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Real-time Dragon R3D editing - full debayer (MAC)

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Medavoym

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Hi!

Quick question...

Everyone is discussing about a multitude of MAC options nowadays... old Mac Pro, new Mac Pro, with RedRocketX, without RedRocket X, no Thunderbolt RAID, with Thunderbolt RAID etc

I'm a bit confused.

Can I ask a simple and straight question? For Mac guys...

What are the minimum requirements needed to edit Dragon R3Ds natively? 24p-25p real-time playback. I simply want to forget about transcoding... drop the R3Ds in the editing application, and edit away.

What do I actually need in order to achieve that? Without crazy bells and whistles. This is for a personal home system, not a company.
Thanks!
 
If you need full size, real time 6k playback I am pretty sure the rocketX will be the only way....
i you want to edit 6k without transcoding, you can do that without problems on (pretty much) any macbookpro or iMac at lower quality settings....these lower setting s are for display purposes only, not for final output....the final output will just take a lot longer on a slower system (or one without rocket).....
in reality the window on a Mbp or iMac is so small that you would not even see a difference between working at full, half or even 1/4 (rcx) or the lower settings in fcpx....
unless you are doing feature or longer projects, there really is no need for proxies on any system these days....
 
Real time raw 6k debayer sounds like a bells and whistles kind of question! Red rocket x required as of right now unless you want a very loaded answer. The fractional resolution playback options are actually pretty great. Paul is totally right - especially for home use.
 
I got new macbook pro today i was able to play 4k native in full res no problem in adobe Pr, macbook i7 iris pro video card and GT 750m, I don't think i need red rocket any more.
 
Thanks for all the answers! I appreciate it.

So, if I shoot 6K or 5K on the Dragon, and I want to edit in real-time with no transcoding, I should be able to do it at 1/4 or 1/2 debayer, with smooth playback? I am indeed previewing everything on a HD CRT 1080 monitor, so great point - I don't need full debayer since I won't be able to tell the difference, anyway.

So the new Mac Pro cylinder (4 core or 6 core) would be enough to do so? No RedRocket X in a Thunderbolt 2 enclosure.

What about disk speeds? Would a Thunderbolt Raid (Drobo etc) be enough to do so?

Thanks again! Much appreciated.

P.S. By the way, I am using AMA with Avid - if that bit of information helps.
 
any high end imac or macbook pro will do as well, the top of the line (maxed out) imac is actually faster then the 4 core mac pro....
the only reason to go with the mac pro would be to go with 6 core and the 2 D700 gpu...and max ram....and at that point you are getting up there price wise...
i would stay away from drobo....go with pegasus R6 (either TB1 or 2) money much better spent...
imac+pegasus=mac pro (without storage or screen).....it all comes down to budget....
any higher end mac can scrub though raw dragon footage at lower resolution/quality.....
 
Thanks.

If I take the plunge and get a Redrocket-X - how much can I lower the specs of the Mac system to still get smooth, real-time playback?

Can I go with a standard new Mac Pro 2013 (4 core) and be ok? With the Redrocket-X in a Thunderbolt enclosure.
 
Madavoym, if you're planning on going that route, you'd probably be better off getting a high end iMac than a new Mac Pro. At least that way you'll already have a computer monitor, and you'll spend the exact same amount (roughly $4K) on a new basic Mac Pro + Cinema Display.

I second the vote on the Promise Pegasus. It's the fastest and most reliable direct-attached storage solution I've ever used, and it has a huge impact on your ability to play back any type of footage in realtime. If you do go with the Redrocket-X route though, be prepared to spend well over $12K by the time you buy your new computer, card, Thunderbolt chassis, and TB storage.

Depending on your needs, you could spend the same amount and get a maxxed out Mac Pro 8 Core with dual D700s, Promise Pegasus 2 18TB, and Cinema Display, and have a system that's overall more well-rounded. It all depends on whether you'll be strictly editing / transcoding, or if you'll be doing compositing and VFX work as well. Go with what you need.
 
yeah, i am not sure i can follow either....the rocketX plus box is almost 8k by itself....i thought you had a budget? because if money is no problem, then by all means get a 8core Mac Pro maxed out and rocketX and monitor and pegasus...you will have a well rounded system that can handle anything you can throw at....it will be around 20-25k total though....
and that really means you are working with dragon files because imac with (old) rocket and pegasus will play 5K files just about as smooth and is more like 8k....
 
Smooth playback for editing in FCPX with Dragon footage is not an issue. I also have the Pegasus TB2 and it's perfect for my needs. I call my setup the Mac Water Cooler.

1897955_10152213790511093_1282440295_n.jpg
 
Tarek salman said:
I got new macbook pro today i was able to play 4k native in full res no problem in adobe Pr, macbook i7 iris pro video card and GT 750m, I don't think i need red rocket any more.
Click to expand...


Wow. That doesnt sound right. Are you sure about this? This shouldnt really be possible. Screenshots?
 
Layi B said:
Wow. That doesnt sound right.
Click to expand...


I have the same Haswell based unit and I don't get those speeds either. 2.6GHz Core i7 / 16GB Ram / SSD etc... I see a reasonable 1/2 res in PP CS6. This rMBP is .25 res better than the previous refresh which could only do 1/4 reliably. I don't think any rMBP is doing full resolution 4K unless the compression is out of control. I never work with anything worse than 8:1 unless in high speed so I don't even have a heavier compressed clip to play with.
 
How would a new MAC PRO 2013 6-core with 64GB RAM and D700 handle 5K (not 6K) from Dragon?

Without Redrocket-X...

Playback at full-res?... Again, 5K not 6K.
 
George A. said:
How would a new MAC PRO 2013 6-core with 64GB RAM and D700 handle 5K (not 6K) from Dragon?

Without Redrocket-X...

Playback at full-res?... Again, 5K not 6K.
Click to expand...

Havent tested but my guess is 5kff full res with a short buffer(15-20 seconds)
 
Daniel Grosseman said:
Havent tested but my guess is 5kff full res with a short buffer(15-20 seconds)
Click to expand...
somehow i doubt that....but it's probably not that for off....
the problem is that until red releases the SDK, we can only get anything close to that in RCX....resolve, fcpx,....they are much, much slower....right now....
 
George A. said:
How would a new MAC PRO 2013 6-core with 64GB RAM and D700 handle 5K (not 6K) from Dragon?

Without Redrocket-X...

Playback at full-res?... Again, 5K not 6K.
Click to expand...


I have a Hackintosh with 6-Core i7 4930K overclocked at 4.25GHz and 64GB Quad Channel DDR3 RAM running at 2000MHz and GTX Titan Superclocked. I get 1/4 playback of 6K Dragon R3Ds. I can almost get 1/2, but not quite. I can get full if I let it buffer long enough and depending on the length of the clip. I can transcode at full debayer to 1080p at about 2.1 times realtime. A 59 second clip takes about 2:05.

5K plays back easily at 1/2, transcodes full debayer faster than realtime. 4K plays back at full.

It's not a Mac Pro, but the specs are very close and I'm overclocked and have better graphics, so perhaps comparable to even an 8-core.
 
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