|
|
Posted by FCP User on 10/09/06 03:34
In article <timepixdc-E05C4A.13155308102006@news.central.cox.net>,
timepixdc <timepixdc@aol.comx> wrote:
> In article <newvideo-192C87.21561207102006@news.west.cox.net>,
> FCP User <newvideo@fastq.com> wrote:
>
> > > Really? Numbers please. If you're an Apple Pro Reseller it shouldn't be
> > > hard for you to get them.
> >
> > Huh?
> >
> > A base level MacPro is $2499 retail direct from Apple. FCP is 1299.00
> > also retail.
> >
> > Where I come from, that adds up to $3598.00 - leaving $1500 in upgrades
> > available before you hit the $5k target.
>
> The configuration that I put together when the original poster asked for
> an HD capable system for under $5K included an Apple monitor, three hard
> drives (250GB & 500Gb internal, 500Gb external and 4Gb of RAM along with
> Final Cut Studio for around $4700. If you put that system together at
> the Apple website without taking advantage of education discounts and
> not installing your own RAM and extra hard drive it'll run you around
> $6300.
OK fine,
As long as you realize that your specs are self-selected and pretty
meaningless.
You don't NEED 4gigs of ram to do HDV work. HDV streams are essentially
the same size as DV. 2gigs is PLENTY. (Didn't the guy ask about doing
HDV or was that another thread? Sorry, not much time to surf these days.)
And you don't NEED that many drives. I've done my first six projects
including a 150 clip FLASH encode, an hour plus DV program and a DVD
retail project shot on location over six production days, with 8 2-hour
DVCAM field masters - and I haven't even dropped a single clip on my 2nd
500 gig drive yet (I'm reserving it for a Windows partition and
Parallels if I ever get time to play with it.
Works without a hitch.
Unlike the past, my system is running both the boot stuff AND FCP AND my
capture scratch all off the main drive and it's been FLAWLESS.
So unless the person needs to work in uncompressed HD or perhaps gently
compressed XDCAM RIGHT NOW, that much drive space is overkill. And if
they want to later, just buy the drive, slap it in the nifty little G5
drive bay sled and Bingo, new drive in about 45 seconds never touching a
wire or power connector.
Finally, the difference between $6300 and $5000 is $1300 bucks. A less
than 15 percent bump.
With a system like that, if you can't earn an extra $1300 in increased
productivity in the first 60 days, you don't really have a viable
business plan. And the whole $5 grand is probably wasted.
Go with a simpler system, learn your chops, then buy the big gun after
you have a sense of the target you're after.
Hell, I'd expect with that much computer, you should earn enough more to
pay for the WHOLE SYSTEM in the first month or two.
My two cents is that at this point in history, with the world CRYING for
competently crafted video content everywhere - business - education -
advertising - music - retail - on and on and on... if you can't make
this gear pay, your problems aren't hardware, they're that you haven't
learned enough yet.
And if you really know your stuff, the big gun systems aren't required,
they're just a bit quicker and more flexible and NICER.
But I know that out of the the work I'm doing today, not more than 10
percent of it (Like the huge Flash/Sorenson encode) needs the big system
- and even then it's just "nice" to get it done in 3 hours rather than
13 hours. If it DID take 13 hours, I'd still bill the same.
The only relevant thing is this discussion is whether someone can take a
$5k budget and create a system - Apple OR PC - that will let them do 99%
of the paying video work out there, efficiently and reliably.
And I say the answer is a no-brainer yes. PC/Mac doesn't matter.
So, OP, take your $5k. Buy something off the shelf, and START EDITING!
Your equipment doesn't make you money - what's in your brain makes you
money.
Train your brain, the gear will follow.
--
Bill Davis
StartEditingNow.com
DVD editing instruction with Multi-Track Movies
Navigation:
[Reply to this message]
|