If you want a real laptop (ie, one that can do the stuff you need it to do), get a Macbook. You're wasting your time with an Air. Spend five minutes planning your packing and take out the extra two pounds if they're that much of a bother. It's worth it for a fully functioning computer.
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MBA owners: Can the MBA handle basic HD through iMovie?
- Thread starter matthewHUB
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zioxide
macrumors 603
USB uses burst transfer which is bad for video. You'll get errors and dropped frames. Plus, you can't capture without firewire.
MRU
macrumors Penryn
I've used USB drives and not suffered drop frames... but yeah the firewire thing is certainly a big big DOH!!! I keep forgetting that it doesn't have one.
I'm going to miss it when I get mine 😱
zioxide
macrumors 603
Even if there were one, you couldn't turn a USB port into a FW one simply by using a cable.
Catch
macrumors 6502
Can't see that working with cameras and decks. FW gives you camera/deck control when you capture. I have never heard of anyone capturing video over USB even for SD. HD is going to be even more demanding.
Not up to speed on HD compression standards to be honest. Stopped editing video just when HD was starting to get on the scene... I do know that for uncompressed HD you need extreme drive speeds. For multiple streams you would be talking something like the Xraid and FC... HD packs allot of information per frame...
I honestly think that if you can only get one computer and you need to do any type of video capture the MBA is the wrong machine...
C
The camera he is trying to use on the macbook air has no ilink (firewire). Most avchd camcorders that record to memory stick don't have the firewire port since all you need to do is remove the card from the camera and place it into a usb card reader and transfter the files that way. The macbook air should be fast enough as long as he can wait for the hard drive to catch up if he gets the 80 gig. Here is a reveiw of the camera he has http://tinyurl.com/2xz8j4 . I should know since I am going to purchase the same camera sometime this year.
zioxide
macrumors 603
The OP said he was going to get a Canon HV30, which is an HDV camera.
Even if you were to use a AVCHD camera with a card reader, the 4200rpm hard drive is way too slow to stream Apple Intermediate Codec. The video pretty much wouldn't play in the editor.
Again, that's an AVCHD camera. The OP is getting an HDV camera (which are better than AVCHD). You can't capture clips from a tape camera over USB. You can copy the clips over from an AVCHD over USB, but it's still too slow to stream it.
wow ok so i guess i'm hitting some problems. Are the HDV cameras really that much better in terms of quality than the AVCHD ones? I've just been itching to have something this small and light that does basically a bit better than my PB G4 12" and this seems so perfect except for the lack of firewire.
i mean, photoshop/dreamweaver etc are more than fine on my PB, so why is everyone complaining that the MBA is not fast enough?? OK ok i'm not a serious power photoshop user, but still. For me, this machine is plenty fast enough, absolutely perfect size, just lacks firewire. Worth changing all my plans over? or shall i just get an AVCHD camera? or shall i just make do without a second machine and try and save my editing for when i visit my parents house... then maybe get an imac?
It's so annoying - this machine is so perfect for me as a replacement for my really quite dying powerbook. barring the lack of firewire
i mean, photoshop/dreamweaver etc are more than fine on my PB, so why is everyone complaining that the MBA is not fast enough?? OK ok i'm not a serious power photoshop user, but still. For me, this machine is plenty fast enough, absolutely perfect size, just lacks firewire. Worth changing all my plans over? or shall i just get an AVCHD camera? or shall i just make do without a second machine and try and save my editing for when i visit my parents house... then maybe get an imac?
It's so annoying - this machine is so perfect for me as a replacement for my really quite dying powerbook. barring the lack of firewire
zioxide
macrumors 603
currently, yes. HDV has a bitrate of 25MB/s and the current AVCHD cameras are like 15MB/s iirc.
dreamweaver would be fine, but for large ps work where it's using the hard drive as a scratch disk, it would be slow because the Air's drive is extremely slow.
no. the fact is that imovie transcodes both HDV and AVCHD to AIC (apple intermediate codec) for editing. The MB Air hard drive is way too slow to playback AIC for editing.
Yes. The air is really designed as a portable to compliment a main computer. This seems like the best course.
I'd actually recommend getting the iMac first and wait a few months for the MB Air for the Rev.A kinks to get worked out. (if you can deal with using the 12'' PBG4 for your traveling for a little while longer.
Ok final question.... do you think then that i can use my PB G4 to capture the video from the HDV cam? What software do you use to capture it?
Does it matter that my PB can't view HD video? (it just crashes or sleeps as it overheats) If i could keep it straggling along and use that to import the video then i guess i'll be set and i can have the MBA for on the road. the problem is that i can't view it on my PB, but i can just copy it over to the SSD 😀
thoughts?
PS does anyone else have this problem with HD video on their PB?
Does it matter that my PB can't view HD video? (it just crashes or sleeps as it overheats) If i could keep it straggling along and use that to import the video then i guess i'll be set and i can have the MBA for on the road. the problem is that i can't view it on my PB, but i can just copy it over to the SSD 😀
thoughts?
PS does anyone else have this problem with HD video on their PB?
LethalWolfe
macrumors G3
Even if you captured it on a different machine AIC (Apple intermediate Codec) is around 40gigs an hour and the MBA only has an 80gig HDD (or 64gig SSD). By the time you include OS+Apps 1hr of AIC video will pretty much fill up the rest of your storage. The MBA is suited, or intended, to be used the way you want to use it.
Lethal
OK so then scratch the idea of using the Air to do video... i guess if i'm using tapes it can all wait till i get back home to use the PB, which i can hook up to my external 250gb firewire drive, and capture through this machine.
Does it matter that it crashes though when i play HD content? I think it crashes due to overheating form the Hard Disc. so... capturing to an external firewire HD wouldn't do that correct?
Does it matter that it crashes though when i play HD content? I think it crashes due to overheating form the Hard Disc. so... capturing to an external firewire HD wouldn't do that correct?
I was thinking the same thing. Why not supplement with an external HD to capture footage to, which you can bring along every couple of months when you need it? I wonder if the Time Capsule can serve your purposes? It has a USB port.
Glancing over the specs for the Canon HV30, it seems that they include a USB cable but no firewire. So I wonder if that is how you transfer data. With an SSD drive, I don't think you'd have any speed worries. Storage issues can be dealt with via an external drive. Your PB probably just didn't have the computing power to handle HD. This new chip will be several times faster and stronger than the PB's.
I just can't imagine that this computer cannot handle the kind of consumer-level photo editing, light video editing and other basic tasks it seems that you intend to use it for. I suspect the naysayers have more intensive, memory-hogging tasks in mind that what you're talking about.
Frankly, it sounds as if, as someone who travels a lot, the idea of an extremely portable laptop is highly appealing. You've probably got your encased cello or oboe in one hand, and an overnight bag, plus maybe a garment bag over your shoulder for your tux. Shaving two or more pounds off the weight of your hardware would make a bigger-than-others-may-realize difference in your comfort level (and for the long-term health of your back). Am I in the right concert hall here?
netdog
macrumors 603
Catch
macrumors 6502
I don't think anyone is saying the processor in the MBA is not fast enough. Its the productivity and workflow that will suffer. The smaller screen in Photoshop as well as the slow HD. There is absolutely no reason why Photoshop will not run on the MBA as long as you are aware of those weaknesses compared to say a 15-17" MBP.
I think the MBA was more or less designed for people that work mostly in Office, Mail, Safari and watch the odd movie while on the road. Some people call it a lifestyle machine. I think thats a very narrow view, but it kind of places the MBA far below the other Pro machines for "arts" related industries.
I love it. I have ordered it, but I also am very well aware of its weaknesses...
Good luck with your choice my friend. Its a tough one!
Regards,
C
NickFalk
macrumors 6502
I feel your pain Matthew. When I first saw the thing I fell in love immediately and I'm sort of planning to get a new laptop this year... But the fact is that without a firewire and with only a small 4200rpm HD this thing really is useless for video-editing no matter how small and simple.
So your statemen abow is like saying. This car seems so perfect except for the lack of an engine...
you're bang on. I have to lug around a cello (sometimes 2), a garment bag, overnight bag, plus a messenger bag with my notebook and enough music for a whole recital program.
I have an external firewire that i could capture to through my PB. would this work? Is there a way of just dumping the footage without previewing so it's not CPU intensive?
Catch
macrumors 6502
You can easily transfer the footage via the USB port. If all you want to do is move it to the MBA. No problem with that at all... Its a real shame they could not have fitted a FW port for people in your situation...
C
The chap has been using a 12" PB. The extra screen real estate will seem a luxury. As for another commenter about the 4200 rpm HD, he's already stated that he would buy the SSD, which according to my understanding is faster even than a 5400 rpm HD.
As for downloading HDV to your PB, I don't see any impediments. You've said it only gives you trouble when you try to work with it. Then, sure, you can transfer it to your MBA at your leisure.
All in all, I think this will be a serious upgrade over your PB. Enjoy.
LethalWolfe
macrumors G3
The CPU intensive part is the transcoding from HDV into AIC that happens when you capture the video.
The SSD is only 64gigs though. 1 hour of AIC video is around 40gigs. After you install the OS and apps you don't have much room left.
Lethal
I guess it boils down to, how long are the video clips that the OP will be editing? And what about supplementing with an external hard drive?