HAUNTING MY LAPTOP

Jun 27

Yesterday I took a stab at editing the show using my laptop. The laptop in question is the new 2012 MacBook Pro…2.3Ghz i7, 8GB of RAM, matte screen. I took the external drive with the episode and connected it via Firewire 800 (glad I got the non-retina…I need that connector). I ordered a Thunderbolt to DVI/HDMI adapter from monoprice.com for a very reasonable $14 so that I could connect it to one of my Dell 24″ monitors. Now, the laptop on the desk is a little low, and I’d like to get it semi close to the level of my Dell that I will be connecting it to, but I didn’t get a laptop stand…not for this test. I’m too cheap…actually, too busy to go buy one. So I used a box.

Yes, a box.

So as you can see, I have the laptop on the left, complete with project window, bins and mixer. The large Dell has the Composer and timeline window. Nothing feeding my broadcast monitor yet. I’m saving up for the AJA IOXT…or at least the AJA T-TAP. Although of those only the IO XT has dual Thunderbolt, so I could connect the IO box and external monitor. The T-TAP has one Thunderbolt port, so it’d be a choice of external monitor, or second computer monitor. Not both….unless I shelled out for an Apple Display. Not gonna happen.

So I set out to edit, and edit I did.

The new computer was definitely faster than my old one…a 2008 Octo-Core 3.0Ghz Mac Pro with 16GB of RAM. It ran circles around it. It was able to keep up with my keystrokes, where the MacPro lagged behind a few keystrokes. It scrubbed better, less skippy. Less beach balls. Faster renders. It was great.

Sorta.

You see, I have a script I need to follow, and I didn’t want to print it out and waste paper. I like to look at it on the computer. But because I was editing with my computer, I could just lean over an look at the script. I had to hide the Avid interface, or click away from it…read…then go back. Distracting to say the least. And I still needed to check email, look at show notes contained in emails, tweet, and iChat with the wife. More than a few people on Twitter suggested that I get an iPad for this. But guys, I just shelled out $2200 for a new laptop, I’m not about to shell out $500 more for an iPad. Not just for reading the script. The screen was small. I’m used to two 24″ Dells to look at. Suddenly I had a 15″ and a 24″. It might have been better to have the second monitor to be smaller too. I might look into that.

So I put up with it for the day, but that was it. I switched back to the tower the next day…just so I could have my script at my ready. But I miss my laptop already as the edit station. It was solid. A pretty good replacement for my tower, at least for running Avid Symphony and FCP. I haven’t tackled Premiere with it yet. I did tackle FCP with it today, rendering out an online I am working on at the same time. The renders were much faster, and I didn’t get any General Errors like I did with the Tower. The laptop was better.

I might have to print out the script. Because I under such a crunch, any speed boost would help.

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Comments

Torben

June 27th, 2012 at 3:18 AM

Hi Shane,
I think you should have a look at this:
http://amzn.com/B0072CM0MU
http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentation/product/?cid=4&gid=1010&sgid=1128&pid=1413&psn=&lid=2&leg=0

It is a GraphicsExpander so you can connect your two Dell Displays for Editing and still use your MacBooks Display
for the script, mail and iChat. Best of all you don´t need drivers.
It is not as expensive as an iPad and you get a greater working canvas.
Christopher S. Johnson

June 27th, 2012 at 2:57 PM

Great report! THANK YOU. That’s very helpful.
John K

June 27th, 2012 at 4:04 PM

Isn’t there a way to drive two external displays from this guy? Maybe a Thunderbolt hub with two out ports?

Hate to say it, but the new Macbook Pro Retina can run two additional monitors (TB+HDMI) plus leave one thunderbolt port open for the TB>FW 800 adapter. Big plus on that model for having 3 video outs!
shaneross

June 27th, 2012 at 4:17 PM

If I got Apple displays, they have two TB each. I just wanted to use what I have. I’m going to be getting an AJA IO XT soon, and that has two TB ports, so from the computer to the IO XT, loop through to my monitor. That’ll work for me.

Yeah, the Retina MBP having two TB AND and HDMI was attractive. But non-upgradable-ness of it…no FW…no Ethernet (for Ethernet SAN)

I’m cool with what I have running. More later when I get the IO XT on it.
Laurie McNair

June 28th, 2012 at 12:22 AM

Thank you for this. My first reaction was, “Really?.. Really really?” This is the first thing I’ve read that’s actually making me even consider an MBP. Last week or whenever it was, was very disappointing for me. I love my tower and I want a new one. I’m one of those people in limbo (how low can you go?) with an aging tower, that is actually showing no signs of stopping and has been by far the best machine I’ve ever owned. However, probably half of my work is motion graphic design and the whole “freddie mercury” playback engine thing is starting to cause a real-time playback resentment for me. I’m feeling.. jealousy, towards my son and his ASUS gaming gear, sorta. (and yet to return to Windows would just make me so very sad)

Mostly though, I’m just SO SICK of not knowing what I’m gonna do. The NLE thing, the hardware thing, for a freelancer like me, it’s not just what I edit on at home, but also what the post houses will continue to hire me to work on. Honestly though, no one seems to be in a hurry to give up their FCP 7 seats yet, and all the Avid seats remain the same like they always have, so I JUST DONT KNOW. But THANK YOU for writing about being able to put a MBP through it’s paces, ’cause that’s what I want to know: Can it really do what I need it to do, and not just what they SAY it can do? I’ll be anxious to hear how the AJA IO thing works with Thunderbolt too. I feel I’ve become conditioned to be wary of daisy chaining anything, though the few people I know who’ve actually used any kind of TB perepheral device say it’s really fast.

Oh and for the record, I DO use my iPad to look at my scripts. I have a little stand I snap it into. A jaded producer I was working with today even liked it. (the iPad in the stand) :-) He’s one of those people who thinks the iPad is just a bigger version of his iPhone. (which he could NOT seem to put down today) Sorry this is so long, I guess it’s more than a “comment.” I suppose I needed to vent. I just feel so terribly alone in all this, so very very alone. sigh.

Perhaps I just need to exit the edit cave a little more often. :-)
shaneross

June 28th, 2012 at 3:22 AM

AJA IOXT is on the way. When it arrives I’ll give the MBP another go. I’m going to print the script.
Michael H

June 28th, 2012 at 12:52 PM

Why don’t you import the script into Avid? At least that way you don’t have to tab away from the program to read it – just size the script window to get out of the way a bit and go to town.
shaneross

June 28th, 2012 at 12:55 PM

First, they are sent in PDF form as the assistant has scribbled notes on them. I guess I can have them send the actual file too. Second, I don’t have Script Sync. Or does Avid do this WITHOUT script sync?
mark raudonis

June 29th, 2012 at 12:49 AM

Dude,

get ScriptSync… it will change your life! Then, while you’re at it, get Phrase Find too.

Using SS just for interview transcripts is worth the money.
Michael H

June 29th, 2012 at 6:21 PM

You can import a script, highlight the text and sync takes to it but it won’t do a phoenetic match like ScriptSync will (for example, if you double click in the middle of a paragraph it won’t load that line – just the clip).

But like Mark said, ScriptSync is well worth the money. If it’s in the budget, buy it.
shaneross

July 2nd, 2012 at 4:02 AM

Well, if the script matched the dialog, i’d be set. But it is more of a guide lately…especially with the kids actors. It isn’t exact, so…
Matthew Lyons

July 3rd, 2012 at 11:09 PM

Sell the tower and get the iPad!!
Sam F

July 30th, 2012 at 1:29 PM

Thanks for the review, Shane! Am trying to decide b/t a Retina or non-Retina myself. I’d like two external monitors but don’t want to carry a AJA IO XT as travel & work everyday b/t 2 cities. Have you considered a USB to HDMI adapter like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Plugable-UGA-2K-A-2048×1152-1920×1200-DisplayLink/dp/B0038P1TP4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&coliid=I29HI8WXCO92JG&colid=2V2RYJWLESCP9

Got good reviews and might be good for extending the desktop while using T-Tap or Thunderbolt to HDMI for preview. Thoughts?
Jonathan

November 26th, 2012 at 5:00 PM

Hi,

Sorry for a late reply, but I just stumbled across this post. At our shop, we were deciding what to do since (for the time being) Apple isn’t producing new towers. So we decided to try out the rMBP (2.7 Core i7 and 16GB RAM). Fortunately, we were also able to get a couple of Thunderbolt displays, an AJA ioXT, a Pegasus TB Raid, and a JVC HD Broadcast External Monitor (SDI connection through the ioXT).

Bottom line, I agree with Shane. I was going from a 2010 Mac Pro tower with 16GB RAM and 2.4 Quad Xenon processor w/Kona LHi card. The rMBP (blows it out of the water in most cases. Running FCP (7 and X), After Effects CS6 and some others at the same time does run it up, but it handles like a champ. Only issue we had to learn was daisy-chaining. We have the RAID and one of the TB displays connected to the laptop. Then the 2nd TB connected to the first, and the ioXT connected to the RAID. The RAID (or external HDD) MUST be directly connected to the laptop or it’s gonna lag and render times are going to go down the tubes.

Liked it so much I bought one for myself to replace my PPC tower at home.

Just my $.02.

Little Frog in High Def

HAUNTING MY LAPTOP

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