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Home: Video University Forums: Wedding & Event Videography:
Going over to the dark side with a Mac?

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Coleman
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Mar 26, 2008, 11:59 AM

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Going over to the dark side with a Mac?	Can't Post

Very interesting article about Mac.
http://www.wired.com/...azine/16-04/bz_apple

Coleman

Postal Boy
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Mar 26, 2008, 1:03 PM

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Re: [Coleman] Going over to the dark side with a Mac? [In reply to]	Can't Post

I could make some rude comment about Mac owners and Mac operating procedures based on recent surveys of Mac-favoring people relating Mac user attitudes to Mac management attitudes...but I will resist... Tongue

Joel
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Mar 26, 2008, 1:59 PM

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Re: [Coleman] Going over to the dark side with a Mac? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Are you Mac-curious Coleman?

In Reply To

Very interesting article about Mac.
http://www.wired.com/...azine/16-04/bz_apple

Joel

"Think of this business as a room with a huge table and a bunch of chairs around the table. There is a big pie on the table. Your mission is to take your place at the table, pick up your fork, and eat your pie. Do not look to the left and do not look to the right. Just eat your pie. There is plenty of pie for everyone."

starting | perfectionists

Art Vandelay
Enthusiast

Mar 26, 2008, 2:14 PM

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Re: [Coleman] Going over to the dark side with a Mac? [In reply to]	Can't Post

From the article:
Yes, the iPod hardware and the iTunes software are inextricably linked � that's why they work so well together. And now, PC-based iPod users, impressed with the experience, have started converting to Macs, further investing themselves in the Apple ecosystem.

I have to admit, with 4 ipods in my house and 2 iphones on the way, I am slowly being converted, combine that with the suckiness of Vista and my next computer might be a Mac

__________________________________________________
Dave LaBrec
Nashville Wedding Videos

Postal Boy
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Mar 26, 2008, 2:16 PM

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Re: [Art Vandelay] Going over to the dark side with a Mac? [In reply to]	Can't Post

I guess I just don't listen to music that much, because I haven't felt the need to buy any mp3 players. I picked up an Iriver for RECORDING audio, but don't really use that anymore either.

-Postal

Daniel
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Mar 26, 2008, 4:18 PM

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Re: [Joel] Going over to the dark side with a Mac? [In reply to]	Can't Post

"Happiness is beating your good friend by one stroke with a birdie on the 18th hole" Me

Calomay
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Mar 26, 2008, 4:55 PM

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Re: [Daniel] Going over to the dark side with a Mac? [In reply to]	Can't Post

" ... we can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy... if you only knew the power of The Dark Side."

Smile

RT Steele
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Mar 26, 2008, 6:10 PM

Post #8 of 55 (693 views)
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Re: [Art Vandelay] Going over to the dark side with a Mac? [In reply to]	Can't Post

I have to admit, with 4 ipods in my house and 2 iphones on the way, I am slowly being converted, combine that with the suckiness of Vista and my next computer might be a Mac

Totally agree. Not that I'm buing a mac... just that I can see that mac fandom is largely being generated by young folks and "gadget" connectivity.

Vista sure wasn't the answer. Laugh

- RT

AbracadabraTV
User

Mar 26, 2008, 7:01 PM

Post #9 of 55 (680 views)
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Re: [RT Steele] Going over to the dark side with a Mac? [In reply to]	Can't Post

I guess you guys don't use Final Cut Studio 2 then either....

I use the mac because it works....still not too sure I can say that about our Vista platform.

Kenneth
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Mar 27, 2008, 1:07 PM

Post #10 of 55 (597 views)
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Re: [Coleman] Going over to the dark side with a Mac? [In reply to]	Can't Post

The Mac isn't the dark side. Watch movies that use computers. Apple computers are always used by the good guys and PCs are used by the bad guys. This is a conscience effort from Apple. In Independence Day Will Smith saves the planet with his G3 Powerbook.

And I don't know if anybody notices, but many times people will use a PC but if they show a screen close-up they are obviously using Mac OS 9. It's especially funny to use Mac people in movies like Office Space, where they are using a PC, the interface is Mac and then they load the program in using a command line.

OS9 never had a command line!!! LOL
......................................................................
Philadelphia Wedding Video
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Philadelphia Trash the Dress

Art Vandelay
Enthusiast

Mar 27, 2008, 1:14 PM

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Re: [Kenneth] Going over to the dark side with a Mac? [In reply to]	Can't Post

In my previous job, I worked for a company that created the software that Apple uses to run their call center for sales and service. This software runs on Windows servers.

I would frequently have to connect to Apple's network via VPN to install an update or fix an issue. I would always get a kick out of the fact that on the login screen, it said:"Microsoft Windows Server 2003 registered to Apple"

__________________________________________________
Dave LaBrec
Nashville Wedding Videos

Joel
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Mar 27, 2008, 4:47 PM

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Re: [Kenneth] Going over to the dark side with a Mac? [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

In Independence Day Will Smith saves the planet with his G3 Powerbook.

That was Jeff Goldblum's Pismo! Great movie.

Joel

"Think of this business as a room with a huge table and a bunch of chairs around the table. There is a big pie on the table. Your mission is to take your place at the table, pick up your fork, and eat your pie. Do not look to the left and do not look to the right. Just eat your pie. There is plenty of pie for everyone."

starting | perfectionists

RT Steele
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Mar 27, 2008, 5:13 PM

Post #13 of 55 (571 views)
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Re: [AbracadabraTV] Going over to the dark side with a Mac? [In reply to]	Can't Post

I guess you guys don't use Final Cut Studio 2 then either....

No, but I hear it's "faintly" similar to Premiere. Can you guys color correct in that thing yet? Laugh

It's not the software or even the mac platform I have problems with (I know it's more stable). It's the freaking price of all these things hitting you all at once. Compound that with the cost of FCP and it's a toss up between which kid goes to trade school and which one goes to college. Cool

A quad core pentium system running XP which costs under $1k works fine for me now. Were I starting everything from scratch I'd certainly consider using a mac again.

- RT

Daniel
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Mar 27, 2008, 10:28 PM

Post #14 of 55 (539 views)
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Re: [RT Steele] Going over to the dark side with a Mac? [In reply to]	Can't Post

A quad core pentium system running XP which costs under $1k works fine for me now.

Quote

So does an iMac. Smile

"Happiness is beating your good friend by one stroke with a birdie on the 18th hole" Me

Ron Priest
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Mar 27, 2008, 11:40 PM

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In Reply To

... it's a toss up between which kid goes to trade school and which one goes to college. Cool

- RT

College is way over-rated. Send them both to trade school and buy 2 Macs! Wink

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lockwood video
User

Mar 28, 2008, 9:05 AM

Post #16 of 55 (505 views)
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Re: [Coleman] Going over to the dark side with a Mac? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Here's a rebuttal to that wired article:

http://daringfireball.net/2008/03/kahney_jackass

Calomay
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Mar 28, 2008, 2:55 PM

Post #17 of 55 (477 views)
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Re: [Kenneth] Going over to the dark side with a Mac? [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

In Independence Day Will Smith saves the planet with his G3 Powerbook.

so Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum upload a "virus" onto the alien spaceship, right?

does that mean the aliens were using Windows 95?

Smile

Kenneth
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Mar 28, 2008, 3:10 PM

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Re: [Calomay] Going over to the dark side with a Mac? [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

In Independence Day Will Smith saves the planet with his G3 Powerbook.

so Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum upload a "virus" onto the alien spaceship, right?

does that mean the aliens were using Windows 95?

Smile

Exactly, thanks for mentioning that. They uploaded a virus, which of course they could only do on a Mac, because if they tried to do it on a PC, they would have gotten infected themselves and they would have either crashed or given all their credit card information to the aliens.

And you know what happens when Aliens get your credit card numbers. They go to discos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywSIVVLgA9w
......................................................................
Philadelphia Wedding Video
The Kenneth Stillman Blog
Philadelphia Trash the Dress

TheReal-C-Mac
User

Mar 28, 2008, 5:02 PM

Post #19 of 55 (463 views)
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Re: [RT Steele] Going over to the dark side with a Mac? [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

A quad core pentium system running XP which costs under $1k works fine for me now. Were I starting everything from scratch I'd certainly consider using a mac again.

- RT

If you look at cost over time, things are much closer. Macs tend to have a much higher resale value.

A $1000 PC in 2 years, may fetch $50 on ebay.

And a $2500 mac may fetch $1200-$1500 or more on ebay.

Initial costs are greater, but once your in, they can be shed by selling old equipment.

Heck, I once bought a used mac on ebay with extras for $1200, sold the extras for $800, used the computer for a years and then sold it for $1350. A gain of $950 plus the usage of a second computer. Now that's probably very rare, but my point is simply that traditionally macs really hold their value.

regards,

chris

fr0gm@n
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Mar 28, 2008, 5:31 PM

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Re: [TheReal-C-Mac] Going over to the dark side with a Mac? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Quote

A $1000 PC in 2 years, may fetch $50 on ebay.

And a $2500 mac may fetch $1200-$1500 or more on ebay.

That may be true but for the $2500 mac investment I can buy 2 PCs (and have money left over), do more work, do it more efficiently because I can have 2 projects running at once, and thus make more money. After 2 years I can then buy another PC for only a thousand dollars and dedicate the old ones to being an inhouse render farm thus making me more efficient.

So after 3 years you spent $2500 on the initial mac, sold it for $1500 and added $1000 for a new mac and still only have one machine to work on while I have 3. Total costs $3500 over 3 years. What do you have to show for it....a single edit system albeit a sexy one. What do I have for the same $3500..... a nice edit system and 2 other computers for rendering and burning in the background. Final products look the same and more are completed with my 3 computers.

Do you need a Cadillac (Mac) to do a Chevy's (PC) job?

Just another way to see the math. Remember, numbers can be skewered to say anything you want them to.

Cool

Why does a gorilla have big nostrils.......cause it has big fingers.

frog blog

TheReal-C-Mac
User

Mar 28, 2008, 6:36 PM

Post #21 of 55 (449 views)
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Re: [fr0gm@n] Going over to the dark side with a Mac? [In reply to]	Can't Post

If you factor in down time on a PC 3 may be as efficient as one Mac, LOL. JK!!! Also, You can buy Macs for $1000s. I tried once to switch back to PC and thought it was a bad mistake, ended up shipping the Matrox card back to Matrox and the $2800 PC back to dell... a top rated PC of it's time. It was a loss of $300 to send back and restocking fee, but better than having an editing system I would not use... FCP was just more intuitive. Things may have changed, but I can't see in my foreseeable future a return to PC.

regards,

chris

fr0gm@n
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Mar 28, 2008, 6:47 PM

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Re: [TheReal-C-Mac] Going over to the dark side with a Mac? [In reply to]	Can't Post

I don't have down time on the PC unless it is of my own making cause I trying to experiment and do something stupid. That's my bad.

If I were starting out and hadn't been a PC person from the early days of DOS I would consider a Mac. I have been messing with PCs and used to do lots of system stuff in DOS so I am comfortable around them and mine all run pretty good. No complaints. I have never had anything bug me so much that I said I can't stand this piece of crap and wanted to switch to Mac. I've just never had the problems others have. It does what I need and want it to do and that's all I can ask.

I was watching a reality TV show once called "Americas Next Producer" or something like that. They edited on Mac of course....Apple got lots of good product placement. In the middle of one show this girl was editing a piece. She had only a few hours left to wrap up the edit and FCP just went poof. Gone, everything gone. She had to start over. Of course she hadn't saved because she normally didn't edit and didn't think to do it. She had to start over. I just laughed cause the Mac crashed. I remember when it happened I yelled to my wife across the room that the Apple just crashed. I thought it was hilarious.

Why does a gorilla have big nostrils.......cause it has big fingers.

frog blog

TheReal-C-Mac
User

Mar 28, 2008, 7:34 PM

Post #23 of 55 (429 views)
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In Reply To

I don't have down time on the PC unless it is of my own making cause I trying to experiment and do something stupid. That's my bad.
.

I was in the same boat when I started using Mac. I could tech support a PC. I remember my Dell PIII $3400 with the Pinnacle DV500 card $1000 and a 50 GB scsi media $1800, being a pain in the azz to keep running smoothly... I am quite sure things have come a long way...certainly prices of what type of machine is needed to edit have fallen greatly.

Also, Mac/PC, you can get the work done on both, but I do still think the cost of using Macs over the long hall is not enough of a difference for someone to use that as an excuse. Any you could certainly edit a wedding and create a dvd on a cheap Mac Mini. I had a friend that sold a mac mini a year later and only lost $100, in all fairness he did get it at a teacher discount, probably $50 cheaper. Still, $150 would be a great rental price for a year of usage.

Also, Apples do indeed crash... I crash my dual G5 2.5Ghz a couple times a week, when I have 50 hrs of high rez movie clips and multiple massively edited 2 hour timelines open. Not to mention, burning DVDs in the background, web browser, and email open. All computers have a breaking point and all computers have potential to cause great head aches to their owners. Most of my headaches come from burning out my hard drives. Ouch!

chris

JC/DV
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Mar 28, 2008, 7:42 PM

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In Reply To

for the $2500 mac investment I can buy 2 PCs (and have money left over), do more work, do it more efficiently because I can have 2 projects running at once, and thus make more money. After 2 years I can then buy another PC for only a thousand dollars and dedicate the old ones to being an inhouse render farm thus making me more efficient.
Final products look the same and more are completed with my 3 computers.

Philip, you know my thoughts and situations and I listen and agree totally with you, BUT I do have one thing to say... Final Cut Pro output has a distinctive look to the coloring on encodes unlike anything else I've seen done on a PC from different NLE's. I have looked at this more closely within the last few days once brought to my attention by a friend who is strongly considering going to MAC. But, in my mind, learning a new NLE that has a different editing "style" than Vegas (Premier, Edius, etc. all use the same "style" as FCP) anyways, I think I am finding a method to get better encodes (not just web delivery, but DVDs too)... more on that another day. My dream setup would be 2 Awesome PCs for editing/cutting with Vegas... hey I like it besides its faults here and there. Then a MAC w/FCP to do the final cleanup and exporting. All tethered together via fibre optic network to a central file storage server. Allowing for the best of both worlds... in my world. Tongue

This method could technically and theoretically work WITHOUT a single generation loss. So, PC vs. MAC... pros and cons to each. And like you, my PC is pretty darn stable. I think alot of the crashes people experience is from "ignorant bliss" if that makes sense.

Jerome
JC/DV Productions - Website - Blog

Technology. It does wonders if you know how to use it.

Kenneth
Veteran

Mar 29, 2008, 12:34 AM

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Re: [Coleman] Going over to the dark side with a Mac? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Funny thing is that if you go and configure a Mac for video editing and then go to the Sony or Dell website and configure a comparable machine you will they are very close in price.

Macs have a reputation for being more expensive but it's really not true. They just have higher base prices because Apple refuses to put crappy components in their machines. On the other hand if you get a $250 eMachine do you think it's even going to come close to an iMac as far as performance?
......................................................................
Philadelphia Wedding Video
The Kenneth Stillman Blog
Philadelphia Trash the Dress

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