maximum file size limit fcp/quicktime??

I've got a G5, Kona HD card, and xserve raid. We're working in 720p59.94 uncompressed from varicam origination source material.

I've got a finished show with audio, color correct, etc, sitting on my system, that I need to master to D5. Easiest/cheapest way to do this I think will be to transfer the show to a post house with an uncompressed FCP system and a D5 machine.

So, I'm going to need to output a self-contained quicktime file of the 53 minute uncompressed 10-bit 720p59.94 sequence. I'm expecting the resulting quicktime to be roughly half a terabyte. Will this large a file be allowed under OSX, quicktime, and FCP? I will need to render it to a large fw drive or array for transferring to the post house. They prefer if it is one huge file so they don't have to put anything together again, but I'm not sure whether this file is going to be at all manageable/allowable, plus finding an inexpensive storage medium for transferring it could be hard. So, do I need to split it up, or will it be OK as one 500gb file?

Also, what is the most economical way of putting together 500gb+ of storage as one logical drive if you don't care about getting enough throughput for realtime playback, just file transfer?


Production Coordinator
New England Aquarium
Boston, MA