Mac/PC pros and cons for editing machine

[Nathan Quattrini]

This thread is aimed at only those with experience using BOTH platforms. I am getting ready to buy a new editing machine and want to know what I should aim for. How a quadcore PC and up to date Mac compare pricewise for the same level of editing power? What software options are out there for Mac, I am used to the adobe suite but here final cut is supposed to be better than premiere (though they look almost identical from what I`ve seen of FCP). Does the Mac have an effects program to equal After Effects? Render times, work flow times for HDV. Hit me with it all. I will be editing short films etc filmed with a Canon A1 in HDV, doing alot of visual effects, alot of sound editing as well for them. Also what options are there for down conversion on each platform if necessary. This is not simply a 'which is better, PC or Mac' thread, I really want in depth experience to come out from a nuetral ground so I can make a decision. Thanks

[Mathieu Ghekiere]

Hi,

I'm not an expert but some things to consider:

- in Final Cut Studio, you have the program Motion, which can rival After Effects somehow, but if I'm understanding it correctly, Motion is much simpler then After Effects, but also more limited in power and possibilaties...

- Adobe Suite CS3 (there are different packages, some of them have After Effects CS3 AND Premiere Pro CS3) is in the newest version also available for Mac...

- On the low end computers, Mac can seem more expensive, because - unlike with PC - you can't buy a 400 dollar Mac... But on the high end, prices are pretty equal, you pay about the same price for a high end Mac with the same specs as a high end PC with the same specs...

- There is much more support on PC for different video cards and sound cards etcetera etcetera... Mac is pretty limited in video cards, BUT this also has an advantage: you have less problem with drivers etcetera...

- OSX is more stable and secure then Windows XP or Vista.

- I think Render Times should be pretty equal on both, in DV of HDV, if they have the same specs...

- On Mac you can have Premiere Pro/After Effects AND FCS... On PC you can only have Premiere Pro/After Effects...
You can also run Windows on a Mac, but not OSX on a PC...

- FCS and Adobe are indeed pretty equal, the differences are more in the little details, but I like FCS more in this (more support for different formats out of the box, some better workflow things), but no big differences...

I think that's about all the information I can give you (now)...

P.s.: I'm a PC guy, looking to upgrade to a Mac (this will probably happen around January)
I edited on Premiere Pro for a long time, edited one project in an older version of Final Cut Pro, didn't think it was THAT special, but after that going back to Premiere Pro, I noticed that I worked smoother and faster - because of the little differences mentioned - on Final Cut Pro...
I also really like the abbilities of Final Cut Studio 2 and it's workflow - although there are some bugs with Color and stuff...