Re: HD fits in a 23" cinema display?

Hi,

The 23" Cinema Display is a 16x10 monitor and will show a small amount of buttons below the video if you open up a quicktime file. When you use the full screen playback in AE, it should display your animations pixel for pixel with a little room on top and bottom but none on the sides. There is no need to get a 30" to make sure you are seeing everything.

Obviously in normal working situations, you won't be able to see the entire frame at full size, but this is rarely an issue and you can always toggle the ~ key to view the main window. I use a 30" monitor and I still rarely see the whole frame at full resolution while I'm working. The larger screen is definitely worth it, but it is not necessary. I would say that the 23" screen is the minimum size I would want to work with for HD.

If you can afford a RAID, get it. A lot of memory is probably more important as it speeds up your rendering and helps in RAM previews, but you should be able to play back your final animations without skipping. Also faster disc access makes life happier.

You can get a simple Port Multiplier box with the appropriate eSATA controller card relatively cheaply at macgurus.com. I have a couple of these and with 5 drives striped in a RAID 0 I am able to play back full size, uncompressed HD. You might also want to consider an SAS RAID if you have a MacPro. Highpoint RocketRAID with an Enhance drive enclosure seems like an inexpensive way to go.

There are others who can answer the question on graphics cards better than I can, but my feeling is that unless your software is specifically optimized to utilize the GPU, a high end graphics card isn't going to make a huge difference in your work flow. The less expensive one is likely to do just fine. Just make sure it will support a 30" monitor if it is likely you will get one.

Hope this helps,

Lars