laptop editing at DVinfo.net

Sam Rosado · October 13th, 2007, 08:04 PM

Hey guys,

I'm currently considering buying a mac laptop for on the field editing. I already know the pros for the desktop as I have one already, but what i'm looking for are actual people who use them.

macbook pro or powerbook 17 in w/mxed ram

thanks

Brian Keith Moody · October 13th, 2007, 11:30 PM

I’ve personally stayed away from laptop editing. The screens were too small and the hard drives too slow, often only at 4200 and 5400 instead of 7200. I’d be curious to hear about the experiences of others.

Daniel Ross · October 14th, 2007, 01:04 AM

I edit on my Macbook pro.

It's just fine.

I've used it with a second display, something I would recommend for serious editing sessions, though it's perfectly reasonable to edit on the built in display some of the time.

The hard drive rate is an issue, at 5400rpm, but one fixed by using an external drive.

Stephen Jackson · October 14th, 2007, 08:01 AM

I've been editing on laptops in the field since 2003. 1st on a Sony Vaio and later a Toshiba 17" behemoth. The Toshiba was excellent with a 7200 rpm HDD and 1 gig of ram.

You can find new laptops with 7200 rpm HDD and make sure you have at least 1 gig of Ram with a firewire and multiple USB ports. In mour office we have Mac Book pros that are doing great in the field.

Pete Cofrancesco · October 14th, 2007, 08:33 AM

You can edit on a laptop but, it comes down to a personal decision about what you find acceptable. Are you willing to work on a slower hard drive and use a small display? Sure there are work arounds like external hard dirves but even I notice a delay with them and don't like the extra cords and heat. I feel cramped on my 19" monitor and would like to upgrade to a 24", I couldn't imagine working on a laptop.

Bob Kerner · October 14th, 2007, 10:48 AM

The two current Mac laptops are the Mac Book and Mac Book Pro. I've worked on a Mac Book with Final Cut Studio without any problems. I did not notice any major workflow issues, in terms of speed, but I was only assembling a small piece. The display was acceptable but it's much more fun working on a larger display.

I've recently had a change of mind regarding laptops. I've always bought the best, crammed with RAM etc, thinking I'd see a big performance improvement. After working on the Mac Book, I realized that's not necessary. A modestly priced machine will do just as well as the high-end machine if your expectations are realistic. If you really move around with it everyday then expect it to get battered a little and expect that you may only get 2-3 years out of it; in that case, there's no point in dropping $3500 on a high end rig.

Sam Rosado · October 14th, 2007, 05:03 PM

thanks for the info! I am well aware of the hard drive issues an the screen size. What about rendering, or exporting your file? has anyone experienced severe work lag?

Daniel Ross · October 14th, 2007, 05:38 PM

Not if the computer is fast enough.

The hard drive issue and monitors are fixed by, as I said, external monitor/HDs. The end.

Just like a desktop, there's no reason you can't put your laptop on a desk and plug a bunch of stuff into it.

The only difference, then, is that you CAN remove it and go edit on the road, etc., which is very nice and convenient, even if it is a slightly smaller screen and there's some lag with uncompressed files.

For the same power, laptops are more expensive. Is this worth it to you?

For me, I think it's great. I love being able to capture on the fly, for example.

Tim OBrien · October 16th, 2007, 04:52 PM

I'm using a 2.8Ghz P4 Gateway laptop with 1.5Gb RAM and an external 7200rpm harddrive. It does have a 17" ultrawide screen.

ZERO problems editing video using Vegas.

Alessandro Garabaghi · October 17th, 2007, 07:40 AM

I have an Dell XPS m1210 which i use CS3 on, it works fine, yes the screen is way too small 12.1inches, but i have it hooked up to my 40inch HD LCD TV / Screen and its more than enough. Is it slower than my E6600 with 4gigs of ram, yes. But, at 2.3ghz and 2gigs of ram its more than enough for me. Of course if i can, i edit at my desktop, but if not able to the laptop is sufficient.

Jacob Walker · October 19th, 2007, 07:20 AM

Although I don't use a mac thought I would just chime in. I use a Sony vaio. It has two 7200 rpm internal laptop harddrives configured in a RAID 0 adding up to 217G. 2GHz proc, 2 Gig ram, 17 inch widescreen.

Although not as fast as my desktop, when I hit the road it gets the job done. I coundn't work without a main desktop rig but I love that I can copy a project over and work on the road.

In fact I'm typing on my laptop in a hotel room now!

From what I have read go macbook pro.

Sam Rosado · October 21st, 2007, 11:50 AM

hmmm.......I thought this was a MAC thread!!!!!!!!!!!!lol

sorry guys, pc's werent even in my thoughts!

October 13th, 2007, 08:04 PM	#1
Sam Rosado Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: bridgeport ct Posts: 161	laptop editing Hey guys, I'm currently considering buying a mac laptop for on the field editing. I already know the pros for the desktop as I have one already, but what i'm looking for are actual people who use them. macbook pro or powerbook 17 in w/mxed ram thanks __________________ "Catering to all of your needs, from A to V."

October 13th, 2007, 11:30 PM	#2
Brian Keith Moody Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Phoenix, Arizona Posts: 56	I’ve personally stayed away from laptop editing. The screens were too small and the hard drives too slow, often only at 4200 and 5400 instead of 7200. I’d be curious to hear about the experiences of others. __________________ Brian Keith Moody, Writer / Director Canon XH-A1 - PowerMac G5 - Final Cut Pro - Shake

October 14th, 2007, 08:01 AM	#4
Stephen Jackson Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: New York NY Posts: 77	I've been editing on laptops in the field since 2003. 1st on a Sony Vaio and later a Toshiba 17" behemoth. The Toshiba was excellent with a 7200 rpm HDD and 1 gig of ram. You can find new laptops with 7200 rpm HDD and make sure you have at least 1 gig of Ram with a firewire and multiple USB ports. In mour office we have Mac Book pros that are doing great in the field. __________________ Stephen Jackson RoaDDoggZ productions www.roaddoggz.com

October 14th, 2007, 05:03 PM	#7
Sam Rosado Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: bridgeport ct Posts: 161	thanks for the info! I am well aware of the hard drive issues an the screen size. What about rendering, or exporting your file? has anyone experienced severe work lag? __________________ "Catering to all of your needs, from A to V."

October 21st, 2007, 11:50 AM	#12
Sam Rosado Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: bridgeport ct Posts: 161	hmmm.......I thought this was a MAC thread!!!!!!!!!!!!lol sorry guys, pc's werent even in my thoughts! __________________ "Catering to all of your needs, from A to V."

October 14th, 2007, 01:04 AM	#3
Daniel Ross Major Player Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Marin & Davis, CA, USA Posts: 418	I edit on my Macbook pro. It's just fine. I've used it with a second display, something I would recommend for serious editing sessions, though it's perfectly reasonable to edit on the built in display some of the time. The hard drive rate is an issue, at 5400rpm, but one fixed by using an external drive.

October 14th, 2007, 08:33 AM	#5
Pete Cofrancesco Inner Circle Join Date: May 2004 Location: USA Posts: 3,005	You can edit on a laptop but, it comes down to a personal decision about what you find acceptable. Are you willing to work on a slower hard drive and use a small display? Sure there are work arounds like external hard dirves but even I notice a delay with them and don't like the extra cords and heat. I feel cramped on my 19" monitor and would like to upgrade to a 24", I couldn't imagine working on a laptop.

October 14th, 2007, 10:48 AM	#6
Bob Kerner Major Player Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: New York Posts: 388	The two current Mac laptops are the Mac Book and Mac Book Pro. I've worked on a Mac Book with Final Cut Studio without any problems. I did not notice any major workflow issues, in terms of speed, but I was only assembling a small piece. The display was acceptable but it's much more fun working on a larger display. I've recently had a change of mind regarding laptops. I've always bought the best, crammed with RAM etc, thinking I'd see a big performance improvement. After working on the Mac Book, I realized that's not necessary. A modestly priced machine will do just as well as the high-end machine if your expectations are realistic. If you really move around with it everyday then expect it to get battered a little and expect that you may only get 2-3 years out of it; in that case, there's no point in dropping $3500 on a high end rig.

October 14th, 2007, 05:38 PM	#8
Daniel Ross Major Player Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Marin & Davis, CA, USA Posts: 418	Not if the computer is fast enough. The hard drive issue and monitors are fixed by, as I said, external monitor/HDs. The end. Just like a desktop, there's no reason you can't put your laptop on a desk and plug a bunch of stuff into it. The only difference, then, is that you CAN remove it and go edit on the road, etc., which is very nice and convenient, even if it is a slightly smaller screen and there's some lag with uncompressed files. For the same power, laptops are more expensive. Is this worth it to you? For me, I think it's great. I love being able to capture on the fly, for example.

October 16th, 2007, 04:52 PM	#9
Tim OBrien Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Palm Beach, Florida USA Posts: 99	I'm using a 2.8Ghz P4 Gateway laptop with 1.5Gb RAM and an external 7200rpm harddrive. It does have a 17" ultrawide screen. ZERO problems editing video using Vegas.

October 17th, 2007, 07:40 AM	#10
Alessandro Garabaghi Regular Crew Join Date: May 2007 Location: Orlando, Fl Posts: 132	I have an Dell XPS m1210 which i use CS3 on, it works fine, yes the screen is way too small 12.1inches, but i have it hooked up to my 40inch HD LCD TV / Screen and its more than enough. Is it slower than my E6600 with 4gigs of ram, yes. But, at 2.3ghz and 2gigs of ram its more than enough for me. Of course if i can, i edit at my desktop, but if not able to the laptop is sufficient.

October 19th, 2007, 07:20 AM	#11
Jacob Walker Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Enumclaw, WA Posts: 69	Although I don't use a mac thought I would just chime in. I use a Sony vaio. It has two 7200 rpm internal laptop harddrives configured in a RAID 0 adding up to 217G. 2GHz proc, 2 Gig ram, 17 inch widescreen. Although not as fast as my desktop, when I hit the road it gets the job done. I coundn't work without a main desktop rig but I love that I can copy a project over and work on the road. In fact I'm typing on my laptop in a hotel room now! From what I have read go macbook pro.