OK…the good news is that the ATI X1900 XT card works in the new Mac Pro. All that was needed is for the firmware update to be run on it. The bad news is that this update cannot be run on the current machine. The machine will say “this update is not needed,” which is complete crap! What you have to do is find someone with a PREVIOUS Mac Pro, like the April 2007 model, have them install the card and run the update. Then the card will work. That is exactly what I did…I had my buddy Patrick Sheffield run the update and BOOM…it works. And it works well.

So here I am installing software…and it is a LONG process. Microsoft Office, Adobe CS3, Raylight, Sorenson Squeeze…and of course Final Cut Studio 2. I know that I said that I wouldn’t give out exact version numbers of the OS and QT and the FCS components…but I will say that I am fully updating everything to the current versions as of Feb 29, 2007. After I install FCS 2, I am updating it. Then I am installing CS3, and updating them (I downloaded the installers). Then I will test out the system before I bring it in to install at the production office.

One thing I will test is the ability to SHARE a media drive on the G5…use it as a server and share the CalDigit S2VR Duo that I have connected to it containing DVCPROHD footage. I will see if this will work as a “poor man’s SAN” for a two station DVCPRO HD edit. I will have to have both machines running FCS 2 and playing the footage…so it will be interesting.

OH…pictures. Darn…OK…when I install it at the office, I’ll post all the pictures then.