Mac Mini good for editing 60 min 720p video?

[Reminisce32]

I want to buy a Mac and my needs are to be able to edit video files that are no more than 60 minutes of 720p video which are roughly 3-4 GB.

Price isn't necessarily an obstacle but I want something with the minimal requirements and price that will get the job done and will allow me to watermark and cut out portions of the video and render without crashing, freezing, etc.

PS. Could I do watermarking (add transparent ".png" logo to a video) on iMovie or would I need FCP?

PSS. Do you believe that the upcoming version of Mac Mini will be better for video editing and I should thus wait?

Thanks in advance.

Reminisce32

 

[simsaladimbamba]

I can edit 1080p on my 2007 and 2009 C2D Macs, if the footage is encoded in a proper editing codec*, thus it takes more than 3 to 4 GB away. 60 minutes of 720p footage should take at least 60 GB using the Apple Intermediate Codec (iMovie or Final Cut Express).
I think even a 2011 Mac mini will choke a bit on H.264 compressed video during editing, though iMovie typically transcodes it anyway during import.

As for the overlay, I do not know, as I do not use iMovie. Use a www search engine to look for tutorials on using transparent graphics in iMovie as an overlay, but I think, the transparency part will not work in iMovie.
It will work in FCP 7 or X and with FCP X there is a 30 day trial, which might more than suffice for your editing needs before buying it.

*
Video Compression
Why It Matters & How To Make The Most Of It

which includes the following sections:

• GOPs, Macroblocks & Wavelets
• Acquisition Formats
• Editing & Post Formats
• Final Cut Pro
• Avid Media Composer
• Adobe Premiere Pro
• Which Codec Should I Edit With?
• Conclusion
• Camera Codec Summary
• Apple ProRes Variations
• Avid DNxHD Codecs

 

[fortysomegeek]

Yes. Mac Mini will work. I edited 720p video with a 2008, 2009 Mac Minis and Macbook Pros with 2.5 Core 2 Duo cpus.