[mshan]

Thinking about getting my dad an Intel iMac primarily for video editing, but also eventually want to pick up a Mac Mini myself as a quiet audio server.

Just wondering if Mac OX 10.4 Tiger is already optimzed for Intel Dual Core cpus, or if the operating system and iLife application might become more speedy with OS 10.5 Leopard if there is any learning curve for Apple programmers and they wring out any fat of the current operating system.

 

[davei]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mshan Thinking about getting my dad an Intel iMac primarily for video editing, but also eventually want to pick up a Mac Mini myself as a quiet audio server. Just wondering if Mac OX 10.4 Tiger is already optimzed for Intel Dual Core cpus, or if the operating system and iLife application might become more speedy with OS 10.5 Leopard if there is any learning curve for Apple programmers and they wring out any fat of the current operating system.

The iLife programs are Universal and optimized for Intel processors. Pro apps (DVD Studio Pro, Final Cut, etc.) not yet.

 

[mshan]

Intel cpus and their dual cores cpus have just been introduced.

Just wondering whether or not OS 10.4 Tiger takes full advantage of these dual core processors or if I should wait till the fall for OS 10.5?

If there are only going to be incremental changes (e.g. couple new features, slightly faster cpu, larger hard drive), I'd be inclined to get one now.

However, if OS 10.5 Leopard will really be a significant jump forward (e.g. speediness of system, significant jump when multi-tasking), I'd be inclined to wait.

I don't see my dad or myself using an "pro" applications; just what Apple includes in the operating system and iLife.

 

[grawk]

Apples have been optimized for multiple cpus for years, the conversion to intel doesn't change that.

 

[mshan]

Is OS 10.5 Leopard supposed to introduce anything revolutionary, or will it just be a couple new features?

And are there any mechanical failures / problems / bugs / recalls with the new 17 inch Core Duo iMac?

 

[grawk]

My understanding is the intel macs have all been pretty good so far, tho they're still fairly new. I have no idea what's coming with 10.5, but I am more from the "buy the computer you want when you want it" rather than trying to wait for something that isn't here yet. There's always something new coming, so you'll always have an excuse to wait.

 

[mshan]

I've been reading up on the Intel iMac Core Duo and just read that they have now removed Appleworks from the software bundle.

Do these new iMacs still include some sort of rudimentary word processor? If no, are there any good freeware ones for Mac OS 10.4?

 

[GTroy]

openoffice2 is comparable to microsoft office.

 

[GTroy]

just switch to linux, gives you the most power/configurability for the price.
I didn't realize this, and switched just for the ethical reasons.
I have tiger 10.4.5 and it's more for backup than anything.

 

[mshan]

Anybody used the iMovie HD 6 and iDVD applications in the new Intel iMac Core Duo.

I build my dad a very powerful video editing computer with Adobe Premier Pro 1 and a Matrox rTX.10 video acceleration card, but he is just finding it too complicated for his needs.

 

[davei]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mshan Do these new iMacs still include some sort of rudimentary word processor? If no, are there any good freeware ones for Mac OS 10.4?

You'd have to double check, but I think Pages (word processor, part of iWork) is still included. It came with my iBook which I bought a few months ago.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mshan Anybody used the iMovie HD 6 and iDVD applications in the new Intel iMac Core Duo. I build my dad a very powerful video editing computer with Adobe Premier Pro 1 and a Matrox rTX.10 video acceleration card, but he is just finding it too complicated for his needs.

Good lord - that's a pro setup that requires actual training to get the most out of! If you've already invested a bit in the hardware, you can yank out the Matrox card and use some other software which provides similar functionality to iLife. Something like Sonic MyDVD8. Nothing comes close to iLife's integration and simplicity (with excellent results) though.

In a nutshell, if Premiere is too complicated, iMovie and iDVD are a solid choice. There is still a bit of a learning curve, but you can at least get started without a book.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTroy just switch to linux, gives you the most power/configurability for the price.

Linux has come a long way, but there is nothing on Linux that even comes close to iLife for consumer level video editing.

 

[mshan]

I believe the Adobe Premier Pro MPEG-2 encoders are of very, very high quality.

How does iMovie HD 6 convert DV to MPEG-2? Any complaints on something such as a large screen tv?

 

[davei]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mshan I believe the Adobe Premier Pro MPEG-2 encoders are of very, very high quality. How does iMovie HD 6 convert DV to MPEG-2? Any complaints on something such as a large screen tv?

IME the built in Premiere Pro encoders are middling at best. Slow and not particularly high quality. Certainly not as good as CinemaCraft Encoders, which is the standard IMHO.

iMovie is about as slow as Premiere with MPEG2 encoding - the quality is OK, slightly better than Premiere even. The nice thing that I find with iMovie is that it doesn't completely lock up your system - you can go about doing other things.

 

[mshan]

Yeah, the Premier Pro encoders are slow.

But I thought they were supposed to be very, very good (pro level?)?

 

[davei]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mshan Yeah, the Premier Pro encoders are slow. But I thought they were supposed to be very, very good (pro level?)?

Maybe the new ones in Premiere Pro 2.0 are? I haven't done a head/head comparison since Premiere Pro 1.0 came out. That was back in what... 2003? I remember using the built in ones a year ago when I was on someone else's video editing machine and needed to do a quick test render. At high bitrates they were OK but at low bitrates (4.5mbps or less, needed to fit 2 hours on a single layer DVD) low light footage was grainy and noisy. I found the same thing for the standalone Mainconcept MPEG encoder.

IMHO these days with dual layer DVDs you can set the bitrate to 6mbps or more with 2 hours of footage so the actual encoder is less of a problem. If you've got an hour or less of footage same thing with a single layer DVD.