installation problem
 

I got my first ever apple mac today (g5 quad 2.5) and have been installing the apple production suite (FCP HD 4.5, motion, and dvd SP 3). The production suite i bought is second hand BTW.

My problem is when i try to open FCP it says there was a configuration error and that certain hardware or software that it requiers is missing.My guess is that I am missing quicktime pro, I installed all of the many discs that came with it but there was no disc for quicktime pro so I assumed it was on the FCP disc. the production suite says it comes with quicktime pro but nowhere in the installation process was I asked to enter quicktime pro's serial number which is stuck on to the FCP disc. And i did a search and couldn't find it on the mac. Is this the reason why it won't open or is it something else?.

I have read the installation guides and manuals but there is surprisingly very little about quicktime pro.

It is not connected to the net and i had intended to keep it that way so there is no risk of viruses etc. So if it is quicktime pro that is the problem how do I get it on to it without being able to download it?.

As I said before its the first time i've ever used a mac so it is very unfamiliar at this point. BTW motion and studio pro open up fine...its just FCP and its affiliated programs soundtrack and compressor (livetype is ok)

Any Ideas would be much appreciated.

Andy

Andy,

Congrats on the system. Welcome to mac. Promise you won't want to go back. Not trying to make a bad joke. Anyway, you have to dowload the quicktime pro from the apple website. Just follow the directions from there.

Good Luck!

Thanks for the rapid reply james, I was wondering.....can i download it with my laptop (pc wndows based) and put it on a disk and then install it that way?

Actually if you buy quicktime pro from apple all they give you is an upgrade key. So there is no downloading. You enter the upgrade key into your quicktime preferences.

QuickTime Pro is not the problem. Final Cut works with regular QuickTime as nearly all the QuickTime Pro functions are available within FCP. There should be a QuickTime Pro key with the documentation that came with your Final Cut manuals and other paper work. Open QuickTime and you'll find the registration form in the Preferences.

There might be an issue with the version of Final Cut you have. It might not be able to recognize the video card installed in the G5. Check Apple's support pages to see if they have upgrades that address this problem.

Despite the recent flurry of security flaws discovered (just two and both have been addressed by Apple already) you are at very, very low risk for viruses or hacks when you log on to Apple's site for upgrades. The "Update" select is under the blue Apple icon on the desktop. Disconnect after downloading the upgrades for safety.

Yeah I read that in the manual but when I entered the key it said it was invalid, it also said when you have entered the key click "ok" but there was no "ok" button.

I think thats the best thing to do. Only thing is I didn't get any internet capabilities, I take it all I need is to get the Airport Extreme + Bluetooth to connect to the net?

Thanks for your help guys.

Andy.

Andy,

The only difference between Quicktime Pro and Quicktime Standard is a serial number (aka key.) You can enter it in the quicktime settings.
The problem is that FCP 4.5 Production Suite comes with a Quicktime Pro key for Quicktime version 6. Since you have a new mac, it will have Quicktime 7 and you will need a new key. It can be purchased straight from the apple website at www.apple.com/quicktime for $29.99. Basically it unlocks a bunch of menus in quicktime player and allows you to download quicktime files from the internet.

I would recommend sending in your install disc and getting the Universal Crossgrade to FCP 5 Studio. It will cost $199.00
http://www.apple.com/universal/crossgrade/
That way you will be able to digitize HDV (1080i50, 1080i60 & 720P60) directly into FCP instead of relying on third party software.


With that said, I don't think Quicktime Pro is your problem. I think you should run software update a couple of times to make sure everything is up to date.

Thanks Tim, It most likely is just needing the update from the apple site. I found the uk version of the crossgrade promotion and was running through the requirements and found that you send your form with the disc and proof of purchase information. Since I got mine from ebay I don't have any receipts which means games a bogey on that one.

I'm gonna look into what i need to get it on the net cause even though i didn't want to do it it looks like things will be so much easier if a do. From what i can gather all i need is airport Extreme + bluetooth.

Its not a big problem I could still buy the upgrade to studio for £300 if I wanted. I don't want to spend too much on it cause FCP 6 will most likely come out at NAB soon in which case i'll just buy that and then all problems will be solved. Right now i'm only £350 out of pocket which is what i paid for FC PS.

But i am absolutely delighted with the mac....i'm used to a built pc with premiere 6 which i got so sick of i was ready to take my shotgun to it for some target practice (not that you need it with a shotgun).

Anyway cheers for the advice everyone

Andy.

I think the issue is the new G5's graphics cards which use a different bus (aren't they PCI express?). FCP 4.5 requires an AGP graphics card, since that was the high performance setup back when the software was released. This has been discussed over at the Apple support forums, I think there's a hack to get around it. http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=939

I think Tim's suggestion to upgrade to the universal version is a good one, it will be a much better match to your new hardware. But if you're using FCP 4.5, you should be aware that there are various issues with MacOSX 10.4 and QT 7. I think they can be made to work together, but you may need to mess around with things a bit. There's been discussion of this around here in the past, and you can also visit the link posted above for help.

Sorry, you lost me here. Do you already have an internet connection? If so, then all you would need is an ethernet cable to plug into a router/cable modem, etc. Or do you have wireless internet if your building? If so, yes airport would work. I don't think you need Bluetooth for any of that.

I understand the idea of not connecting a production machine to the internet. When I was working on a huge project with a tight deadline I kept my primary machine of the net. But since then I've been connected because it just gets to be a nuisance otherwise. Never had any virus problems, but of course that's a constantly changing landscape. I use a text based mail reader running in an ssh session through the unix terminal, so not much chance of me getting viruses that way :-) But aside from all that, I can't imagine not having an ethernet connection into my G5 since I frequently need to transfer files between laptop and other machines. Airport is cool, but too slow for big file transfers on a LAN.

Your absolutely right boyd all i need is an ethernet cable to go into my router. I wasn't sure if the router was mac friendly but it is so i can connect to the net when I get round to it.

I think I'm just going to put the production suite back on ebay and in the mean time buy the latest FC studio and upgrade when FCP6 is out. Its an expensive option but I need to be able to edit pretty much right now and being a bit mac ignorant at the moment playing with hacks and workarounds seems more for the mac proficient.

Hey I always get there in the end =)

Thanks again

Oh one more question......I can get a hold of Shake 3.5 for £499 $870 US ,should I go for it or will i find that a similar problem will occur with that program?

Andy.