DV Info Net - NLE Mac / Final Cut questions from 2004

DV Info Net (https://www.dvinfo.net/forum/)

- Final Cut Suite (https://www.dvinfo.net/forum/final-cut-suite/)

- - NLE Mac / Final Cut questions from 2004 (https://www.dvinfo.net/forum/final-cut-suite/24621-nle-mac-final-cut-questions-2004-a.html)

Apple battery recall

I just got an e-mail from Apple indicating a recall on some of their newer batteries. The model number matches the battery on my PowerBook, although my serial number indicates that mine should be OK.

Quote:

Dear Apple Customer:

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and
other international safety authorities, Apple is voluntarily recalling certain
lithium ion rechargeable batteries that were sold worldwide from January 2004
through August 2004 for use with 15-inch PowerBook G4 (Aluminum) notebook
computers. Apple has initiated an exchange program and will provide you with a
new replacement battery, free of charge.

Issue - The affected batteries could overheat, posing a fire hazard. Apple
received four reports of these batteries overheating. No injuries have been
reported. Apple urges you to stop using your battery and to order a replacement
battery immediately. If you continue to use your battery, do not leave it
unattended and check for signs of overheating.

Product - The recalled batteries have the Model Number: A1045 and serial
numbers that begin with: HQ404, HQ405, HQ406, HQ407, or HQ408. Batteries with
the affected serial numbers contain cells that were manufactured by LG Chem,
Ltd. of South Korea during the last week of December 2003 only. The model and
serial numbers are located on the label on the bottom of the battery, and can
be viewed by removing the battery from the computer. The serial number is
printed in black lettering beneath a barcode. The battery is approximately
4.75-inches long by 3.25-inches wide by .75-inches high. The label located on
the bottom of the battery reads in part, "15-inch PowerBook G4 Rechargeable
Battery" and "Model No: A1045."

No other PowerBook or iBook batteries are part of this recall.

What to do - To begin the battery exchange process, go to Apple's website at:
(http://www.apple.com/support/powerbook/batteryexchange)

You will be asked for the serial number of your 15-inch PowerBook G4, the
serial number of your PowerBook battery and a ship to address. After serial
number verification, a new battery will be shipped to you free of charge. When
you receive the replacement battery, please use the same shipping envelope and
included prepaid shipping label to return the recalled battery to Apple. If you
do not have access to the website listed above, please call Apple at
800-275-2273 between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., Central time, seven days a week,
for further assistance.

Thank you for your cooperation with this exchange program.

Apple

Copyright (c) 2004 Apple Computer, Inc. 1 Infinite Loop, MS 303-3DM, Cupertino,
CA 95014. All rights reserved.
(http://www.apple.com/legal/default.html)

My heart sank this morning as I read this announcement. I had a brand new 17" Powerbook arriving today and I had visions of battery hell in my mind briefly until I realized that my new unit was not affected.

Yeah, thats the way around it, but it would be nice to have a working program that frees up my FPC.

How to create chapters on a DVD with Final Cut Pro 4.5 and DVD Studio Pro 1.5?

The title says it all. I'm stumped and any explanation would be greatly appreciated.

I assume you put chapter makers in your FCP project and chose to include those markers when you exported the movie from FCP (the lower popup in the Export dialog). There's nothing more you can do, so if that's not enough then you will have to create the chapters within DVD SP.

I never used DVD SP 1.5 since I didn't get into it DVD production until version 2 came out. You should really upgrade to SP 3 if you can afford it.

Search the archives or post your question on the Apple DVDSP forums. If I remember correctly there was a round about way to get chapters to work in 1.5

ATI Radeon 9800 Pro Mac

On a G5 dual 2 are there any positive or negative issues using the ATI Radeon 9800 Pro Mac Special Edition 256MB Video Card? Heat issues?

I haven't heard of any complaints or problems with it. It's one of the top graphics cards for a Mac right now and should be a top performer. It is also fast enough to run Apple's latest software addition, Motion.

Note that both the ATI Radeon 9800 Pro Mac Special Edition 256MB video card as well as the newly announced NVIDIA GeForce FX 6800 Ultra DDL actually block one of the PCI slots on the G5 (neither card is compatible with any model of G4). It is the size of the cooling system on the card that causes the blockage. So anyone considering either of these cards should make sure they can afford to lose one PCI card slot.

The NVIDIA GeForce FX 6800 Ultra DDL is required for Apple's new 30" Cinema HD Displays.

Peak 4.x can do it. Kinda pricey, however. I'm sure there are others. I had to do this 2 years ago and I used a piece of freeware, whose name I now can not remember. Check download.com.

What about Soundtrack? I haven't tried it, or even looked (It's on a different Mac at the moment) but there's good stuff in there...

Michael

This was just recently discussed: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...threadid=29742

The search button is your friend.... :-)

A MUCH better source for Mac programs then download.com is Versiontracker:

www.versiontracker.com

OH, and thanks for the tip about Peak, like so many others I never installed it even though I got it free with buying FCP.

(( Boyd: do you ever get to the Philly FCPUG meetings? You can email me a response if you want ))

Sorry, I never even knew there was an FCP group in Philadelphia! But since I'm hopelessly behind the times and still using FCP 3 I'm not sure how much I could contribute to the party...

Audio Sync/ Ext HD?

I've run into a problem of audio out of sync, and it's an issue that I've been struggling with for the past month and half. I've put my project on hold and am possibly thinking about ending it. I'm not sure where to turn, so hopefully someone can help. I'll tell you about the issue and the steps I've done to correct it, unsuccessfully.

Using FCP HD on a dual 1.25 G4 w/ 1.5 gig RAM, I captured my footage on an external firewire 800 drive. The project worked fine for a week or so (back in July) and then the audio seemed to go out of sync in the entire project. Since that point I have been on the phone numerous times w/ applecare and provideo. I read the FCP support info on apple.com relating to dropped frames and audio sync (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58640). When I couldn't remedy the problem I took it into the Apple Store last week. After a complete diagnosis it was deemed fine - there's nothing wrong w/ the G4.

So I'm beginning to think the issue is with the external HD, even though it exceeds Apple's recommendations for an appropriate HD. I plugged the external HD into a 17" G4 powerbook w/ 1 gig RAM today (an attempt to avoid the G4). I opened the project from the external HD, made my clips offline and then recaptured all of the clips using a batch capture. The audio still was out of sync, this time more exaggerated than before.

What should my next step be? I'm using a Canon ZR70 to capture. I plugged it into the regular Firewire port on the powerbook, and the external is plugged into the firewire 800. I've read that this can be an issue with more than one firewire device plugged into the computer. If so, how am I supposed to capture my footage? Should it be plugged into the external HD? This is the ext drive I'm using http://www.wiebetech.com/products/Baydock800.php

I just recaptured the footage directly to the powerbook, and the audio is equally out of sync. While it was capturing I watched the footage on the cam's LCD and it is perfectly in sync. Could this be as simple as the firewire cable I'm using to import? Or my student version of FCP HD?

Should I scratch my project that's 50% done and start all over?