Edit full HDcam on a MacbookPro?
by jason szabo
on
Aug 13, 2008 at 3:11:42 pm
Can you edit full HD on a Macbook Pro?
I'm working on a short film that was shot HDcam. Don't know the full specs yet but I was told its full HD. Here are all the specs:
3 Hours of full HD footage
Macbook Pro dual 2.2 ghz
4 gb ram
OS 10.4.11
Final Cut 6.04
My plan is to have the director buy eSata drives and an eSata card for my laptop. Will this be fast enough to cut with full HD? Its a dramatic piece, so the only effects I'm predicting will be color effects. Mostly dialogue, not too much music is expected with a decent amount of track space for sound editing.
The goal is to get the short into festivals, so its possible that I could have Post Works (where its being digitized) capture the footage at a lower quality HD. Maybe even have them do it ProRes. If the short get into any major festivals, that might be the time to conform at a higher quality HD. If my home computer can handle it though, I'd rather just work in full HD.
Re: Edit full HDcam on a MacbookPro? by Rafael Amador on Aug 13, 2008 at 3:24:52 pm
Hi Jason,
I think that to work with HDCam in Mac, you need to convert it.
There is a thread about HDCam just below.
If you work with ProressHQ, your lap-top with a couple of eSATA will have no problem in FC, neither in Color.
Rafael
Re: Edit full HDcam on a MacbookPro? by Jeremy Garchow on Aug 13, 2008 at 3:50:40 pm
Get yourself an ioHD and a sata array of some sort (two dirves will do). you can then edit ProRes or ProResHQ on your laptop while connected to a monitor of your choice. What laptop do you have (what are the specs)?
Re: Edit full HDcam on a MacbookPro? by jason szabo on Aug 13, 2008 at 4:08:15 pm
Thanks, Rafael & Jeremy.
My specs are:
Macbook Pro dual 2.2 ghz
4 gb ram
OS 10.4.11
Final Cut 6.04
As far as the ioHD, we're capturing the footage at Post Works in NYC. When the film is done and if the director wants to do a more robust online/color correct than I can do, I'll either give the online house the project files and drive or spit out a QT.
I'm looking at the G-Tech G-Speed es, 2TB for $1,249 (seems like an awesome price). G-tech told me to pick up a Firm Tek eSata card for the MacbookPro, then stripe the raid.
I guess I'm still a little skeptical that my laptop is going to handle 220/mbs of ProRes HQ.
Will it handle it?
Should I just go ProRes? Will ProRes be too compressed to see soft shots?
Re: Edit full HDcam on a MacbookPro? by Chris Poisson on Aug 13, 2008 at 5:01:36 pm
Jason,
I run ProRes 108030p on my MBP daily, it is beautiful for everything. I use a 2 drawer Firmtek enclosure with 1TB and it runs at about 140 mbs, works great. I highly recommend the Firmtek units, have one on my G5 too.
