Can a 12" PB handle FCP?

[xrayzed]

I'm a switcher-in-waiting currently in the market for a portable, and I want one that can handle video editing as well.

I had my eyes on a 15" PB before the announcement that Apple would be moving to Intel CPUs from next year. I figure we'll see a huge jump in performance for PBs next year, so I'd prefer not to spend to much on a PB at the moment, and upgrade in 2006.

Price-wise a 12" PB looks like a reasonable stop-gap, presuming it can actually handle FCP, although I am concerned about the video card.

Are there any 12" users who can advise?

[joecool85]

Well, I'm a 12 incher and mine is a rev a. So...thats 867mhz, 256 cache (as opposed to the higher 512 now) and 640 ram. FCP runs fine on this one, not the fastest, but it does the trick. However, I don't use FCP that much, I only have it because I needed it for one of my courses at UMaine and they let me have a version I could only use while on campus (using key access.) Point being, if you are going to be doing a TON of FCP, get something with more balls, but if not, you should be set. Besides, 64mb of vid ram isn't *that* bad.

[Espnetboy3]

xray have u ever used fcp or done any seriuos editing?

[LethalWolfe]

It depends on how often you are going to be editing and on what kind of projects. Power wouldn't concern me as much as screen size. Doing any kind of in depth editing on that tiny ass screen would just suck. I have two 17" CRT's and I wish I had more screen space. You'd probably also wanna use and external keyboard and mouse. Again, only assuming you are going to be using it on a fairly regular basis.

Editing on a 12" Pb is certainly doable. But so is running a marathon in ill-fiting shoes.


Lethal

[dswoodley]

yes, as well as any Mac will run it short of a G5, but what kills you is the lack of screen space. I wouldn't want my 12in PB as my main FCP machine, but it'll do in a pinch.

[xrayzed]

I might use the PB 12" screen for rough edits but I plan to use my 17" LCD for the serious editing.

In answer in Espnetboy3: Serious editing? No.

I've done a bit in Premiere on Win XP (I'm not crazy about the interface, which is one of the reasons I want to switch), but I'm not an experienced editor.

[Aldaris]

Sounds like an adaquate system to be running that stuff, back in the day I used a 700Mh G3 iBook and an external hard drive, to edit my high school video yearbook, I was running FCP3, and it ran fine. (For the exception of 128Mb memory, rendering took a while, but patience is a virtue, or so I'm told.)

[salils]

I would wait on buying a powerbook. I think they are going to be replaced soon.

[xrayzed]

Thanks to all for the responses.

I hope Salils is right and PBs are updated soon. I'm of two minds on the issue: on the one hand based on previous trends they are probably about due. On the other with the move to Intel it is possible they might be prepared to run the current lines out until they upgrade to the new CPUs.

I am inclined to think they'll need to do something - 12 months or so is a long time to intend to keep the current specs viable, even if it's just a bit of tweaking (speedbumps, larger HDs, better 12" screen or whatever).

If I didn't need to start editing in the next couple of months I'd simply defer the switch.

[Rod Rod]

Don't let the Intel switch cause you to wait. When FCP with universal binaries comes out, it's unknown whether FCP will run better or worse on Intel compared to PPC. It's a safe bet that it will take Apple a year or two before FCP on Intel is better than FCP on PPC. The Rosetta business doesn't quite apply to FCP because of all the Altivec optimization. However, any Intel Mac should run FCP 3 (by way of Rosetta) perfectly fine, except for the realtime stuff that requires Altivec.

A 12" PowerBook will run FCP nicely. You can use the Digital Cinema Desktop feature to overcome the 1024x768 resolution.

[looklost]

I use FCP on my powerbook G4 400 mhz on a regular basis.

[enclave]

I cut together a feature length film on my 12" 1ghz powerbook with a tiny 768 meg of ram and it worked perfectly. Don't let the "enthusiasts" fool you. Video work does NOT require hefty sys requirements. It takes a little longer to render and it cant do many effects on the fly but it works perfectly fine. In the end your just chopping up video files, it isn't system intensive until you start hammering out layer upon layer of video

[LethalWolfe]

Originally Posted by enclave

I cut together a feature length film on my 12" 1ghz powerbook with a tiny 768 meg of ram and it worked perfectly. Don't let the "enthusiasts" fool you. Video work does NOT require hefty sys requirements. It takes a little longer to render and it cant do many effects on the fly but it works perfectly fine. In the end your just chopping up video files, it isn't system intensive until you start hammering out layer upon layer of video

Nobody's said it won't work. But different people have different idea's of what is "good enough" and we were just presenting the possible short comings of using a 12" PB.

Heck, a movie in Sundance was cut in iMovie, but I'm not about to go tell people to ditch FCE or FCP because of it.

And about video requirements, DV doesn't require hefty hardware anymore (HDV requires a bit more than DV), but many video formats do.


Lethal

[enclave]

Originally Posted by LethalWolfe

Nobody's said it won't work. But different people have different idea's of what is "good enough" and we were just presenting the possible short comings of using a 12" PB.

Heck, a movie in Sundance was cut in iMovie, but I'm not about to go tell people to ditch FCE or FCP because of it.

And about video requirements, DV doesn't require hefty hardware anymore (HDV requires a bit more than DV), but many video formats do.


Lethal

I think people tend to forget that editors were cutting things on g3's not so long ago.

A g4 processor is more than sufficent for DV work, unless there cutting some form of HD. "whats good enough" I would say the ability to do anything required for dv editing is "good enough". A g5 is superfluous when you only cut dv footage.

[LethalWolfe]

Originally Posted by enclave

I think people tend to forget that editors were cutting things on g3's not so long ago.

And before that were Avids on PM 9600's. And before that were Video Toasters/DVEs. And before that was good old, no frills deck-to-deck editing.

What is your point?

A g4 processor is more than sufficent for DV work, unless there cutting some form of HD. "whats good enough" I would say the ability to do anything required for dv editing is "good enough". A g5 is superfluous when you only cut dv footage.

Just because it's good enough for you doesn't mean it's good enough for everyone else. A G5 is overkill if you do cuts only DV editing and/or don't edit very often. If you are getting paid by the hour to do proc intensive work (lots of layers, fx, mattes, keys, etc.,) then a G5 is more than worth it, and a 12" PB would not be far from good enough. Again, just because it fits YOUR needs doesn't mean it fits EVERYONE's needs.

Of course, what makes this conversation even more fun is the fact that nobody (especially not me) said the 12" was a bad choice, but you came in guns blazing anyway. Per my first post, my biggest concern w/using a 12" PB for light editing isn't power it's ergonomics. A 12" PB can get cramped pretty fast which is why I mentioned using an external monitor and KB/M.



Lethal

[enclave]

"And before that were Avids on PM 9600's. And before that were Video Toasters/DVEs. And before that was good old, no frills deck-to-deck editing.

What is your point" _ Lethal

Heh, my point is that despite your frivolous comments, he isn't a power user he just wanted to know if it would work, and for his needs, yes it IS a good option. A G5 is unnecessary

Well I don't use the powerbook as is. I have my external monitor and keyboard. Irregardless he only asked

"I'm a switcher-in-waiting currently in the market for a portable, and I want one that can handle video editing as well. " - OP

so yeh, it is a good choice, perhaps the perfect choice. Your comment regarding the powerbook

"Editing on a 12" Pb is certainly doable. But so is running a marathon in ill-fitting shoes" was misleading and just plain wrong.

So yeh I went to bat for the powerbook, because people like you suggest people buy things they don't require. He's not a power user, so why are you suggesting he is? Oh what fun! I'm not trying to bug you, I was just pointing out what I think the OP should know, that's all.

[puckhead193]

Originally Posted by xrayzed

I might use the PB 12" screen for rough edits but I plan to use my 17" LCD for the serious editing.

In answer in Espnetboy3: Serious editing? No.

I've done a bit in Premiere on Win XP (I'm not crazy about the interface, which is one of the reasons I want to switch), but I'm not an experienced editor.

You should look into final cut express

[LethalWolfe]

Originally Posted by enclave

"And before that were Avids on PM 9600's. And before that were Video Toasters/DVEs. And before that was good old, no frills deck-to-deck editing.

What is your point" _ Lethal

Heh, my point is that despite your frivolous comments, he isn't a power user he just wanted to know if it would work, and for his needs, yes it IS a good option. A G5 is unnecessary

Round and round we go. Where did I suggest the thread starter needed to get a G5? And how, by the OP, do you magically gather what his needs are? Please reread my first reply.

Well I don't use the powerbook as is. I have my external monitor and keyboard. Irregardless he only asked

Fantasic. That fixes the only possible snag I mentioned w/using the 12" pb for editing.

"I'm a switcher-in-waiting currently in the market for a portable, and I want one that can handle video editing as well. " - OP

so yeh, it is a good choice, perhaps the perfect choice. Your comment regarding the powerbook

The OP has no info regarding where the PB was destined for heavy editing or not. Reread my reply (especially the first two lines).

"Editing on a 12" Pb is certainly doable. But so is running a marathon in ill-fitting shoes" was misleading and just plain wrong.

Lighten up it was a joke. the "" usually gives that way...

So yeh I went to bat for the powerbook, because people like you suggest people buy things they don't require. He's not a power user, so why are you suggesting he is?

I never suggested anything of the sort. Again, go reread my first post.

Just because I wasn't praising the 12" PB as god's gift to mobile editing doesn't mean I was damning it.

The ONLY thing I said in regards to the OP that could be construed as negative is IF you are editing on a regular basis w/a 12" PB you MIGHT want to consider using an external monitor and kb/m for the sake of ergonomics. Not exactly scathing criticism... geez.



Lethal

[xrayzed]

Gentlemen, please. (Or perhaps "gentlewomen". Can't be sure) All feedback has been helpful from my perspective, pros and cons for all options.

Getting real-user feedback on people's experiences and perspectives has been very helpful. It's one thing to read tech-specs and guess what it means in practice, quite another - and much better - to read users' experiences.

puckhead193: I've considered FC Express, but am strongly leaning towards FCP for a few reasons: 24fps capable, timecode displays, better colour correction tools, and it's bundled with Soundtrack Pro & Motion.

The film I'm working on was shot digitally in 24fps, and needs some serious colour correction and audio work on a few key shots.

[enclave]

"Lighten up it was a joke. the " " usually gives that way..."

Oh right, NOW it's a joke.. I see.

It's easy to back away from a disagreement when you change what you said. If this was the case why didnt you just mention it in your first response to me instead of getting upset?

Suffice to say your comments were suggestive, irregardless of your choice of "emoticon"

I hope all goes well with your purchase OP

[LethalWolfe]

Originally Posted by enclave

"Lighten up it was a joke. the " " usually gives that way..."

Oh right, NOW it's a joke.. I see.

It's easy to back away from a disagreement when you change what you said. If this was the case why didnt you just mention it in your first response to me instead of getting upset?

Suffice to say your comments were suggestive, irregardless of your choice of "emoticon"

I hope all goes well with your purchase OP

Oh dear lord...

The "ill-fitting shoes" comment was always meant to be cheeky, and it was the only part meant to be cheeky.


Lethal

[rockthecasbah]

Originally Posted by joecool85

Well, I'm a 12 incher and mine is a rev a. So...thats 867mhz, 256 cache (as opposed to the higher 512 now) and 640 ram. FCP runs fine on this one, not the fastest, but it does the trick. However, I don't use FCP that much, I only have it because I needed it for one of my courses at UMaine and they let me have a version I could only use while on campus (using key access.) Point being, if you are going to be doing a TON of FCP, get something with more balls, but if not, you should be set. Besides, 64mb of vid ram isn't *that* bad.

We do our video editing on the same exact PB, works like a charm. Just plan to get the biggest hd, lots of ram, and possibly an external hard drive to keep your stuff on because video takes up lots of space...

[xrayzed]

Originally Posted by rockthecasbah

We do our video editing on the same exact PB, works like a charm. Just plan to get the biggest hd, lots of ram, and possibly an external hard drive to keep your stuff on because video takes up lots of space...

Indeed. I'm looking at a La Cie 250GB external HD.

I'm still weighing up whether to cram in as much RAM as I can, or given this is basically an interim machine, to make do with 1 GB of RAM. Apple RAM is so *pricey*.

[Rod Rod]

Originally Posted by xrayzed

Apple RAM is so *pricey*.

Don't buy it from Apple. Buy it from Crucial (MacRumors site sponsor) or find it through www.ramseeker.com (RAM price comparison site).

[LethalWolfe]

Originally Posted by xrayzed

Indeed. I'm looking at a La Cie 250GB external HD.

I'm still weighing up whether to cram in as much RAM as I can, or given this is basically an interim machine, to make do with 1 GB of RAM. Apple RAM is so *pricey*.

Holy smokes dude, never buy RAM from Apple. N-E-V-E-R.

crucial.com is a good place to buy RAM that plays nice w/Macs. Macs tend to have tighter tolerences than PCs so cheap-o RAM typically turns a Mac into a doorstop until you remove it.

I think 1 gig or RAM will be okay. I've only got 1gig on my dual gig G4 Quicksilver and I regularly have After Effects, Photoshop, and FCP HD running at the same time w/o unacceptable slow downs.


Lethal