Hello,


Over the summer, I am going to be purchasing a new 14 inch ibook with all these bells and whistles on it. I am also going to be purchasing Final Cut Express HD with it. So, I am wondering if there are any features on there where I can format 16:9 video to letterboxed 4:3. Any Final Cut Express users out there that can answer me this question?

You SHOULD be able to drop it into a 4:3 sequence and scale it down. Is it 16:9 HD or DV? FCE users correct me, if this won't actually work. I've never used it, but I'd guess scaling is an option.

I would recommend a Powerbook or MacBook Pro if you can afford it. iBooks tend to be sluggish.

Here's the straight on the whole thing:

First off, you can definately just drop it into a 4:3 based project and frame it from there using mation controls and whatnot.

Also, a powerbook is a MUST. Though I know I'd want more speed, my PB suffices- I'd hate to see how an iBook might handle under the same conditions.

I've got the 1.5ghz 12" PB attached to the 20" display. It was really slow at first. Then I upped the ram to 1.25GB and now it's like a dream. Something to think about.

You might not want to get an iBook just yet, because it's still running off of PowerPC chips. Either go with a Macbook Pro, or wait for the iBook to be changed into an Intel chip machine. The speed of the Intel machines will be a lot faster than any iBook.

I have a 1.67ghz 15 inch (not yet with a display) running on 1 gig of ram and it works just fine for all the stuff I'm doing.

I don't know, the whole Apple scene is at a big standstill because of the Intel conversion. Many programs are not supported on the intel macs yet but you do get se veral new features and probably more support in the future if you go Intel.

Well I will clear up that the intel conversion is hardly noticible. I have a 2.16 ghz 2gb RAM MacBook Pro running Final Cut Pro 5.1 and I have to say it is the way to go. Blazing fast with many non native (PowerPC) apps running in the background just fine.

As for Final Cut Express HD I have never used it. But as it goes for Apple products, you will most likely be able to do what you want with ease. And as it goes for most editing products, that is a standard feature. You could try calling 1-800-My-Apple and they would answer that question.

You might also want to just pop into an Apple store near you, and play with the systems right there. It's really the best to find out if they're up to par for your needs, and if the software does what you want.

One thing I forgot to mention was that I have read some stories talking about how much longer Apple will continue to make software that supports PowerPCs, which might only be for another year or two, so it would probably be advantageous to get an Intel Mac just on the basis of software support. However I might be wrong and they'll continue to support PowerPC Macs for a while (which I hope they do since I bought a PowerPC iMac only a few months before the Intel switch).

I decided to purchase an imac instead. But, it does not support Final Cut Express HD. FCE does not support intel processors. But as we speak, they are working on an update for it. I will not be buying all this until august, so it should not be a problem.

I-Mac, is the way to go, with the new Intel proccercors, they are blazing fast. I just got mine last week, totally wort the 2300 dollars i spent, also you can get Final Cut Studio for only $300, If I understood right, If you have any stand alone version of Soundtrack Pro, Final Cut Pro, or Motion, all you have to do is Mail it in, and they will send you the whole universal package of Final Cut Studio, so all you need to do is buy Soundtrack Pro or one of the other programs, and Mail it in, and get Final cut studio for just $250 bucks, you can read it on the apple website, I am very impressed with my new apple