ASK & DISCUSS
INDEXDoes AVID perform better on a PC or Mac OS ? (if the minimum spec required to operate it is met)
12 years, 7 months ago - Projection Pictures
Does one system have the edge over the other with less error messages when editing for example ?
Have you transferred from a PC based AVID onto a MAC or vice-versa to get more work done more efficiently ?
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12 years, 7 months ago - Peter Ward
For "Avid" (Media Composer/Symphony) to be stable it's not a matter of exceeding the "minimum" specs or whether Mac or PC per se; it's a matter of buying a specific computer model with specific hardware installed that Avid qualifies (as listed on their website). And not only do you need to use qualified hardware you also need to really dedicate the computer almost exclusively to running Avid. Avid is very sensitive and hardware and software installed for other purposes can create conflicts that cause crashes or prevent it from working at all (at minimum create a separate partition for Avid to reside in). Avid is good for post houses, but for one man band shooter/editors it can be tiring to maintain.
Saying that, one advantage using Mac to run Avid is that Avid pretty much has to take what Apple gives them so it's easier (and often cheaper) to find a qualified Apple than a Windows-based solution. The Apple OS is also inherently more stable because Apple controls the hardware it runs on (and other reasons), but these drawbacks can be mitigated to some extent on Windows by stripping the operating system down to the essentials needed to use it as an edit workstation.
Response from 12 years, 7 months ago - Peter Ward SHOW
12 years, 7 months ago - Projection Pictures
Thanks for the interesting responses. Have yourselves a great Xmas.
Regards,
Projectionpictures
Response from 12 years, 7 months ago - Projection Pictures SHOW
12 years, 7 months ago - Dan Selakovich
I agree with Peter on every word. Plus, it is just best to have a machine that is dedicated to only editing. I've never used Avid on a windows machine, so I can't give any first hand experience there. Avid was originally designed to run on Macs (way back when), so possibly Avid, as a company, is more responsive to that OS.
Response from 12 years, 7 months ago - Dan Selakovich SHOW
12 years, 7 months ago - Connor Snedecor
I've found it less stable on PC actually, just in terms of crashing/freezing up/corrupting bins (surprising really, since it's been on PC longer), but this likely depends on the setup you've got. I can't speak to performance though as it's been different hardware. Also factor in whether you're using any other software that you might have on mac (MPEG Streamclip, After Effects, etc.), in which case it's much easier to move between them if theyre on the same system. And you'd likely have to buy MacDrive because most people seem to offload rushes to Mac formatted externals - depends on your workflow though of course.
Response from 12 years, 7 months ago - Connor Snedecor SHOW