Getting the itch

[JeffM]

I think I will stick with PC. In order to get a Mac that would function well enough is just too expensive right now.

[Gracetech]

There is a big difference between a powermac (IBM processor) and the Intel Processor Macs now adays. The whole fundamental base code had to be altered which pretty much eliminated any direct backwards compatibility on OS updates. I forget which version of OSX they quit doing dual coding in but basically the powermac is no longer supported. Just FYI

crt

[JeffM]

Ok, now I understand.

Thanks.

[collinong]

the site everymac.com has detailed specs on every Mac (and other Apple products like iPods, iPads, etc.) ever produced. it is immensely helpful when shopping for a used Mac because Apple reuses the same model names over multiple generations so you really need to get a build code or model number to look up what the actual internal hardware is. There are two types that Apple uses, one looks like this "A1347" and the other looks like "MC936LL/A". Of course, the actual numbers will change depending on the model.

Another way to bargain shop for Mac is to look in Apple's online refurbished section. All Apple refurbs have looked brand new to me and come with the same warranty.

[v0328]

We also have a mac mini and are using Pro Presenter 5, I find that we get freezes often when running announcements and have to force quit all other running programs in the background, even safari. I hope to buy a Mac with a larger hard drive and more Ram in the future

[petereit]

Originally Posted by v0328

We also have a mac mini and are using Pro Presenter 5, I find that we get freezes often when running announcements and have to force quit all other running programs in the background, even safari. I hope to buy a Mac with a larger hard drive and more Ram in the future

You really shouldn't be running anything else in the background, especially if you're running on a Mac Mini. Because of the way ProPresenter prequeues media files in order to perform seamless transitions, it can be extremely hard-drive intensive, especially with high-resolution video clips. Running with your media on your system drive already creates drive contention between PP and OSX. Any other programs running in the background further exacerbate that contention.

We even go as far as turning off the wi-fi on our ProPresenter machines during the service to prohibit Software Update from running.

Your best configuration is to keep a rather small hard drive as you system drive and add a second larger drive to store your media. Having your media on a second drive eliminates the drive read contention.

[ChrisRouse]

Because of the way ProPresenter prequeues media files in order to perform seamless transitions

We actually don't pre-que any files. Files are called up on the fly because we never know what order you're going to be selecting files.

[petereit]

Originally Posted by ChrisRouse

We actually don't pre-que any files. Files are called up on the fly because we never know what order you're going to be selecting files.

I understand why you say that, and perhaps my terminology leaves too much to interpretation. But in order for a fade transition to occur, both media clips must be in memory at the same time. The second clip is "pre-queued" in memory and begins playing the same time the transition begins, yet while the first clip is still playing.

Unless you use magic...

[EricE]

Originally Posted by JeffM

Ok. I'm just curious as to why it won't run on a PowerMac.

PowerMac = PowerPC Processor
Mac Pro = Intel Processor

ProPresenter 5 requires an Intel processor. ProPresenter 4 will run on a PowerPC but they don't support it - so if you have issues, your on your own.