garageCube

[Grovenstien]

Right sorry to post this here but i have been trying to find out whether the following is possible with the Latest Macbook Pros all at the same time like the good old days with my G4 Power Book!

DVI to VGA to second monitor to display the UI
SVID to the Beamer to display the Output window
And Firewire400 in to capture my still highly functional Camera!

Now i know you might be thinking if it aint broke dont fix it! But i am trying to build a multitouch screen interface and run modul8 on it,
Due to the tracking i need a bit more grunt than the 1.5ghz 2gb ram i currently have.

Also the firewire can be adapted via a 400to800 adapter but i wanted to mention it as i dont want to sacrifice the firewire port for video out of it!

If anyone knows how all this is possible without buying a non portable please send me a postcard!

I know im ranting a bit but the G4 was the perfect mobile vj work horse, Apple what have you done!

[ilan]

I feel your pain on this issue. Apple is notorious for pretty much ignoring the VJ world as a whole. I doubt that this recent move by Apple is some kind of direct snub at the VJ medium. It is more likely the result of trying to cut costs in the name of innovation.

For now I and some of my colleagues have bought the last of the former line of MacBook Pros. The old one a bought will act as a backup. This way if something happens to the one I am currently using then I will not be forced to buy something I don't want.

[wygiwys]

I totally hate apple for the fact that they made all my dvi adapters useless, because the shitty displayport doesn't have holes for the four small pins in the dvi output. So there's no way of having a s-video or analog output.

You can connect a kick ass hard disk to your firewire port (800) and then connect other firewire devices on that harddisk, as firewire can be linked in series. Maybe that helps a bit?

Cheers

[Grovenstien]

Thanks for the replies,

I have asked in my nearest mac store and even they are not sure! I might go down the express card slot option?!

If anyone comes up with some more ideas i would be greatful.

[ilan]

http://createdigitalmotion.com/2008/10/ ... solutions/

This is one of the solutions right now for getting analog output.

[Grovenstien]

Thanks for the help but i already saw this.

Plus it means you cant output a second desktop!

I have found that it is possible to get an express card to PCI express adapter then plug in a PCI express video card with an Svideo out on it! As yet i cannot find an express card with Svideo out nor can i confirm that a PCI express to express adapter would work but i cant see why not!!!??

The only thing is that the whole contraption is highly likely to snap off!!! Lets hope the Unibody can take it!

[Atnupacas]

Hello mates, my first generation Macbook Pro is oficially dead , and i have to get a new one. ill use the method in the link posted above since theres no otrher option aparently. My question is, since the video output its only digital now, will the new minidisplay to Dvi adapter work with the matrox Triplehead2go Digital version?
I think it should work, but im not shure.

[Grovenstien]

I am fairly sure it should work with the matrox digital, but email them to be sure.

I guy i work with on shows has to use a scan converter now! Annoying since we used to laugh at the fact PC Laptop users had to use them.

Anny way i think it is possible to use an expreex card adapter but i havent tryed yet

[ilan]

If you look on the Apple Online Store there are plenty of refurbished models of the last generation of MacBook Pro's at really decent prices. I bought one as well. I still have my first gen MBP but I am using it as backup. Besides that first gen was a bit rough on the experience side, wheezing fan, bad power management etc.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with buying a refurb. Its actually one of the best kept secrets of the 'industry.' Not much of a speed leap in the new models either that will make much of a difference.

At least for the next 3 to 4 years I will have a laptop that won't require a scan converter.

[Grovenstien]

Yeah your right i think a refurbed MBP would be a good option.

But it seems apple have buckeled over demands for a Matt finish screen on there New 17 inch MBP! Built to order and to big for me to handle!

Any hoo wee can only hope they will bring back th FW400 but i doubt it.

[spongemonkey]

You can still get the previous version from places like Mac Mall:
http://www.macmall.com/macmall/families/macbookpro/

It's kind of crazy that the way to go at this point is to go with the slightly older model.

Weird...

[ilan]

Not really.

I have known some audio engineers and video editors who rely on legacy hardware. They have heavy workloads and cannot afford to spend hours messing around with compatibility problems. If the need another machine they will usually have a vendor that builds everything for them and that vendor will usually purchase a series of tried and true machines instead of the the latest and greatest that could possibly cause them problems.

If you need to work and you need something reliable the smart only looks weird depending on your perspective.

[meiso]

Hi I'm kinda new here - but I'd like to offer an opinion based on a recent experience/purchase!

I recently found a great deal on a previous generation MacBook Pro (the ones that came out last year, before the unibody MacBook Pro's were released). It's a Core 2 Duo 2.5 GHz with 2 GBs of RAM and it came with the nVidia Geforce 8600M GT with 512MB of GDDR3 SDRAM which is AWESOME for Modul8. I found it at a big electronics store, sitting next to one of the newer unibody machines with almost identical specs. To be perfectly honest... I played with both machines for at least an hour and I couldn't feel any difference. The screen seemed nicer on the older machine, it had more connectivity, and considering I already owned a DVI to S-Video/RCA adapter - it was a natural choice to go with for me. So my advice is: If you need a new laptop for VJing, and you can find one of the non-unibody MacBook Pro's, BUY IT!! You won't be disappointed (and you'll probably save about a thousand dollars like I did!)

That's my two cents.

[ilan]

I did the same. I had a first gen mbp and recently bought the last of that gen just because I was concerned that the old one would break and I would be stuck with the unibody.

[deepvisual]

me too
I got a blazing last of the line MBP for around €1000 euro less.
bargain.