Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

If you are a video editor working on HD footage and a workstation upgrade is in the future, Mike of HD for Indies fame has an article on building a workstation (Mac or PC) for HD editing and post/correction.

The article is fit for three main users.

Group 1: Just enough to get by. You can accept some risks and hassles-the classic starving indie category.

Group 2: You need something competent-and want greater work flow comforts-but you’re still budget-sensitive.

Group 3: The fully professional, well-equipped individuals solution, also suitable for a small studio or small facility setup.

The optimal setups Mike recommended for these three main groups are:

Group 1: Mac Pro 2.66 GHz tower, 2 GB RAM, 160 GB boot drive minimum; Final Cut Studio software; Nvidia GeForce 7300 graphics card.

Group 2: Mac Pro 2.66 GHz tower, 4 GB RAM, 250 GB boot drive, 500 GB data drive, with Bluetooth/AirPort capabilities and AppleCare protection plan; Final Cut Studio software; ATI X1900 graphics card; Apple 23- and 20-inch monitors.

Group 3: Mac Pro 2.66 GHz tower, 5+ GB RAM, 250 GB boot drive, 500 GB data drive, with wireless cards and AppleCare protection plan; Final Cut Studio software; ATI X1900 graphics card; Apple 30- and 23-inch LCD monitors.

The article is very high in depth and goes over main different options, for many different kinds of users, with many different budgets. Mike seems to favor the Mac platform for HD editing due to the great hardware and software available, mainly Final Cut for post processing of HD content.

I highly recommend reading this article before you go out and purchase a workstation to edit HD content on - a compelling read.

Read [DV]