Get the G5, it will last longer - you can always buy more memory later.

is there still any place to buy a G4?
 

i noticed that apple took teh g4 off the website completly. would it be possible to get one from an apple retail store and if they had any left would they sell them at a discounted price?

I saw them at Fry's Electronics in Fountain Valley, CA but I don't know if this is much help to you. They still seem to be avilable, however.
Sandy

Many of the online retailers (B & H, Mac Mall, MacZone) and CompUSA has stock of g4's. If you live near an Apple Store you might check with them. The online store shows 3 models in stock on the web page and one refurbished ($999) model in the Special Deals section.

It's no contest, G5. An iMac would be pretty slow.

Did you check the manual?

color pass is an effect used in premier. in FCP it is called limiting effect on greyscale. it is in one of the manuals (the special effect one i think).

absolutely no contest. G5 all the way. and get a CRT monitor from compUSA or some place like that, and you can probably save another couple of hundred, or get a bigger monitor for the same price. And don't bother with the airport card. if you're living in a dorm, they probably have wired ethernet. of course, if you're living in a house with a few people, a wireless network card may be the best bet. So I guess just MAKE SURE you need the airport card. that money could be put towards more ram, or another hard drive.

But maaaaan I'm jealous! That's about what I paid for my G4, with a few bells and whistles, back in January.

Power Outtages and our NLEs, etc.
 

With the huge power outtage up north and in Canada, what effects can it have on our NLEs, computers; etc.?

BAD! Without a UPS (Univeral Power Supply), you can lose EVERYTHING. Plus, they offer insurance if things DO get screwed up.

My two cents,

heath

FCP 4 & Compressor
 

Hi Everyone.

Not sure if this post should go here or under the Web Thread, or both.



I am attempting to output a movie I made for the Muscular Dystrophy Assosciation to the web using FCP 4 and Compressor.

The settings I use render a large file size and pixelated footage.

I know video takes up a large chunk anyway, but there has got to be a way to compress the size and not degrade the video quality to much.

The output video size is 320 x 240. I would like to keep it that size if possible.

So, if anyone is using FCP4 & COMPRESSOR, can you share your trials and settings, esp. the custom ones, that work for you.

THANKS!

Draw Solace From Exasperations 1:1
 

"Blessed be the pessimists, for they hath made backups." Exasperations 1:1.

unplug
 

Just unplug after your system went down and DO NOT plug back in till the electrical system is stable and running for a day or two. You will be having brownouts and surges while the entire grid is brought back up online for a while. I placed a call into NY to my friend to let him know that I wanted my servers unplugged till the whole thing is stable and running ( I am in New Orleans ). Being a former electronics tech I am forecasting there will be a massive disaster on the computer and electronics front with this blackout as the electricity beging to flow again. The only way that things will be ok is to remove them from the grid completely untill it is stable. Bringing back a grid to full capacity is a time consuming and dificult process, it takes time to become reliable again. While you are waiting - be shooting some footage. Wait a couple days to plug your expensive equipment back in.

A UPS should be your first line of defense to get you down safely and cleanly unmounted. If you are not using one and not making backups, SHAME ON YOU.

Great reply, Kevin! Do you think, when the power outage happened, that computers got fried, or is it more of when they start coming back up?

heath

It really depends on a variety of factors:

How did the power fail; hard or with lots of surges & sags.

What was the system doing when the power failed: was it doing disk writes (BAD).

Mac Cataloguing Software
 

What's the best Mac program for cataloguing DV clips? I found FootTrack at the Apple site, but that's the only one. Any others?