OT: New Macbook Pros released

Damn! I just threw about 6 SyQuest disks in the trash

I'm safe. I still have my Bernoulli Box with a USB-to-serial-to-Centronics-to-HIPPI-back-to-serial-to-SCSI adapter chain.

Now I just need one mother of an extension cord, and I'll be set.

I can't believe they couldn't find room for an internal laser disk player.

I hate Apple.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

Don't forget to have the DIP switches set correctly on the IIfx-based terminator!

Michael- no free pony this time. Sorry.

I much prefer the form factor of the MacBook (I am using one now on the road, in Vancouver).

If I just want a minimum install of FCP to edit Canon HV-30 files for YouTube on location, can anyone comment on whether one of the new MacBooks might be able to do the job? I have a Mac Pro already, as someone else said above.

And does anyone know whether there are adapters for FW drives for MacBooks?

Agree 110% with grafixjoe re. glossy screens: really, a noticeable step back from matte screens, IMHO.

I don't see how without a FireWire port. Your only other options is to go to a memory card based system, but even then you're really pushing that drive to do it. For that camera if you want to use a new laptop you need a MBP with a four-pin FW to FW800 converter cable.

There is a USB to FW adapter. Its expensive though

[www.usbfirewire.com]

Michael Horton
-------------------

Thanks Tom and Mike;

From a 'device control' perspective, would there be any difference between a true FW port, and a USB?FW connector?

I might be better off sticking with the MB I have now (FW included; speed not too dissimilar).

For anyone with a DV or HDV camera, removing the FW port seems?well, stupid. I really like the smaller form factor of the MB; it's not a money thing at all (try using a MBPro on a plane some time).

Strange thinking, is all I can say.

But there is no device control via USB, and you're stuck with USB's burst delivery which will adversely impact performance as the drive fills and/or starts to fragment.

The new MB will deliver much better graphics performance, which should improve its capabilities with FCP's FxPlug filters.

Obviously Apple is in the next phase of dumping FireWire, its great prosumer streaming protocol of the first decade which turns out to be a royal pain on the laptops with both camera and a disk drive attached, because it's so chatty it interferes with itself coming and going.

They're also dumping matte screens.

[I really don't get the griping about the screen. A glossy plastic screen, yes, can have some problems, though I've lived just fine with one on my laptop for two years now.]

Yes, well I put down hundreds and thousands of dollars to frigging "live" with it, eh? The new glossy screens are a perfect tool to study fluorescent lighting in airport lounges, client conference rooms, you know, real world environments. Or to touch up your hair or makeup, or watch people behind you, or anything except productive work.

I look forward to not buying this machine and third party sticky peel roll-on matt finish to make it a useful tool.

It's so annoying to see a thing of beauty roll out (and that "How It's Made" industrial is my cup of tea) even with LED, but without optimal use features.

Steve will listen, if enough people complain while waving their bulging wallets at him.

- Loren
Today's FCP keytip:

Apply your default audio transition instantly
with Command-Option - T !

Final Cut Studio 2 KeyGuide? Power Pack.
Now available at KeyGuide Central.
www.neotrondesign.com

Pardon me, but 4 pin FW to USB isn't that expensive. Not sure why some of the cables had PAL and NTSC flavours (aren't they the same?).

[cgi.ebay.ca]


Should Blu-Ray burners be built in Macbooks? I feel that Apple really needs more definitive support for Blu-Ray, at the very least in an update of FCS, with additional option of Blu-Ray burners (at least in the Mac Pro lines).

If a client pays for a HD shoot, do they expect to download the project off a webpage when the final cut is completed? Do they want a DVD downrezzed version of their HD shoots?

About the licensing costs, I suppose we can avoid using the Blu-Ray logo since it's not really very nice anyway (the pony is more than an adequate replacement).


There's an interesting exchange here about the cost and compatibility of creating Blu-ray content.

[www.dvinfo.net]



www.strypesinpost.com

Can you use device control over USB? Foru-pin cable's not going to do much good if you can't, though I suppose you could use the non-controllable device option if you don't care about timecode.

I think so (but don't take my word for gold, as it was quite a while ago and I didn't do the capture myself). A colleague used it for DV captures when the rest of the edit machines were busy.

Haven't had any issues with USB 2.0 and DV, though i don't use it very often, if at all.



www.strypesinpost.com

As far as cutting on a MB I wouldn't do it despite a few friends who do (annoying and wastes my time I would save the difference for a MBP in an edit or two!) The new 15" MBP will be fine even with 1 FW800.

You must remember that the previous MBPs had FW400 and 800 ports but on 1 FW Bus so it doesn't make any difference to performance if you use a firewire splitter/hub on the new MBPs, besides, I have successfully used cameras through the external HDDs in a chain configuration for years.

As far as the glossy screen - I have a glossy plastic screen on the Old MBP - great in the shade but it is a problem in really bright ambient light. But it matches my TV MUCH better than the matt screen especially if I was to do a rough grade on the MBP in an on-site edit.

I will hold fire on commenting on the glass version until I have a chance to see/test it.

As far as BluRay is concerned Apple should definitely support BR in the OS, ProApps and Player. If you want a player/recorder you can buy an external BR drive relatively cheaply or for the MacPro you can use one of the internal SATA ports and hook up one for about $200 or less.

I don't think BR as a format will last very long at all. There is far too much HD content online already.

Having said that, there are a lot of cheaper BluRay players coming onto the market in the UK and Asia so who knows!

After all the consumer drives this wagon.



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

If you could use USB and 4-pin FW, that would be fine, IF you could daisy chain (so, camera, FW drive, computer). If not, then MBP it is.

I just like the very small size of the MBs?much better on board when travelling, which I do all the time. cheers all

[Pardon me, but 4 pin FW to USB isn't that expensive. Not sure why some of the cables had PAL and NTSC flavours (aren't they the same?). ]

Why on earth would you deprecate a decent DV streaming protocol by piping it into an older, packet-based, non-optimal protocol never designed for time-based content?

Hello stuttering timeline, my old friend...

- Loren
Today's FCP keytip:

Apply your default audio transition instantly
with Command-Option - T !

Final Cut Studio 2 KeyGuide? Power Pack.
Now available at KeyGuide Central.
www.neotrondesign.com

>Why on earth would you deprecate a decent DV streaming protocol by piping it into an older,
>packet-based, non-optimal protocol never designed for time-based content?

Rare call, but a colleague had to capture a bunch of tapes onto a hard drive that only had 1 firewire 400 port (the FW800 port was spoilt), and that leaves the only the USB port available for capture from the deck. The capture was okay, and I didn't use the MBP for editing, so no stuttering timeline. I won't advise that all the time, and definitely not on anything larger than DV.



www.strypesinpost.com

y'know everybody gets in a great panic about having separate FW inputs for capturing.

but on the MacBooks the 400& 800 would have been on the same bus.

i did a fair bit of capturing on my old 1xFW400 port laptop,
and on all my single FW bus computers

deck into the laptop,
camera/deck into the deck, (or second FW port on the same bus)
no problems.

maybe i'm just lucky.


nick

Hello Loren,

I will need one of your FCP 6 keyboards as soon as I get back home.

Can you expand on your remarks re. USB and unsuitable for real time? This knowledge sounds really helpful and I want to know more. cheers, kl

Hello Nick,

Long time no hear. I know the huge amount you captured on that notebook of yours.

Does anyone here have any experience of using a Canon HV30, external FW drive, and daisy-chaining to a MacBook? That's the latest workflow I need for shooting YouTube clips in the gym, and instantly uploading after topping and tailing. Apparently, on the Canon sites, people speak of "non-standard implementation of the FW protocol"; on their account, the Canon has to be on the bus by itself.

cheers to all , kl

>USB and unsuitable for real time

I won't advise USB captures (that was the one in a million times where I had to due to lack of resources). It is not adviseable to capture over USB (especially higher resolution formats), as USB sends data via packets, rather than streams. And due to the way it was designed, data can be delayed during the transfer, which makes it unsuitable for media purposes in general.



www.strypesinpost.com

Kit,

I think the rule of thumb is capture / layoff devices (camera / IO / etc) should be on a separate bus (Express/34 card bus) and the RAID should be on the FW800. That comes to me from Aja Tech Support.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

Hi Kit,

I supervise a lot of mobile editing events where everyone has to capture DV to FW drives; a lot of our editors wind up daisy chaining the drives (OWC 7200rpm bus powered) with the cameras without difficulty. But there have been problems with Canons (like the XL1s) where we have no communication with the camera when its chained with the drive. We haven't seen that with other camera brands...

JK

_______________________________________
SCQT! Self-contained QuickTime ? pass it on!

Quote
Joe
...and look at that RIDICULOUS REFLECTION on that glossy screen.

Yep, that makes it a editors worse apple buy. How da heck they expect a person to color correct on that.

and i hate the MacBook Air something special. They are narrowing the laptop editors choices. Glossy is good if you wanna look cool.

""" What you do with what you have, is more important than what you could do, with what you don't have."

> > > Knowledge + Action = Wisdom - J. Corbett 1992 """"

Who the heck does color grading on a laptop? Sure, you want to have it on set for DIT work, and it's great to be able to do offlines on the road. But complaining because you don't think the screen is good enough for color grading? Come on.

....agreed - if you are doing serious color correction on the MBP then you would be looking at a Pro Screen attached to it and NOT the laptop screen!



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

Well no one I know CCs on a computer, glossy or matte so yeah that arguement is silly. What is not silly is just being able to see what you need to see without being distracted by ambient light and figures reflected off the glossy screen. Sure, there are ways around this such as products from hoodman and perhaps some matte finish to put on the glass. The fact is, glossy glass is a big problem. Ever on a set outside with the video assist people? They are stuck under a dark tarp with those goofy long hoods attached to their monitors. There is a reason for this ya know.

Michael Horton
-------------------

not grading

but as i am doing the rough cut i often see things that are just plain wrong in the canvas. such as obvious blowout or noise. On the laptop i don't have an external monitor so if i see something that is way out i correct it.
Also i go to the web 75% of the time at least. and i think that the glare would interfere with what i am seeing.

even on the picture that Ben pointed out there is a huge contrast difference in the canvas under the glare that would drive me crazy.

""" What you do with what you have, is more important than what you could do, with what you don't have."

> > > Knowledge + Action = Wisdom - J. Corbett 1992 """"

That's right...NOBODY CC's on a laptop without an external reference monitor unless they just don't know what they are doing. It's the distracting reflections that would drive me batty.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.