FCP 4 Announced

Mark Argerake · April 7th, 2003, 08:11 AM

A little OT...

Has anyone heard y there is no upgrade to DVD Studio Pro2? The price is amazing compared to what I paid for the previous version, but I would have thought there would be an upgrade...

Jeff Donald · April 7th, 2003, 10:53 AM

No word yet. Wait till it gets a little closer to releasem maybe July. Then look at the online Apple Store.

Joe Lloyd · April 8th, 2003, 08:05 AM

The system requirements say that you need a G4 this time. Am I reading this wrong?

Jeff Donald · April 8th, 2003, 03:06 PM

These are the requirements as they appear on Apple's site

Quote:

Macintosh computer with a PowerPC G4 and AGP graphics card:
500MHz or faster single processor or any dual processor Power Mac G4 or PowerBook G4 required for RT Extreme and Soundtrack.
667 MHz or faster PowerBook G4 required for RT Extreme in DV format.
QuickTime 6.1
384MB of RAM (512MB recommended for RT Extreme and Soundtrack).
1GB available disk space required for application installation.
14GB available disk space for required for Soundtrack and LiveType content.
DVD drive required for installation.

The only possible exception is the amount of drive space needed. There is conflicting information on Apple's site and in their literature.

Joe Lloyd · April 8th, 2003, 04:38 PM

damn, i was just about to pickup a cheap 12" ibook for portable usage, which is normally rare... guess that wouldnt be such a great idea now though

Jeff Donald · April 8th, 2003, 09:02 PM

iBooks and iMovie. An upgrade is due for the iBooks, but it will just be a speed bump. Expect 900mHz G3's. They might get G4's the next bump, due just before the Holidays.

Jeff Donald · April 8th, 2003, 09:06 PM

I've heard the DVD 2 upgrade is $199. I haven't seen it on Apple's site, but was confirmed by a friend at NAB.

Curtis T. Stoeber · April 9th, 2003, 01:14 AM

I would upgrade to DVD Studio Pro 2 in a second for $199 (plus tax). It looks cool. I have already paid the $427.73 for the upgrade to Final Cut Pro 4. Apple is calling people who bought previous Final Cut Pros (2 and 3) and giving them first crack at the upgrade when it is available in June.

I'm sure that 60 gigs is not required. But I think I will get more hard drives anyway. My MDD can hold 4 ATA drives. Anything I should know before installing them?

Joe Carney · April 9th, 2003, 12:26 PM

This is very exciting for Mac users, and it seems Apple has incorporated Acid Pro like features into FCP. They will even use Acidized wave files (loops). Nice move on Apples part. This will keep SoFo on their toes, hehehe. There are lots of places with free loops around the net.

Now if only they would offer better hardware. The 32bit powerPC chip is fast becoming a dinosaur. Lets hope for Mac user sakes, they have a 64bit option coming within a year or so.

Jeff Donald · April 9th, 2003, 01:45 PM

The IBM 970 is on it's way and full scale production by IBM is scheduled to begin on or around the 15th of April. I expect new PowerMacs to be announced at WWDC June 23 - 27. Rumor has it that several boards are being developed (single and dual processor) and the speed of the chips will range from 1.6GHz to 1.9GHz initially. Expect speed bumps around the first of the year.

Joe Carney · April 10th, 2003, 09:55 AM

Jeff, Charlie White over at DigitalVideoEditing.com loves FCP 4, but damned it because of slow hardware. Will the 970 be a real improvement? Or just a simple speed bump of the CPU (real as in better FSB, faster memory, faster more reliable motherboard and subsystems). A faster chip alone isn't the answer. AMD proved that.

Just wondering, not trying to start a flame war here.

Jeff Donald · April 10th, 2003, 12:34 PM

I couldn't find the article on that site (terrible site by the way, nothing but pop-ups) so I can't address his specific complaints. I haven't seen FCP 4 but it doesn't release for another 3months and Apple Betas do usually run slow. I expect final release to perform very fast.

The 970 is a smaller version of an IBM processor used in their big servers. This is an entirely new processor. It is not a speed bump of an old Motorola G4. This is a very advanced processor using a .09micron manufacturing process (the stumbling block for current Intel chips).

I have never found reliability a problem. My main editing station is on day and night and performs flawlessly. It will be three years old in July. I've never thought of Apple as having a reliability problem. I've used their products since the late '80's and I'd have dropped them at the first signs of any consistent problem. At times I've had issues with various aspects of the OS and waits for upgrades etc. But in my opinion they've always been faster than MS with fixes.

Mark Sloan · April 11th, 2003, 09:12 AM

They say that the process will begin at .13 microns, which is why there will be no PowerBooks with the 970 until next year when they move to the cooler running .09 micron fabrication. But as said before, the processor isn't the only problem. The G4 today isn't kept fed because the rest of the system is slow and can't keep up. Until they make more drastic changes, the speed increases for Macs will be small. Even the change from SDR to DDR memory really hasn't changed anything and this new chip is 64bit and has an incredible amount bandwidth that can be pumped in... if it kept fed it will be terrific. I've been using Macs for 10 years now and still love them, but PPC 970 or not, Macs are about the software these days, not the UI or speed. The PDF about the chip can be found here:
http://www-3.ibm.com/chips/products/powerpc/newsletter/pdf/dec2002.pdf

Joe Carney · April 11th, 2003, 10:56 AM

good to hear it's 64bit. Unfortunately, hardware is important when you charge by the hour. Still, one of the reasons I don't use Macs has been the attitude of Mac users.
Maybe someday that will change, it seems Jeff and others are proving Mac users can have a reasonable discussion about platform differences with out sounding like they are on a religious Jihad. If that attitude were more common, I would consider using these new Macs, even with the high price premium. As it is, I'm thankful for programs like Vegas which give Win users a viable and stable alternative.

Joe Lloyd · April 11th, 2003, 11:43 AM

Now I'm just mad that i bought my dual 1.25 the other day......

April 7th, 2003, 10:53 AM	#17
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	No word yet. Wait till it gets a little closer to releasem maybe July. Then look at the online Apple Store. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

April 8th, 2003, 09:02 PM	#21
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	iBooks and iMovie. An upgrade is due for the iBooks, but it will just be a speed bump. Expect 900mHz G3's. They might get G4's the next bump, due just before the Holidays. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

April 8th, 2003, 09:06 PM	#22
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	I've heard the DVD 2 upgrade is $199. I haven't seen it on Apple's site, but was confirmed by a friend at NAB. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

April 9th, 2003, 01:45 PM	#25
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	The IBM 970 is on it's way and full scale production by IBM is scheduled to begin on or around the 15th of April. I expect new PowerMacs to be announced at WWDC June 23 - 27. Rumor has it that several boards are being developed (single and dual processor) and the speed of the chips will range from 1.6GHz to 1.9GHz initially. Expect speed bumps around the first of the year. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

April 10th, 2003, 12:34 PM	#27
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	I couldn't find the article on that site (terrible site by the way, nothing but pop-ups) so I can't address his specific complaints. I haven't seen FCP 4 but it doesn't release for another 3months and Apple Betas do usually run slow. I expect final release to perform very fast. The 970 is a smaller version of an IBM processor used in their big servers. This is an entirely new processor. It is not a speed bump of an old Motorola G4. This is a very advanced processor using a .09micron manufacturing process (the stumbling block for current Intel chips). I have never found reliability a problem. My main editing station is on day and night and performs flawlessly. It will be three years old in July. I've never thought of Apple as having a reliability problem. I've used their products since the late '80's and I'd have dropped them at the first signs of any consistent problem. At times I've had issues with various aspects of the OS and waits for upgrades etc. But in my opinion they've always been faster than MS with fixes. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

April 7th, 2003, 08:11 AM	#16
Mark Argerake Major Player Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Murrieta, CA Posts: 227	A little OT... Has anyone heard y there is no upgrade to DVD Studio Pro2? The price is amazing compared to what I paid for the previous version, but I would have thought there would be an upgrade...

April 8th, 2003, 08:05 AM	#18
Joe Lloyd Major Player Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Auckland, NZ Posts: 202	The system requirements say that you need a G4 this time. Am I reading this wrong?

April 8th, 2003, 04:38 PM	#20
Joe Lloyd Major Player Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Auckland, NZ Posts: 202	damn, i was just about to pickup a cheap 12" ibook for portable usage, which is normally rare... guess that wouldnt be such a great idea now though

April 9th, 2003, 01:14 AM	#23
Curtis T. Stoeber Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Lakewood Colorado USA Posts: 150	I would upgrade to DVD Studio Pro 2 in a second for $199 (plus tax). It looks cool. I have already paid the $427.73 for the upgrade to Final Cut Pro 4. Apple is calling people who bought previous Final Cut Pros (2 and 3) and giving them first crack at the upgrade when it is available in June. I'm sure that 60 gigs is not required. But I think I will get more hard drives anyway. My MDD can hold 4 ATA drives. Anything I should know before installing them?

April 9th, 2003, 12:26 PM	#24
Joe Carney Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Centreville Va Posts: 1,828	This is very exciting for Mac users, and it seems Apple has incorporated Acid Pro like features into FCP. They will even use Acidized wave files (loops). Nice move on Apples part. This will keep SoFo on their toes, hehehe. There are lots of places with free loops around the net. Now if only they would offer better hardware. The 32bit powerPC chip is fast becoming a dinosaur. Lets hope for Mac user sakes, they have a 64bit option coming within a year or so.

April 10th, 2003, 09:55 AM	#26
Joe Carney Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Centreville Va Posts: 1,828	Jeff, Charlie White over at DigitalVideoEditing.com loves FCP 4, but damned it because of slow hardware. Will the 970 be a real improvement? Or just a simple speed bump of the CPU (real as in better FSB, faster memory, faster more reliable motherboard and subsystems). A faster chip alone isn't the answer. AMD proved that. Just wondering, not trying to start a flame war here.

April 11th, 2003, 09:12 AM	#28
Mark Sloan Major Player Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Venice, CA Posts: 346	They say that the process will begin at .13 microns, which is why there will be no PowerBooks with the 970 until next year when they move to the cooler running .09 micron fabrication. But as said before, the processor isn't the only problem. The G4 today isn't kept fed because the rest of the system is slow and can't keep up. Until they make more drastic changes, the speed increases for Macs will be small. Even the change from SDR to DDR memory really hasn't changed anything and this new chip is 64bit and has an incredible amount bandwidth that can be pumped in... if it kept fed it will be terrific. I've been using Macs for 10 years now and still love them, but PPC 970 or not, Macs are about the software these days, not the UI or speed. The PDF about the chip can be found here: http://www-3.ibm.com/chips/products/powerpc/newsletter/pdf/dec2002.pdf

April 11th, 2003, 10:56 AM	#29
Joe Carney Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Centreville Va Posts: 1,828	good to hear it's 64bit. Unfortunately, hardware is important when you charge by the hour. Still, one of the reasons I don't use Macs has been the attitude of Mac users. Maybe someday that will change, it seems Jeff and others are proving Mac users can have a reasonable discussion about platform differences with out sounding like they are on a religious Jihad. If that attitude were more common, I would consider using these new Macs, even with the high price premium. As it is, I'm thankful for programs like Vegas which give Win users a viable and stable alternative.

April 11th, 2003, 11:43 AM	#30
Joe Lloyd Major Player Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Auckland, NZ Posts: 202	Now I'm just mad that i bought my dual 1.25 the other day......