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Lawts

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 6, 2008
2
0
We are currently in the process of building a FCP suite that we need to be able to smoothly handle 10bit 1080p HD Quicktime files without freezes and jumps in the footage. Ideally, we are hoping to install a RAID card and three additional drives under the hood of the Mac Pro and edit up to 100 minutes of 1080p HD without problem (in a RAID 0 configuration). Is this realistic though? Or do we need an external RAID array in a RAID 0 configuration to properly display and edit 100 minutes of 1080p HD? Any advice regarding our best purchase options would be hugely appreciated. Keep costs to a minimum is a priority too. Thanks in advance!
 
I think you would be better off with a Raid 5, I know its a bit more expensive but for 100 min on 1080 is what I am guessing you might need, what is the format you are exporting to?
 
Are you working 10-bit Uncompressed or ProRes?

Getting the CalDigit RAID card and striping (RAID0) 3 internals, you can support one stream of 10-bit Uncompressed. Using ProRes, you'd be able to get 5 streams. If you need more streams or RAID5 for protection, you'll need to start looking at 8 drive RAID towers from Caldigit, Dulce, etc.
 
We have super 16mm film stock that we're having converted, ideally, to 1080p 24p 10bit HD quicktime files - about 100 minutes worth. Does this constitute "one thread"? I'm not sure what the term "thread" refers to in this case - any explanation would be great!

Is it safe to use RAID 0 if I back-up the HD media to an external drive?

I keep hearing contrasting opinions - one school argues that this 1080p footage can't be edited/displayed smoothly without an external RAID array. The other school argues that I can fit the internal RAID card and internal drives and handle it all under the hood of the Mac Pro? Thoughts?
 
We have super 16mm film stock that we're having converted, ideally, to 1080p 24p 10bit HD quicktime files - about 100 minutes worth.

You should REALLY get tape copies of everything. It doesn't need to be HDCAM-SR or D5, but at least DVCProHD tapes. Tape is the ultimate backup and it is much cheaper than telecining a 2nd time because the hard drive crashed or a file corrupted.

Does this constitute "one thread"? I'm not sure what the term "thread" refers to in this case - any explanation would be great!

One stream means that when you are playing a timeline, only one video file is being played at a time (meaning no 2nd layer).

Is it safe to use RAID 0 if I back-up the HD media to an external drive?

Yes, but I'd still get a tape copy from the telecine.

I keep hearing contrasting opinions - one school argues that this 1080p footage can't be edited/displayed smoothly without an external RAID array. The other school argues that I can fit the internal RAID card and internal drives and handle it all under the hood of the Mac Pro? Thoughts?


That's because those opinions are talking about different things. You say "this 1080p footage" but you haven't even picked a video codec yet. If you are doing Uncompressed 10-bit, then a 3-disk hardware RAID0 will allow you to playback one stream at a time. Using ProRes (still 10-bit 1080p), you'd be able to playback 5 streams at a time.

It is very useful to have this overhead for transitions and compositions. So if you are going to edit Uncompressed 10-bit (comfortably), you are going to need to look into something like an 8-disk RAID array. If you decide to go ProRes, you would be just fine with a hardware RAID card and a 3-disk internal array.
 
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