Final Cut Express Questions

[Lanman]

1. I have Final Cut 3.0 that I used on my iMac G5 that I recently gave to my Mother and I now have an iMac C2D. Will Final Cut 3.0 work on Intel Hardware? Are there a lot of issues? (I don't want issues, that is why I have a Mac. )

2. If I purchase the educational version of Final Cut 3.5, can I purchase an upgrade when a new version comes out or do I have to repurchase a new copy?

3. I want to load FCE on two of my systems at my house (iMac and Macbook Pro). Will the software prevent me from installing it on 2 computers? (Like Micro$ofts activation) or will the software prevent me from running on two different computers at the same time? ( I would like to use FCE on my Macbook Pro while my iMac is encoding)

Thank you in advance for all of your help,
Dan

 

[gokuu]

You can run them at the same time, just dont have them conected to the network together or else you wont be able too...

 

[-DH]

1. No. The IntelMacs will require FCE HD 3.5 to run properly ... perhaps even to install properly.

2. Not usually .. at least that's been Apple's policy in the past.

3. Check the software license agreement.

-DH

 

[dolphin842]

Final Cut Express seems to be the sole exception to Apple's "edu licenses can't be upgraded" rule. The edu version has the same model number as the retail version, doesn't have the same dire warnings about non-upgradability as there are for, say Logic or Final Cut Studio, and the Express 3.5 upgrade is available in the edu store.

 

[Royale w/cheese]

1. No. The IntelMacs will require FCE HD 3.5 to run properly ... perhaps even to install properly.
-DH

You CAN load Previous versions of FCE onto the Intel Macs, it just takes some know how with our friend textedit. First it will install fine, but when you try to start it up, it will tell you why it wont run, usually because of no AGP card or a weak processor speed. Once it tells you what it needs to run, show the package contents in FCE (ctrl-click fce-->show package contents-->contents-->open info.plist with textedit) Look for what it says you need i.e. AGP then change that to PCI save and reopen FCE and see its full DV glory! Simple! But don't expect it to run fast under rosetta on the intel macs. It can be fine for a few small clips, but it you don't have a fast C2D and huge ram, you will be disappointed. So the simplest way is just to shell out the $99 for the upgrade, plus you can upgrade the edu version of FCE. WHen 4 comes out,sell the upgrade on eBay for 2/3rds what you paid for it. Or sell both packages and just buy the edu version. Or just run it on your trusty g5, You did keep it didn't you?

 

[DaveLadely]

Final Cut Express 3.0 on Intel Macs?

So, if I understand you correctly, the 3.0 version CAN be installed on a non-Intel Mac, but in order to run, a procedure needs to be done.

Why not just install the Final Cut Express 3.0, then install the upgrade to 3.5 or 4.0? The upgrades are inexpensive on Ebay, less than $20.00 - but the 3.5 full program is well over $130.00 when bid on. In fact 3.5 seems to sell for more than 4.0!

So, it seems like installing 3.0, then the upgrade would save a lot of money and would work with the Intel Macs.
Right?
dave

 

[Royale w/cheese]

So, if I understand you correctly, the 3.0 version CAN be installed on a non-Intel Mac, but in order to run, a procedure needs to be done.

Why not just install the Final Cut Express 3.0, then install the upgrade to 3.5 or 4.0? The upgrades are inexpensive on Ebay, less than $20.00 - but the 3.5 full program is well over $130.00 when bid on. In fact 3.5 seems to sell for more than 4.0!

So, it seems like installing 3.0, then the upgrade would save a lot of money and would work with the Intel Macs.
Right?
dave

Yes, but these questions were over a year ago, and things were a little different then. 4.0 was not released yet when the OP originally asked the question. As for the prices of 3.5 being so high, it is kind of like why Tiger disks are still so high, some people just want or need it, and it is no longer commercially available, at least from regular retail channels. Plus when it 3.0 and 3.5 were released, it was $299 as opposed to 4.0 being less at $199. When the OP had posted, upgrading to 3.5 was not really a smart thing to do, as it was only an incremental release and 4.0 was on the horizon, and most knew this. That was one of the reasons I stuck with the older version also, and figured out how to install in on unsupported machines both PPC and Intel, although it was not an ideal setup.

Also, if you have the upgrade, there is no need to install older versions first, just enter the serials.

 

[huntercr]

Final Cut Express seems to be the sole exception to Apple's "edu licenses can't be upgraded" rule. The edu version has the same model number as the retail version, doesn't have the same dire warnings about non-upgradability as there are for, say Logic or Final Cut Studio, and the Express 3.5 upgrade is available in the edu store.

That was my experience as well, When I upgraded Final Cut Express from 2.0 to 3.5 "HD", I confirmed this with the Apple Rep.
I believe he said to me ( forgive me, it was awhile back )
The educational price for FCE is a generic "discount" rather than a special product version. The difference in price between Final Cut Studio Education vs. retail is astronomical, while the difference between FCE education vs retail is quite modest. Made sense to me at the time.

EDIT: *doh!* I didn't realize this thread was a year old. How do you guys find this stuff?

 

[Royale w/cheese]

...EDIT: *doh!* I didn't realize this thread was a year old. How do you guys find this stuff?

It is actaully pretty crazy how I found this again, I saw the post on the front page, clicked it and reread the posts, only when I had answered the newer post did I realize that I had been the one that had previously answered about the plist. That was when I reread the dates too.