Posted by timepixdc on 10/09/06 17:44

In article <newvideo-4BFBCB.20340808102006@news.west.cox.net>,
FCP User <newvideo@fastq.com> wrote:

> > 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.

Hardly meaningless. The original poster asked for a system for under $5K
that would allow him to edit 100 hours of HDV tape. That system will do
it quite nicely.

> You don't NEED 4gigs of ram to do HDV work.

You don't NEED a 23 inch LCD monitor either but it's nice to have that
instead of a 14 inch CRT screen when you're editing video, isn't it?

> And you don't NEED that many drives.

One drive to hold the operating system and the programs. One hard drive
to hold the working FCP files (you really don't want to store your FCP
files on your boot disk) and one hard drive for back up.

> Unlike the past, my system is running both the boot stuff AND FCP AND my
> capture scratch all off the main drive

Then you're going against every knowedgeable person I've ever talked to
on the subject, as well as Apple's reccomendations.

> So unless the person needs to work in uncompressed HD or perhaps gently
> compressed XDCAM RIGHT NOW, that much drive space is overkill.

Not overkill, just safe. If you're going to start editing 100 hours of
HDV you really don't want to scream "Oh shit!" when you've gotten to
hour 96.

> Finally, the difference between $6300 and $5000 is $1300 bucks. A less
> than 15 percent bump.

You may be wealthy enough to think of $1300 as a mere trifle but I
consider it serious money.

> With a system like that, if you can't earn an extra $1300 in increased
> productivity in the first 60 days

If you've paid $1300 less for the system and make an additional $1300
within 60 days than you're $2600 ahead.

> Go with a simpler system, learn your chops, then buy the big gun after
> you have a sense of the target you're after.

And lose money when you trade up to a better system. I learned early on
that it pays to buy good the first time as you'll wind up paying less in
the long run. An non-video example: Buy a cheapo Fender Stratocaster
(guitar) and a cheapo amp. Six months later trade up to (and lose money
on) a mid-range Strat. A year after that trade up to (and lose money on)
a really nice top-of-the-line Strat. That'll cost you hundreds of
dollars more than just buying the good one at the beginning. BTDT.

> 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.

So why not be nice to yourself? If you're going to be spending hundreds
of hours into front of your monitor editing footage you might as well be
looking at a good screen connected to a good computer.

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