Vic,
Yes, this is a difficult but enjoyable decision. I used Premiere on my Dell Precsion 610 workstation (dual processors, 4-drive raid storage, etc.). But since getting my first Mac G4 DP and FCP, Premiere has been dormant.

Dell makes fabulous systems for many other tasks but the Mac wins with no contest when it comes to video. FCP is, in my opinion, not really over-hyped because it delivers on its promises.

But, certainly, you can have great success with any of several tools. My advice to anyone would be to pick an' stick. That is, choose as wisely as possible, learn the NLE tool as well as possible and then concentrate on learning EDITING rather than techno-futzing. Editing skills will be much more fulfilling and rewarding in the long-run.

<<<-- Originally posted by the graphics guy :BTW, if any of you out there are schoolteachers, I wonder if you know...you can get FCP (now version 3) for $300!!! -->>>

I'm told the same is true of bonafide students. Worth checking out.

Wait a minute, my wife is a teacher! Just retired but still working. Hummm......

There's a funny saying around: FCP has a great titler, it's called Photoshop! (actually what I use is Photoshop PSD files and I can play with the layers in FCP)

If the idea is to "cut to the chase scene" (literally) and concentrate on the editing rather than "techno-futzing" (Love that term!) then I agree w/Ken & Vic that FCP is pretty near ideal, and not just because I am partial to the Mac platform.

Now for those who are computer engineers or hobbyists who may dabble in editing as a side-issue, then other solutions may be preferable.

Do any of you Mac owners have problems with the computer getting to hot? Locking up ect?

How do you get Final Cut Pro at that price? My wife is a student right now(part time).

When I was a student I got a student discount from Apple by purchasing my computer through the University Center. They had to order it, but it only took about a week to process. Not sure how you go about it with regular retailers, but with the University Center all I had to do was show my ID.

Zimvg304,

My old G3 powerbook used to get pretty hot, but not enough to lock up. Haven't had any heat-related problems with my G4.

http://www.apple.com/education/pricelists/

My wife is a public school teacher, her school is actually listed in the K-12 section of the Apple website. But others are also eligible:


http://www.apple.com/education/k12/homepurch/eligibility.html

says:

The Apple Education Individual Purchase Program now offers expanded eligibility.
Now eligible*:

Any employee of a nonprofit (public or private) K-12 and Higher Education institution
Student currently attending a public or private Higher Education Institution in the United States
New student accepted into a public or private Higher Education Institution in the United States
School board members who are currently serving as elected or appointed members
PTA or PTO executives currently serving as elected or appointed officers

Oh yeah, and as for the heat thing, I keep my G4 running 24/7 at the jobsite and ditto at the home studio, and it's no problem.

I think I'll get the power book 550MHz 512MB Ram 30 hard drive.
So once I decide to get the Final Cut Pro 3, I'll just have to down load the software? No cards?

<<<-- Originally posted by the graphics guy : http://www.apple.com/education/pricelists/

My wife is a public school teacher, her school is actually listed in the K-12 section of the Apple website. But others are also eligible:


http://www.apple.com/education/k12/homepurch/eligibility.html

says:

The Apple Education Individual Purchase Program now offers expanded eligibility.
Now eligible*:

Any employee of a nonprofit (public or private) K-12 and Higher Education institution
Student currently attending a public or private Higher Education Institution in the United States
New student accepted into a public or private Higher Education Institution in the United States
School board members who are currently serving as elected or appointed members
PTA or PTO executives currently serving as elected or appointed officers -->>>Thanks for the website

"Cards"? We don' need no stinkin' "cards"!

The Powerbook has a built-in 6-pin Firewire (1394) port. Plug an' chug. I don't know that Apple offers a downloadable version of FCP...maybe so. But I heartily recommend that you get the CD's. They can come in handy later.

>>>>"Cards"? We don' need no stinkin' "cards"! <<<<
LOL! I love it!
It's true...that's one of the great things about the Mac platform, every (new) machine has got Firewire! Just plug & play!

As for the software, I can't imagine it would be since it comes on 2 CD's plus a separate disk for Cleaner5EZ and one for PeakDV, PLUS it includes a 3-inch-thick manual in addition to the little tutorial book. Get it shipped "rush"

If the machine arrives before the FCP disks get there, you can wing it by using iMovie which is included free with the machine...it's pretty cheezy but very easy, I actually used it to cut video for work when I was feeling lazy...just don't try using iMovie on any complicated project, it'll wind up actually being harder.

Ooops!
Meant to say " ...I can't imagine it would be downloadable since it comes on 2 CD's..."

Yeah, that's the shiznit.