[Video Editing] Mac or PC?

If you need it for a career... go with the Mac. Mac's are the "pro" choice hands down.


If it's a casual, occasional need... go PC.





Video and graphic design is definitely in the Mac's wheelhouse.

 

The second question is more subjective, but I was able to provide useful links for the others.

I think Mac overpricing is mostly a result of Apple's desire to create a level of exclusivity with their brand. Simply put, it costs more so less people have it, which makes it the "cool" thing to have. Since it's the cool thing to have, there's a demand and it gets more expensive. As it gets more expensive, it gets cooler to have one. So on and so forth. Not to mention they are really the only alternative to the PC experience, so that's yet another advantage.

And let me clarify that I'm not knocking the product. I don't have a Mac, but I certainly respect their quality. I'm just not going to shell out 2 or 3 times as much cash so I can look hip to a certain demographic.

 

Mac if you're a hipster

 

LOL What sorry economics class did you take? I don't care about social trends. I just needed something that is built solid on the outside and will be reliable. I started off with a hackintosh desktop to make sure I would like OSX and moved on to a Macbook Pro. Granted you can spend 4-500 dollars on a decent HP laptop, but what is the point if its going to break in a year or two anyway? A MBP will last you years and have great resell value.

And to answer your question, I usually use Adobe Premiere. It's been years since I've used Sony. If you can afford it, go with a Mac/FCP setup. If not, I'd just build a quad-core desktop and go with Sony/Adobe.

Having worked with the local ABC station, they generally use older PC's but are slowly trying to make the transition to Mac's as they can afford it. The work they get done with one Mac would typically require 10 PC's lol

 

uhh NO. this guy is wrong.

 

I would personally go for a descent pc, get adobe cs4 and the gpu accelerator plugin. These big multibillion transistor gpus (gtx85) cream the mac xeon solution.

 

I primarily use FCP and Avid (I have a macbook pro with Avid for Mac), but using Premiere CS4 on a limited basis it seems that it has come a long way. Historically I've despised Premiere because it simply wasn't reliable no matter what machine I used it on.

So, if you can justify and it and afford it, I'd say get a Mac and FCP. Otherwise, I think you'd be okay taking your chances on a PC and CS4.

 

I've been in video & broadcast for 16yrs now. Started on Media100 & Premier, then FCP, and now on Quantel (PC). I must say that our entire office (6 post suites with 6 editors plus 5 producers on software versions of Quantel) all favor the old FCP suites to the new $120K Quantel suites. the FCP just runs much, much better & smoother. FCP has always ran more smooth than anything else I've worked on. Many of our editors have Avid and Smoke experience as well & they prefer the macs too.

My current work editor is a Dell running Quantel, at home I run an old version of FCP on a G4. Although the Dell can do everything FCP can do, plus a lot, lot more - the FCP is easier & runs much better with very few problems.

Another thing to consider with PC's, is that if you are going to use if for editing, make sure it is a high-end SONY or similiar computer. Low end, cheaper computers tend to have a lot more problems in the video world because the parts are cheaper & the computers will skimp on details that aren't advertised boldly, lilke cache speed, bus speed, amount of VRAM, etc..

Also, you might want to check out the difference between the i5-750 processor and the Xeon Nehalem. If you go with a PC, make sure you get the better processor.

 

Believe it or not, there are plenty of people who use Macs who don't give a s*** about hipness.

 

Mac Pro is by far the most overpriced computer Apple makes, by far. I would get that XPS 11 times out of 10. Then, I would install OSX on it and I would still be able to use Final Cut Pro.

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No sh**!

 

not with that processor on the xps...make sure whatever you get has a Xeon Nehalem. Its much, much better for video/rendering. If you go PC, go High-end for video work, you'll regret getting the cheaper processor.

 

You don't have to get offended and make a rude reply just because you don't think you fall into the group I was referring to.

Some people who buy Macs honestly don't do it to be hip and you may very well be one of them.

But many other people do. Many other people.

 

Is this your opinion or a fact?

 

Do you have to go with a full Mac Pro? I have a 1.8 G5 that finally started showing it's age when it came to processing videos, so I upgraded to a Mac Mini for $799. I already had a 24" HD screen, so I didn't need a fancy (and high priced) Mac screen. The mini has served all my needs so far.

I prefer Final Cut Pro. The learning curve can be steep depending on what you want to do, but once you've gotten the hang of it you'll love it.

 

I have 4 cousins that bought Mac's because their friends have it. They know nothing about it, but got it because I guess they think it's cool. So YES, some people get it to be cool. They are trying to get me into buying a MAC.

 

They have quad core 27" iMacs now that will save you some cash. Or, you could settle for a dual core 21.5".

 

Fact, based on observation.

It's similar to saying that some people like the Rockets only because Yao is on the team. Some admit it and some don't, but we all know it's true.

Hell, I worked with a kid (18 or 19) who had a PC laptop but slapped a white Apple sticker over the Dell logo. He sure didn't do it for increased performance or better build quality. It was obviously because he wants to be perceived as a "Mac person".

But I guess he's the only one who has ever thought that way, right?

 

Majority?

This seems to be the common perception of Windows users that most, if not all do for image reasons.