2011 iMac for video editing

Hi everyone. I'm new to mac and I'm recently using a PC running a 64-bit windows 7.
I own a sony avchd camcorder (VG10) and because of the unsupported video format on mac I chose PC.
But the new final cut pro X is now supporting AVCHD files and I want to buy a new device.
I'm think of purchasing a 27-inch imac with 16Gb ram, i7 and 2Gb graphics card.
Is this device enough for fast video editing? Is there going to be a mac pro upgrade?
I'm struggling on weather I should buy a PC of same specs with way low price than iMac or joining the Mac OS family.
Any suggestions? Thanks~

It's up to you, what ever your more comfortable with I'd say go for it. You could buy or build a pc for less then a Mac.

Your obviously going to get a biased answer hear. If you do get the 27-iMac, you won't be disappointed. The new Macbook Pro's just received a upgrade with the i5 and i7 chipsets, along with new graphics card and the thunderbolt port. But like I said it's up to you.

Either way, you will be happy with a Mac, and this is coming from a die-hard pc user.

AVCHD editing

justin7623 said:

Hi everyone. I'm new to mac and I'm recently using a PC running a 64-bit windows 7.
I own a sony avchd camcorder (VG10) and because of the unsupported video format on mac I chose PC.
But the new final cut pro X is now supporting AVCHD files and I want to buy a new device.
I'm think of purchasing a 27-inch imac with 16Gb ram, i7 and 2Gb graphics card.
Is this device enough for fast video editing? Is there going to be a mac pro upgrade?
I'm struggling on weather I should buy a PC of same specs with way low price than iMac or joining the Mac OS family.
Any suggestions? Thanks~

Click to expand...

Hi Justin, I am in a similar situation to you... I have a Panasonic HD camcorder and loads of AVCHD footage to edit but my 3+ year old 24" iMac doesn't have the power to deal with AVCHD editing. One thing I have learned after using the iMac for the past 3 years, is that VMWare Fusion enables Windows to run as a Mac application, i.e. as a virtual PC and I would not want to lose the option to change from OSX to Windows with a couple of mouse clicks.

After much research on the web, my current thoughts are as follows:

Upgrade to a 27" iMac with Core i7 CPU, Lion OSX and 8GB of RAM
Invest in Final Cut Express or Pro but it must be a 64 bit version
Upgrade to the latest version of VMWare Fusion and Windows 7 Home Premium

The main uncertainty at present is about Final Cut XXX. Some people seem to think that FCX is not going to be upgraded to 64 bit and that only FCP will be available in future, albeit at a somewhat reduced price.

Watch this space!

BobW66 said:

Hi Justin, I am in a similar situation to you... I have a Panasonic HD camcorder and loads of AVCHD footage to edit but my 3+ year old 24" iMac doesn't have the power to deal with AVCHD editing.

Click to expand...

Uh, no.

AVCHD is not an editing format, which is probably why your Mac "can't handle it" (in fact, it can).

You must convert AVCHD into an editing format, such as ProRes or Apple Intermediate Codec or even MP4 depending on what you want to do, and edit from there. And your three year old iMac can handle that just fine.

I've edited footage shot in AVCHD (720p) several times on my OLDER 2007 Blackbook without issues, and your machine is significantly better.

chas_m said:

Uh, no.

AVCHD is not an editing format, which is probably why your Mac "can't handle it" (in fact, it can).

You must convert AVCHD into an editing format, such as ProRes or Apple Intermediate Codec or even MP4 depending on what you want to do, and edit from there. And your three year old iMac can handle that just fine.

I've edited footage shot in AVCHD (720p) several times on my OLDER 2007 Blackbook without issues, and your machine is significantly better.

Click to expand...

Interesting; thanks for your input.

Two points I would like to make:

1. The basic editing program called Panasonic HD Writer (Windows only) which came on a CD supplied with the camcorder, allows editing of AVCHD files, both 1080i and 1080p. I have used it several times on my wife's Sony Vaio laptop to produce some simple movies but it does have a number of limitations, e.g. no stills can be included, no additional audio can be added and text such as titles can only be added to the first clip.

2. I was aware of the file conversion option for editing but read on one or two forums that the disadvantage of doing this is that there is a just-noticeable quality degradation of 1080i and 1080p footage which I would prefer to avoid.

There should be no degradation of any kind if you convert the footage to another not-further-compressed format. That's kind of the whole point of it being digital.

Converting AVCHD to MP4 would produce (very minor) degradation, but converting to ProRes or AIC should not produce any degradation whatsoever.

Referring to your first point, I didn't say it was impossible to edit AVCHD files directly. I said AVCHD is not an editing format. Neither is MPEG-2, for example, but that doesn't stop certain (stupid) camcorder manufacturers from recording footage in that format. As you point out, trying to edit AVCHD directly prevents certain types of basic editing operations from happening. Converting the footage to a edit-friendly format should make the whole process easier and more enjoyable.

Hmmm...been editing avchd files for two years on a 2009 base model iMac...simply plug the camera ( Panasonic ZS3 ) into computer...open iMovie...import files....or remove SD card...put into card reader....open iMovie....import files...no sweat...ever. Edits the HD footage like a champ. I don't convert squat...( I know the software converts to AIC in iMovie...but it happens automatically....it's idiot proof....thank goodness for me...)

I have only just made a move to iMac since 25 years of PC user and still at work. I went for the i5 3.1ghz 12Gb I find this plenty quick for my editing purposes. Plays games just as well as my pc at a higher res too and it is whipser quiet (big bug bear I had with PC)

The cost was also an issue for me but just remember you are effectively buying laptop hardware so the price shouldn't supprise you. And it's fantastic for running Windows 7!

Oh and the 1 power cord!

Only negatives is the USB ports are on the back of the screen which means you'll need a hub or the corded keyboard if you use USB a lot as you'll have to keep turning the screen, the same goes for the headphone jack. The magic mouse is ok I found it a little sluggish so kept my Logitech laser mouse but had to buy software to get it to work properly.

Hope this helps.

Danny

codda said:

Hmmm...been editing avchd files for two years on a 2009 base model iMac...

Click to expand...

Again ... never said AVCHD couldn't be edited. Not sure why people are having trouble with this.

AVCHD is not a unified format, it's a container. Within it can be several different types of video and audio codecs (in fact, it's often MP4 in there). This is why some AVCHD footage is recognized and converted automatically by iMovie and some isn't. As you note yourself, the footage inside the recognized AVCHD file has to be converted to something else to make the editing easier and more enjoyable ...

... which is exactly what I said in my last post.

Chas...wasn't responding to your post specifically...rather the over all sentiment that AVCHD files cannot be edited...I understand the fact it's a container...( most of the time...the fact it is AVCHD is condemed immediately ) but truth be told I don't have the articulation other more knowledgeable members have to explain in greater detail. I should probably pipe down without that explanation...

I know the software converts to AIC in iMovie

Click to expand...

Exactly, so you are not editing AVCHD video, but you are editing the converted video.

Semantics...since the software says: Edits AVCHD...just like FCP X says it edits AVCHD...It's Apples' language not mine...they use AVCHD broadly without delving into the specific nature of actual file types.