Apple Computer - is well known for excellent engineering and that has never been more apparent than inside the multi-core Intel architecture inside the newest Mac Pro dubbed Nehalem. As a government contractor I have the honor of providing products and services within my specialties. Mac systems for video production is one of those areas. I just finished rocking out two (2) systems which are loaded to the gills. I’d like to tell you where they are going, but if I told you I’d have to kill ME!

Two identical systems to the one I have in my own studio and so I was entrusted to configure them for the military with components and software that would make anyone squeal with glee. Did I mention 16GB of RAM? Ya, that too, however this system has three RAM channels and share across all processors. Adding RAM to slot 4 will reduce the bandwidth speed on channel three and the RAM in slot four by half.  This can be a negative for programs like Color, Motion, but the full rack-o-RAM is a positive for running multiple programs at the same time. I will be curious to performed the bench tests with 12GB; my system has 16GB installed.  Get the scoop from the source:  “INTEL”

R U Looking for more MAC stuff? Use the search!

###

Phantom HD GOLD - A camera specifically designed for demanding cinematographer.

Vision Research introduces the second-generation Phantom® HD GOLD. There are over 100 Phantoms in constant demand at major rental houses.

This camera is not a high-speed camera in the traditional sense, but an instrument that gives the cinematographer 35mm depth of field either at HD or 2K resolutions with stunning results. The Phantom HD GOLD combines the visual quality of high-definition imaging with ultra-high frame rates in a exquisite specialty camera.

When it’s TOO FAST TO SEE, TOO IMPORTANT TO NOT SEE.
A sense of time: Combine 35mm visual quality with super fast frame rates and extremely fast exposure and you’ve got a single camera for all shooting needs.

• 555 @ 2048 x 2048 true 2K
• 1,029 fps @ 2048 x 1104 (2k 1.85)
• 1052 fps @ 1920 x 1080
• 1500 fps @ 1280 x 720
• 4,410 fps @ 256 x 256 (scientific)
• Selectable 8- 10- 12- 14-bit pixel depth
• Six micro-second shutter
• On-camera controls

When your imaging requirement is a feature film or network broadcasting of rapidly moving sport events, commercials, music videos, nature documentary, monitoring a rocket launch, or innovative creative work on a specialty film project, the flexible and virtually limitless control of the Phantom will provide unforgettable, unmatched footage. Accepts 35mm PL-mount lenses and can use a Nikon F-mount.

Phantom HD GOLD allows any frame rate, from 1 to 1,000, in increments of one. Shift the frame rate to move the scene into a futuristic viewpoint. Or shift the frame rate a lot and the scene becomes a long-passing moment in ultra- slow motion. The camera’s shutter is variable to 1/500,000 of a second to combine with radically adjustable framing rates for seamless control of the duration, speed and time of a story element. The Phantom can be configured for “live” broadcast , NFL, or studio production with continuous video outputs (720p, 1080p, 1080i). Multiple triggering and recording modes are tailored to application including pre-roll.

See recent projects captured with a Phantom [ jump to view ]

The Phantom HD GOLD is available with 32 Gigabytes of internal memory, but this is just the start of methods to capture and store work. Hot-swappable, non-volatile, solid state recorders; Phantom CineMags, are low profile modules that mount snugly to the top of the camera body to store 256 or 512 Gigabytes each.

Serious Cinema Spoken Here!

Four years ago a computer engineer with the military, was in my studio poking my new Mac workstation.

“To me they’re tools not toys.”

The latest and greatest at that time from Apple wasn’t super impressive. His project was built on the Apple architecture; 1028 machine networked processors; they too were using Ultra-SCSI 320 dual channel RAIDs for super computing. I was impressed. At that time he spoke of the future, he told of an 8-Core system; code name “Nehalem”. He also told me I should shave my soul patch and get in shape. Can you imagine?

Click to continue reading "Review: Apple Mac Pro"

Continue reading about Review: Apple Mac Pro