think the required adapter is included and you may need to check with the source of your monitors for help.

Jeff

One of my friends is having trouble to view the exported video in Quicktime 6.0, and I need your help.

He'd captured video from camcoder to FCP 3.0, edit it and exported it as Quicktime format. He can save sound, but cannot save the video in MOV file.

He uses Macintosh Powerbook 800, OS X 10.1, FCP 3.0 and Quicktime 6.0.

Does anyone have any clue for this problem?

What settings did your friend use for exporting? Did he change the compression, key framing etc?

Jeff

According to Apple FCP is only certified to work with QT 6.0 under OS X.2. That could be the problem right there. Also, make sure that with the new QT 6.x that he has a new pro license for the additional editing features.
"FCP and QuickTime 6
Final Cut Pro 3.0.2 has been qualified for use with QuickTime 6 included with Mac OS X v10.2. Users running earlier versions of Mac OS X should continue to use QuickTime 5.x " from www.apple.com/finalcutpro/

This is a newbie question and I'm sorry if it repeats an old topic. I work at a university and am working on a large project for which I must use equipment in a lab. I'd like to store my files on a firewire hard drive for security (research interviews) and convenience. Are there specific drive parameters I should look for, or are all the current generation of firewire hard drives likely to be fast enough for this purpose? Any specific recommendations (my grant is not a big one!)

Thanks in advance,
Linc Kesler

i like the granite digital cases then drop in a 120GB IBM deskstar and your set. depending on drive size and case you should come in under $300.
www.granitedigital.com

The Granite cases are very nice, but I would go with the Western Digital Special Edition drives with a 8MB cache. After rebates they run around $150 or less. IBM's are great drives, too. either way you'd have a nice FireWire drive.

Jeff

Linc,
Matthew and Jeff's suggestions are good ones. You also asked, "Are there specific drive parameters I should look for, or are all the current generation of firewire hard drives likely to be fast enough for this purpose?" In general, you're looking for drives with a rotational speed of 7200 rpm. You can also get by with less expensive 5400rpm drives but, honestly, so many high-capacity / modest cost 7200rpm Firewire drives have appeared during the past several months that there's little excuse to do so.

Also, just to clarify the Granite case suggestions... Such a configuration would require a two-step kit purchase. First you would purchase the Granite case which is an empty box featuring the circuitry to connect an ATA drive to your Firewire port. Then you would select the hard drive to drop into the Granite case, such as the IBM DeskStar or the Western Digital drive recommended earlier.

Just to toss in one more choice, my currrent personal favorite external Firewire drive is WiebeTech's (www.wiebetech.com) "Super DesktopGB" drive which offers 7200rpm drive capacities up to 200Gb and is *bus-powered*, meaning that they require no wall power connection (on Macs and other systems that feature 6-pin powered Firewire busses). These are pre-built units (not kits). The 120Gb unit (which I have) runs $330, about the same as the Granite configs.

Happy hunting!

So Ken:

That firewire drive of yours can simply plug in to your camera... so other cables needed?

How much of a drain is that on your batteries? (Or do you run AC in that kind of application)

BTW, I assume it captures timecode just like a tape, right?

No Doug. The drive plugs into my Mac's Firewire port, not directly to the camera. My camera (actually my deck) also plugs into the Mac.

There are at least a couple of hard disk dv recorders (such as the Firestore), but that's not what I was referrring to.

Thanks, Ken...

I am trying to research those drives...

Ouch!

Just did some research...

It's going to cost a little more than I thought...

Still looks very interesting, though!

I want to edit videoclips and short films made in mini-DV and looking for a low budget editing solution. I am considering buying apple products mainly for Final Cut Pro.

Questions.:

1) Considering buying a Imac/800mhz/single processor with lots of ram.

Would that be a good solution for my endeavors ?

2) Can I edit while viewing two separated scenes (screens) with such a solution or do I need a Mac soluttion with a dual processor for that ?


Thanks in advance !

Alain

Note.:
I am totally new to editing.

You should be fine with the iMac you are considering. I used a much less powerful single processor 450mhz G4 for the longest time, with no speed issues or general troubles of any kind. I always used a TV monitor connected to the external firewire device to see how everything will look, in addition to the computer monitor where all the editing takes place.

Joe's right, it should work fine. My wife just got one and uses FCP and iMovie on it. The only problem is with FCP and the small screen space. It really helps to have a larger single monitor or dual monitors. The iMac only does mirroring with two monitors. So, consider the 17 inch screen if your using FCP.

Jeff

Thanks to all of you...

New question :
Can I expect editing a 30 minutes film with this set-up and the 17 inches screen ?

Best regards,

Alain

Depending on how much raw footage you'll use and other factors you may want an external FireWire drive at some point.

Jeff

There is not one Mac in the Apple product line (PowerBook, iBook, iMac, G4 workstation) that is not up to FCP 3 specs. You could actually run FCP 3 on a 1999 model blue and white G3. You won't be able to use the RT effects but you sure can edit. The only thing a dual 1,25GHz brings to FCP is rendering speed. If you feel you can't afford waiting 6 seconds on the machine to render a dissolve but need the 3 seconds from the dual 1,25 you should spend the money.

Henrik,
You made me laugh with your last comment, lol :) Well what caught my attention in your previous comment(s) was the fact that FCP has an "extensive" color correction. Hmmm, I started working on FCP two months ago. Now it is time to fix couple of scenes and I am finding it very hard to correct some bad lighting (I know it was MY fault, need to continue?:) Well, if I can only brighten up the subject and keep the background (white wall) from being overbright. Any suggestions? if you are in L.A. I would LOVE to show you the footage, if not, I can call you sine I have MCI (Yes, they are still operating, lol) and can call free all over the U.S.

P.S. Hey guys, please don't email me asking about MCI's newest feature, it is called: The neighborhood. Check with them :)

I am almost done with my project and need to transfer it to DVD. I am using OSX. FCP 3.0 Any suggestions on what to use? iDVD? DVD Studio pro? Is one easier to use than the other? Do I need to know any special specifications in order to go from FCP to a DVD?

Man, do I dislike the technical side of this job. I wish I could make movies and let someone else deal with the technical side of it. Anyone knows if Steven Speilberg and his wife are looking to adopt a young vibrant filmmaker :)

Boy this can be tough with all the various versions of Quicktime, FCP and DVD SP. The easiest way is to export from any version of FCP as a QuickTime file. Then in iDVD import the QuickTime and burn. You'll lose a little quality in iDVD but the simplicity and ease is the best.

If you are going after the highest quality I need to know what version of QT, FCP, DVD SP and if you are going to multiplex the MPEG 2 in DVD SP or a program like Cleaner and burn it in Toast? Also what Mac OS are you using. Some functions are broken in early version of DVD SP. If you have updated to QuickTime 6.0.2 already we've got problems. So post back and I'll tell you how to do it.

Jeff

As Jeff noted, several good roads lead to Rome. In reading your post, however, I keyed-in to one phrase: "Man, do I dislike the technical side of this job."

That said, here is what I would recommend (as a user of FCP3, DVD-SP and iDVD):
You'll need to use DVD Studio Pro if:
- Your project has many complex and/or interrelated components that must be programmatically connected on the disc (complex menus, commentary tracks, etc.). iDVD cannot provide such sophistication.
- Your project is longer than an hour. While you can encode up to 90 mins with iMovie you will not be able to maintain control of the resulting higher compression rate in iMovie.

DVD Studio Pro is an extremely powerful and reasonably easy dvd authoring system to use. But its power comes from the fact that it exposes nearly all aspects of the dvd authoring standards to its users. It -does not- encode your material to MPEG-2 format; you'll have to perform that manuever using the codec (supplied and installed automatically during DVD-SP installation) via your QuickTime Pro software. DVD-SP's menu construction capabilities are also limited mainly by your imagination -but- you'll probably need to use other tools (such as Photoshop) to build some of your menus' components.

If you can keep the length of your project to 60 mins. and the complexity of your menus low just use iDVD. It masks nearly all the complexity of dvd authoring, produces very good results for short projects and offers a fair amount of flexibility in menu appearance. It also performs the MPEG-2 encode directly from your FCP export. Plus it's just fun to use.

Heheh... im in Sweden (which is cold,wet and rainy right now :9 So i'd actually rather be in LA (well certain areas of LA might be off for me :).

What i use in FCP is the combination of the 3-way colourcorrector and the toolbox (ie. the waveform monitors). With the graphical interface to the colourcorrector and keeping track on how they different controls affect the different monitors you have a very good control that you usually don't have in digital systems. I remember that on the Softimage|DS system i used to work on we actually put in a separate Analogue waveform monitor to check the outgoing image. A bit cumbersome and dumb way to do it in a $150000 system imho.

Actually, what you could do is send me a few secs of a footage that you need to tweak and what effect you are looking for and i could have a look at it. Just mail me at henrik@docuwild.com and i'll set it up.

/Henrik

I just finished shooting a documentary on my XL1S PAL. Now, it's time to edit it and I have to buy a new computer.

I have decided to buy the new G4 1.25 DP using FCP3, adding more RAM than the preset 512 MB RAM and an extra hard drive.

My question is now where to buy it and the configuration.

I have checked out the Apple Online store, and saw that they had some great offers: additional 512 Mbit RAM for only 40$. And 400$ mail in rebate when you buy a new G4 and a Studio display. But I guess any Apple dealer can offer this?

As I live in New York City, I would like to see if I can avoid the sales tax, at the same time I don't mind paying a little extra for the components to make sure they are installed correctly. (Is this an oxymoron?).

Do you have any recommendations?

One of the reasons I want to add an extra hard drive is so I can keep my video stuff separate from the programs and other stuff (wordprocessing etc.). But maybe that can be done by just splitting up one of the hard drives.

Does any of you use your computer for other things that editing like word processing, internet, etc? If so, how do you configure it in order to avoid the Mac becomes unstable or "corrupted"?

One of my friends has the FCP3 education version which she wants to sell to me. Is that legal?

I look forward to hearing from you.
Thomas

Time to resurrect this thread. After dealing with more pressing issues during the summer, I gave up on this effort for awhile.

Recently, I finally decided to take it on again, and started from scratch. All the usual fixes were tried, i.e., moving the offending Unix file on the MAC, formatting the drive with the Firestore after the Ver 2 upgrade, screaming, etc. Nothing would get my G4 1G-DP to recognize the FW drive with OS10.1.5. (I'm still too chicken to try FCP3 with Jaguar!)

In desperation, I formatted the FW drive on my daughter's Sony VAIO as a FAT32 volume. After reconnecting it to the MAC, it now reads it just fine.

Apparently, the MAC didn't like the way the Cooldrive was formatted, even though it came as a FAT32 volume.

All is well, now, in my attempt at a tapeless world. I hope this might help anyone else that has had similar problems.

Many thanks to Matt McEwen and Chris for their help!

Hi Jeff,
I am using QT 5.0.2
FCP 3.0
& OsX
now what is DVD SP? Is it a software that I absolutely need in order to transfer my movie to DVD?
Hi Ken,
I was told that idvd has lower quality image than DVD Studio Pro.
I want to transfer my movie so I can submit it to festivals and have it projected (if it gets in) on DVD in the best qualitry I can get it in.
My documentary is 56 min long.

Thanks in advance for your replies :)

I would buy it from the Apple Store in SoHo. It is there Flagship retail store. The Apple online store might save you sales tax, but I believe you'll pay shipping. to the best of my knowledge the double ram offer is online sales only. The monitor rebates are at any Apple dealer. Again, I could be wrong on some of that. Just call the store and ask http://www.apple.com/retail/soho/ I would recommend a Firewire drive or another internal IDE/ATA drive. Use the Search function above and search partition, you'll find several posts about partitioning drives.

That's a great choice for editing. You can use it for more than editing. Just keep your media on the second drive with nothing else. No MP3's, no documents, nothing but FCP media.

Your friend can not sell an Academic version to anyone but another student. The license can be upgrade to a full version by paying the difference ($700). contact Apple Care for details.

Jeff

DVD Studio Pro does not control image quality; that's a function of how you independently compress your content. As I noted, iDVD is designed for simplicity and holds its built-in compression for a certain data transfer rate (which escapes me at the moment).

Also, its worth to note that you need to do ALL the menu work in DVD Studio Pro.. wheras in iDVD you can whip together a nice looking presentation using templates. And you can quite easily do your own templates.

BUT, if you want to create the next blockbuster DVD with animated menues, interaction, weblinks and so forth, you should definately go with DVD Studio Pro.

Just wanted to point out that DVD SP is not for the easily scared of technical stuff because you don't get more technical than that :)

/Henrik

Hi everyone,
I asked previously about what master to use for DVD duplication/replication. I got some very good information, but wanted to look further into it with clients lining up for projects.

1. The superdrive on the Mac doesnt make authoring discs.
2. It was suggested to use Firewire portable drives to deliver content.

Anyone do this? I talked to a couple of places here in Atlanta, and they didnt have firewire =:>o

3. The cost of the authoring DVD burner by Pioneer is about $1000 if you are lucky on Ebay.

My problem is all money going out- need more coming in!! Hard to spend yet more on another item. Anyone own/use one?

4. After talking with several places, came up with a plan to put the project on a DVDrom. SAme size, just burn a dvd and store the files on there for transport(as opposed to formatting a DVD disc).

Has anyone done this? Is this as feasible as it would seem? It seems that I would have to add the price of a DVD author-disc to be burnt somewhere, and then sent to the replicators. (quoted $125)

Final question- whats the best price you've found for DVD duplication or replication?

Seems much cheaper to do a run of 1000 rather than shorter runs of 500 or less.
I get quoted about $1.35 @ for 1000 dvds here.

Thank you!

Jeff Patnaude

Hi,
I bought my computer from a company on the internet called Smalldog.com
<http://www.smalldog.com>
I watched the site for a month with various price fluctuations. I got lucky and got some money together right when the new 125 Ghz G4's came out. That made the Quicksilver G4 dual 1 gigs much cheaper! They have demo models that are very reasonable, and they are quite reliable. Check them out.

I purchased a Western Digital 120 Gig Hd with a 2 Mg buffer that works great. Plent of room, and easy to install. Ram is also a breeze to install on these MAcs. Check "pricegrabber.com" for the best price in the market currently.

I use my computer for everything, and I dont have problems with it. I do audio recording, internet, and yes- late night gaming once and awhile. At 40, I dont plan to grow up too soon.

Good luck to you!

Jeff Patnaude

Hi There,
Yup- he's right. I audio engineer for a living (not much of a living, but...)
I can tell you that its a "garbage in-garbage out" process. Its best to try and capture the sound on location at its best.
You can try to "Lo-pass" the audio which cuts everything off at a set point in frequency. That will still leave you with noise- especially something as wide-band as an air conditioner.

You can try to do dialogue replacement, but its tricky and an art in itself. Might work.

Peak by Bias Inc is a great program for mono or stereo file editing.

Good luck to you.

Jeff Patnaude

I recently received the replicated copies of my latest DVD project with surround sound (Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 2). Sent in a DVD-R burned on the SuperDrive. No problemo. The company I was doing business with, No Frills DVD in S. Boston, seemed to actually PREFER the DVD-R to other methods of delivery. It was really a great company to work with. Lots of VERY useful comments and suggestions.

I think you'll find that this is beginning to become the rule rather than the exception.

It depends on the type of projects your doing and the volume of work your doing as to if you need an authoring drive. Many, many replicators use the DVD-R format as a master. You may want to suscribe to Apple's DVD list. A lot of good information comes across it.

Jeff

Dear forum,
I have finally decided to buy a Mac G4/FCP3, but I just have one question before I place the order:

I have a old Sony Trinitron TV monitor (PVM 1342Q) that I wish to add to my G4/FCP3 set up. Any advise how to do that and what I would need?

Thanks!
Tom

I'm assuming that the monitor has video/audio inputs. First, so as not to wear out your camera, I'd recommend a DV VTR connected to your G4 via firewire. You could then hook the monitor to the output of the VTR. In my case, my DVTR (AG-DV2000) feeds a 1X12 DA (Dist. Amp). The monitor is hooked to one of the outputs on my DA. You can then view the video coming out of the G4 during playback or from the tapes when capturing.

There are other options, but this one is simple and works well. As indicated, you could also use your camera for this (or a cheapo with a fw port so you don't put unnecessary wear and tear on your production camera).

There may be several ways to connect your monitor. Some users connect the firewire to their camcorder, then connect via S-VHS or composite (RCA connection) to their monitor. This may cause a slight delay between the picture and the audio when viewing using this method. The loss of sync is not in the actual production, but rather caused by the delay in audio and video signals being routed through various devices.

The video card that comes with your Mac G4 may also have S-VHS out. If your monitor does not directly support S-VHS you may need to route the signal through your camera. Again, this may cause a loss of sync.

Lastly, a stand alone convertor will accept firewire in and transcode it to separate audio and video. Generally there is no loss of sync. Sony, Formac, Dazzle, Pinnacle and others make suitable convertors.

http://www.synchrotech.com/product-1394/analog-dv-converter_01.html

http://www.dazzle.com/products/hw_bridge.html

http://www03.bhphotovideo.com/product/194151/SODVMCDA2/REG/2506

Jeff

Jeff,
Thanks for the reply.
When you say: "Just keep your media on the second drive with nothing else. No MP3's, no documents, nothing but FCP media". Do you mean on a physically second drive or will a HD partition do?
Tom

A second drive. A partition can still cause dropped frames on capture or playback. It doesn't happen too often, but as the drive fills up the likely hood of dropped frames increase. A small 60gig or 80gig (7200rpm) drive is cheap. They can be picked up for around $100 or less. I bought a 60gig drive for $79 (after rebates) a couple of weeks ago. That's cheap. Just for a trip down memory lane in 1995 I bought two 9gig SCSI drives (external) for my Avid. They were $3,500 each. So, know you now when I say they are cheap, I mean cheap.

Jeff