From Dual G5 to Mac Pro... Now or Later? at DVinfo.net

August 8th, 2006, 06:05 AM

I'm excited about the new Mac Pro and all that it offers. I'd like to order one today, especially since I did not get a Quad yet (as I was waiting for this newest innovation to arrive).

Yet, I have to consider how my current software and HVX200 will flow together with it. Currently everything works great and I've not had one unpleasant surprise when it comes to the overall workflow of the HVX/dual G5 2.7 combo... and that's how I like it, as surprises usually involve time & money.

So for now I thought I would just keep a close eye on things and see what those who get it first have to say and also keep close tabs on what software updates Apple provides for all of its software (FCP Studio & Shake 4.1); Adobe provides for Flash, Dreamweaver, After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc; as well as other software providers like GenArts, Sorenson (Squeeze), Zaxwerks (ProAnimator & The Werks), etc.

Adobe has stated their plans on updates for the Intel Mac here -
http://www.adobe.com/products/pdfs/intelmacsupport.pdf

So am I the only one who is thinking like this?

Are you going to buy a Mac Pro now or later?

Cale Rogers · August 8th, 2006, 10:01 AM

It's always a good idea to stick with what works until you have a chance to demo the new gear. Take a drive with some of your HVX footage and see if someone would let you hook it up to a new Mac Pro and play around in FCP for awhile (import, cuts, effect, renders, compressions). That way you'll know for a fact what you're getting into.

The Adobe universal software wait (AE, Photoshop) is a disappointing one. You may just have to live with the fact that Adobe doesn't plan on delivering universal verisons of software we know and love for at least 6 months to a year. You may want to test the performance of Adobe tools on the demo Mac Pro too if you can.

CJ Rogers

Chad Terpstra · August 8th, 2006, 11:29 AM

I'm planning on buying relatively soon (within a couple weeks for sure). However I'm in a totally different boat. I'm going from a 3-year old Powerbook G4 1.25Ghz to a Quad Xeon 2.66Ghz. That's a jump to about 5x the processing power or more.

So for me it makes sense to upgrade soon. However in your case, what you've got is still quite good and industry-standard. Also something I haven't heard much of is if Apple's software is going to take advantage of all four cores. Last I heard Compressor and FCP would only use one dual processor and leave the other idle. If that's the case, then what you've got wouldn't be inferior really. Has anyone heard about how the software is using the four cores? What I'm really looking forward to is faster encoding and it would be best if Compressor would use all the processors on the task. Same goes for FCP rendering.

Paul Cypert · August 9th, 2006, 10:48 AM

Heck,
I've seen tests where the lowly macbook was kicking the tail of some dual G5's in Final Cut Pro. I have the macbook to enjoy the newest toys, but am waiting on the Mac Pro.

1. Lots of changes and I'd like to see them play out...like moving the power source and other little internal things.

2. I want to wait for Leopard and the new iLifes...just one less thing to have to buy later on.

3. By the time these come out we should be at or nearing a rev B which means the newer ones will be cheap and refurbed or I can edu discount and get a faster machine for probably less as these chips should come down in price quickly....

Paul

But new toys are fun

Gary Williams · August 11th, 2006, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Derek West

I'm excited about the new Mac Pro and all that it offers. I'd like to order one today, especially since I did not get a Quad yet (as I was waiting for this newest innovation to arrive).

Yet, I have to consider how my current software and HVX200 will flow together with it. Currently everything works great and I've not had one unpleasant surprise when it comes to the overall workflow of the HVX/dual G5 2.7 combo... and that's how I like it, as surprises usually involve time & money.

So for now I thought I would just keep a close eye on things and see what those who get it first have to say and also keep close tabs on what software updates Apple provides for all of its software (FCP Studio & Shake 4.1); Adobe provides for Flash, Dreamweaver, After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc; as well as other software providers like GenArts, Sorenson (Squeeze), Zaxwerks (ProAnimator & The Werks), etc.

Adobe has stated their plans on updates for the Intel Mac here -
http://www.adobe.com/products/pdfs/intelmacsupport.pdf

So am I the only one who is thinking like this?

Are you going to buy a Mac Pro now or later?

I am personaly going to wait til the release of the new final cut pro and the addition of an HDV burner to the system. Anyone who buys this is basicaly buying it to edit HDV so to purchase it with out the HDV burner to me would be a waste. If you are just editing SD than the systems that are out already are mooooooore than adiquate.

August 13th, 2006, 02:38 PM

Good points by everyone above. For now, I will be waiting. I did see some good news on GenArts.com site though -

"What's new on Mac in 1.08: Final Cut Pro 5.1 and Combustion 4 on Intel Macs are supported."

I also just noticed that my recently purchased Shake 4.1 is Universal, which is good news.

Alex Lucas · August 14th, 2006, 06:47 AM

1. "Never proceed without a well prepared business plan."

2. "Always believe in a discounted future."

What this means is that everything you want for your business will be cheaper, and you must cost justify the needs you have.

Currenly, everything works fine, and eventually, the HVX is going to be no longer the camera that you want, and it will not work the way you want when you upgrade. It is best to buy the latest.

In other words, don't make a move until you are forced to. That is my advice. Frugal people have money for retirement. Frugal companies buy other companies later with cash. No kidding.

I also practice my advice. I am not a trust fund baby, and I have literally earned every buck I have made, and it is going to take years to get the gear on my own. I literally have thousands of dollars sitting around to buy my editing suite and camera for freelancing, but right now I have a full time photography gig. When I buy in, I'll buy in with the cheapest of the "latest and greatest" and try to get the highest tech bang for the buck. Then I will hold on to it until it is irrelevant.

Meanwhile, consider that your investment is a business. Consider your house, your car, your food you eat, and everything about you as (INSERT YOUR NAME HERE), Inc. That will tell you what the right decision is.

Chad Terpstra · August 14th, 2006, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Williams

Anyone who buys this is basicaly buying it to edit HDV so to purchase it with out the HDV burner to me would be a waste. If you are just editing SD than the systems that are out already are mooooooore than adiquate.

Are you saying there's no reason to shoot and edit HD unless you can burn an HD-DVD immediately? In that case I should probably stop doing it. Don't forget that these systems are easily upgradeable later on by buying your own fairly-priced HD-DVD burner and putting it in. It will probably be cheaper than the upgrade option from Apple.

In the end Alex is right. Don't buy unless you really have to in order to get the job done. In my case I need to upgrade because I want to get into motion graphics and get faster encode times for SD (12 hours is a long time to wait for a 2 hour DVD). I also want to be working in HD now so that I'm ready for it when the burners and players are out and about. And it offers more flexibility in post and better-looking SD DVDs.

So if you've already got a G5, wait until you can crunch the numbers and come out ahead by either saving time in workflow, or being able to do something (offer a service) you can’t do on your current machine. The time to buy is when you need it.

Beth Dill · August 14th, 2006, 11:49 AM

I am in the same boat that Chad is in. I need to upgrade now and unfortunately do not have the luxury to wait. Given this, what would be your advice on what to buy? It seems to me that an i-Mac or MacBook pro would suffice (but with what configurations?) or am I incorrect. I think I'd prefer to get the minimum that would accomplish my HD editing needs and then upgrade to a super-sweet system in a year or so (i.e., add on the HDV burner etc.) What setup would you guys recommend? I'd really appreciate any feedback as I have to act in the near future.

Many thanks,

Beth

PS -- Should I start a new post? Seems like it kind of fits here :-)

Beth Dill · August 14th, 2006, 12:17 PM

Forgive me, I believe I found the answers in another thread. I did look before, btw, but ended up finding one that refered me to another that refered me to another and then finally I got it. Thanks anyway!

Gary Williams · August 15th, 2006, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chad Terpstra

Are you saying there's no reason to shoot and edit HD unless you can burn an HD-DVD immediately? In that case I should probably stop doing it. Don't forget that these systems are easily upgradeable later on by buying your own fairly-priced HD-DVD burner and putting it in. It will probably be cheaper than the upgrade option from Apple.

In the end Alex is right. Don't buy unless you really have to in order to get the job done. In my case I need to upgrade because I want to get into motion graphics and get faster encode times for SD (12 hours is a long time to wait for a 2 hour DVD). I also want to be working in HD now so that I'm ready for it when the burners and players are out and about. And it offers more flexibility in post and better-looking SD DVDs.

So if you've already got a G5, wait until you can crunch the numbers and come out ahead by either saving time in workflow, or being able to do something (offer a service) you can’t do on your current machine. The time to buy is when you need it.

No I am just saying that the systems out now are very good for doing SD as well as HDV and to buy apples new system just because it's better would not be a great reason and if you are going to make the leap to better than why not have it all and not have to add anything later, if their going to upgrade their system why not add the burner to I mean that is the main reason for more power to edit HDV not SD todays systems do SD just fine no need to buy a system this good for SD in fact the quad G-5's do HDV just fine, its the software thats lacking with apple.

Chad Terpstra · August 15th, 2006, 11:47 AM

I think we're saying just about the same thing, Gary. But bravo on the one giant sentence approach. ;-)

Gary Williams · August 15th, 2006, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chad Terpstra

I think we're saying just about the same thing, Gary. But bravo on the one giant sentence approach. ;-)

Yes I think so and your right I almost lost my breath on that one.

August 8th, 2006, 06:05 AM	#1
Guest Posts: n/a	From Dual G5 to Mac Pro... Now or Later? I'm excited about the new Mac Pro and all that it offers. I'd like to order one today, especially since I did not get a Quad yet (as I was waiting for this newest innovation to arrive). Yet, I have to consider how my current software and HVX200 will flow together with it. Currently everything works great and I've not had one unpleasant surprise when it comes to the overall workflow of the HVX/dual G5 2.7 combo... and that's how I like it, as surprises usually involve time & money. So for now I thought I would just keep a close eye on things and see what those who get it first have to say and also keep close tabs on what software updates Apple provides for all of its software (FCP Studio & Shake 4.1); Adobe provides for Flash, Dreamweaver, After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc; as well as other software providers like GenArts, Sorenson (Squeeze), Zaxwerks (ProAnimator & The Werks), etc. Adobe has stated their plans on updates for the Intel Mac here - http://www.adobe.com/products/pdfs/intelmacsupport.pdf So am I the only one who is thinking like this? Are you going to buy a Mac Pro now or later? Last edited by Guest; August 8th, 2006 at 07:09 AM.

August 13th, 2006, 02:38 PM	#6
Guest Posts: n/a	Good points by everyone above. For now, I will be waiting. I did see some good news on GenArts.com site though - "What's new on Mac in 1.08: Final Cut Pro 5.1 and Combustion 4 on Intel Macs are supported." I also just noticed that my recently purchased Shake 4.1 is Universal, which is good news. Last edited by Guest; August 14th, 2006 at 11:59 AM.

August 14th, 2006, 06:47 AM	#7
Alex Lucas Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 50	First two lessons in business school... 1. "Never proceed without a well prepared business plan." 2. "Always believe in a discounted future." What this means is that everything you want for your business will be cheaper, and you must cost justify the needs you have. Currenly, everything works fine, and eventually, the HVX is going to be no longer the camera that you want, and it will not work the way you want when you upgrade. It is best to buy the latest. In other words, don't make a move until you are forced to. That is my advice. Frugal people have money for retirement. Frugal companies buy other companies later with cash. No kidding. I also practice my advice. I am not a trust fund baby, and I have literally earned every buck I have made, and it is going to take years to get the gear on my own. I literally have thousands of dollars sitting around to buy my editing suite and camera for freelancing, but right now I have a full time photography gig. When I buy in, I'll buy in with the cheapest of the "latest and greatest" and try to get the highest tech bang for the buck. Then I will hold on to it until it is irrelevant. Meanwhile, consider that your investment is a business. Consider your house, your car, your food you eat, and everything about you as (INSERT YOUR NAME HERE), Inc. That will tell you what the right decision is.

August 8th, 2006, 10:01 AM	#2
Cale Rogers Regular Crew Join Date: May 2006 Location: Greeley, CO Posts: 63	It's always a good idea to stick with what works until you have a chance to demo the new gear. Take a drive with some of your HVX footage and see if someone would let you hook it up to a new Mac Pro and play around in FCP for awhile (import, cuts, effect, renders, compressions). That way you'll know for a fact what you're getting into. The Adobe universal software wait (AE, Photoshop) is a disappointing one. You may just have to live with the fact that Adobe doesn't plan on delivering universal verisons of software we know and love for at least 6 months to a year. You may want to test the performance of Adobe tools on the demo Mac Pro too if you can. CJ Rogers

August 8th, 2006, 11:29 AM	#3
Chad Terpstra Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Grand Rapids, MI Posts: 320	I'm planning on buying relatively soon (within a couple weeks for sure). However I'm in a totally different boat. I'm going from a 3-year old Powerbook G4 1.25Ghz to a Quad Xeon 2.66Ghz. That's a jump to about 5x the processing power or more. So for me it makes sense to upgrade soon. However in your case, what you've got is still quite good and industry-standard. Also something I haven't heard much of is if Apple's software is going to take advantage of all four cores. Last I heard Compressor and FCP would only use one dual processor and leave the other idle. If that's the case, then what you've got wouldn't be inferior really. Has anyone heard about how the software is using the four cores? What I'm really looking forward to is faster encoding and it would be best if Compressor would use all the processors on the task. Same goes for FCP rendering.

August 9th, 2006, 10:48 AM	#4
Paul Cypert Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangkok, Thailand (work in US in the summers) Posts: 89	Heck, I've seen tests where the lowly macbook was kicking the tail of some dual G5's in Final Cut Pro. I have the macbook to enjoy the newest toys, but am waiting on the Mac Pro. 1. Lots of changes and I'd like to see them play out...like moving the power source and other little internal things. 2. I want to wait for Leopard and the new iLifes...just one less thing to have to buy later on. 3. By the time these come out we should be at or nearing a rev B which means the newer ones will be cheap and refurbed or I can edu discount and get a faster machine for probably less as these chips should come down in price quickly.... Paul But new toys are fun

August 14th, 2006, 11:49 AM	#9
Beth Dill Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 45	I am in the same boat that Chad is in. I need to upgrade now and unfortunately do not have the luxury to wait. Given this, what would be your advice on what to buy? It seems to me that an i-Mac or MacBook pro would suffice (but with what configurations?) or am I incorrect. I think I'd prefer to get the minimum that would accomplish my HD editing needs and then upgrade to a super-sweet system in a year or so (i.e., add on the HDV burner etc.) What setup would you guys recommend? I'd really appreciate any feedback as I have to act in the near future. Many thanks, Beth PS -- Should I start a new post? Seems like it kind of fits here :-)

August 14th, 2006, 12:17 PM	#10
Beth Dill Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 45	Forgive me, I believe I found the answers in another thread. I did look before, btw, but ended up finding one that refered me to another that refered me to another and then finally I got it. Thanks anyway!

August 15th, 2006, 11:47 AM	#12
Chad Terpstra Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Grand Rapids, MI Posts: 320	I think we're saying just about the same thing, Gary. But bravo on the one giant sentence approach. ;-)