sales people shouldn't do the presentations

It would save a lot of time and probably increase sales if tech people and actual experienced pro users did presentations and would be more available when people want to evaluate equipment and software for purchase. I've wasted a lot of time attending presentations by sales people - I want to buy but have to jump through a lot of hoops to do it. One example among many is Apple sales which is only for consumers - no one trained to give accurate info to buyers of pro editing equipment & software. Yes, these boards are a lifesaver, but I think we still need to demand more from our vendors.

If you are buying Pro Equipment then deal with Pro VARs. Yeah, they are selling, but they know their stuff.

There is usually a Apple Pro Var in most major cities. If you dont have one, well, then do a lot of homework.

Mike

I'm on call to an Apple shop here for FCP problems - and I do demos for them for pro customers.

You could probably ask for a pro to do a demo for you if you are thinking of buying fairly big. Obviously the shop has to pay me to sit with someone one on one for a demo, so they are not going to call me in for every single mac and FCP buyer.

I'd like to deal with Pro's even if they are sales people. Can you give me a hint about how to find one? Seems like the only Apple people I know how to reach happen to be at the consumer level - informed only about iLife, etc. and give incorrect info about the pro apps. & hardware. Regular sales people have their place in the chain of command, I'm just saying I think that at presentations to large audiences, eg., at user groups, expos, etc. it would be beneficial for sellers and buyers alike to have the Pros doing the presentations/demos, answering questions, etc.

Come to a lafcpug meeting. The only people who demo are the ones that know the product

What city you in?



:-)

mike

San Diego. I have made the trek up there to your meetings where several have been very good, but can only manage to get up there on rare occasions lately. BTW, recently looks like you had the same presenters for HDV we had down here the previous month. The presentation here was not worthwhile - hope they did a better job up there. I'm relentless about doing my homework on an ongoing basis and step it up several notches when getting ready for big purchases - like now. Trying to do good work on a much smaller budget than most others I know, I probably spend more time with relentless research and trying to find ways to hands-on check things out - just think that some of the people selling stuff should contribute more on their end. Charles' & Cawan's demos long ago in the Irvine classroom used to fill a large part of that gap which is now left vacant.

Have you tried Crywolf consulting? I hear those guys are great. We had Jody Eldred do the preso for HDV as well as Val Reynolds. You just dont get better than Jody.

ProMax, despite the loss of Charles and Cawan have some of the best people on the planet

There ae good people in San Diego. Just avoid Apple Stores for Pro advice. That is not what they do.

Mike

I've been there many times. Two of my colleagues had very substandard handling of their purchases and purchase advice and promises. They don't return phone calls or respond to requests for quotes. A salesperson said he'd get back to me with a quote and never did despite two or three additional requests. A colleague in the process of many large purchases had the same experience with no return phone calls are many attempts, massive delays in delivery, and delivery of a lower version of the hardware ordered and paid for. I don't know Jody, I've only dealt with others at Crywolf.

Hmmm. That doesnt sound good. Maybe others from San Diego will chime in here

Mike

Yep, for good advise I head up to L.A. too. I haven't delt with the people at Crywolf, but my experience with the "gurus" at the Apple stores has always been lacking.

I'm going to be doing a major upgrade to hardware and software after going to the meeting on the 3rd. New computer, Sony HDV cameras, etc., and I'm hoping that there will be some answers I need at that LAFCP event.

I'll probably meet you sooner or later at the SDFCP users group, looking forward to exchanging ideas, knowledge etc.

Kevin

ProMax will be in the lobby at the May 3 event showing off their toys. You dont get much better than them. However, remember, we wont cover Hardware in this show, just software. But I imagine a lot of VARS will be lurking at the show just to see what's up with the new apps. Just give a loud shout in the lobby.

We should do a "Hardware Night" at a future lafcpug meeting. Good idea.

Mike

Chris,

Apple has entire network of authorized Pro Video Resellers. you can find one in yoru area by checking out:

www.apple.com/finalcutpro

On the right side, in the sidebar of the web-page is a text box to find a reseller. Type in your city and state and it will give you a list of Pro Video resellers. There are several in SD.

Paul from Apple

Maybe I'll return to that link and try again sometime, the other day I didn't come up with anything suitable when I put in my zip and checked through the list. Mostly seemed like huge corporations selling mostly pc stuff and apple stuff probably only as an afterthought, so it didn't look too promising. I might just stay with my current path of piecing it together from my own research, buying things from a few different resellers.

Meanwhile, can you answer a question i was not able to get answered at the Apple Store in La Jolla today. (Maybe I'll have to post this in a new thread, but first I'll give it a try here.)

Finally I found the exact paragraph on Apple's specs which I'm pasting here to clarify my question regarding the 23" Cinema HD Display. If I found that I needed to view and edit an HDV or HD project from Final Cut HD which was ultimately headed for broadcast and I wanted to add the "interface from eCinema Systems" mentioned below, how do I learn more about what this is, where do I find it, how much does it cost, etc, etc. Endless searches on Apple's site have failed to lead me to this info, despite the fact that they describe it in their specs.

from Apple's Display Spec Details, June 2004:

". . . Using the new Digital Cinema Desktop
feature of Final Cut Pro HD, you can play back full-screen HD video on the Apple Cinema HD Display, giving you superb image quality for a fraction of the cost of typical HD monitors. Add an interface from eCinema Systems, and you can even use the 23-inch Apple Cinema HD Display to view high-definition serial digital interface (HD SDI) signals used in broadcast television environments at their true intended resolution, something not possible even with expensive broadcast-grade CRT-based monitors."

Just do a google search for esystems Chris

mike

oops I mean eCinema Systems

They have their own web site with all the info you need

Mike

Or get a BlackMagic-Design HDLink [www.lafcpug.org] which works superbly for monitoring HD at a fraction of the cost of the alternatives.

Graeme