ConQuest
Supacon wrote :
Hey you MacBook users out there... is it possible to actually have the video output to S-Video while booted with BootCamp into Winodws XP? I have heard that currently, this isn't possibld without having a scan convertor or some other pricey and bulky piece of hardware...
I'm guessing that it's another update to BootCamp before that will work.
I'm guessing that it's another update to BootCamp before that will work.
The converter is not pricey at all nut apparently is necessary at the moment.
VDJ user Steve Lynch bought one for about $45 and reported that everything worked fine after that.
I'm sure that that issue will go away when Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard comes out with the finalized version of BootCamp very soon. Then again, unless you're using windows for anyhting other than VDJ, you won't need windows at all because VDJ mac will be out soon too! =)
Posted Tue 13 Feb 07 @ 7:29 am
Supacon
I just had a look at a machine, an Acer Aspire 9805WKHi... that thing is MASSIVE with a 20.1 inch screen. (It's only 1680x1050 though, whereas I'm used to 1920x1200). It's got most every feature you could ever want, including an HD-DVD drive, interestingly enough, and the price is actually quite good... it's a refurb for $2,700 CAD.
Of course, I'm still considering a MacBook Pro 17, and I found out that I can use my old Student ID card #, and get a student discount, to get one for About $2,850 + the cost for a windows license, and an S-Video/Composite adaptor. It wouldn't be quite as big, doesn't have the full keyboard, doesn't have the dual hard discs with RAID, and doesn't have HD-DVD, but it does have a FireWire 800 port, powered Firewire ports, is a fair bit more svelte, and of course, can run either OS.
I'm probably leaning towards the Mac, but I still want to wait a bit to see how BootCamp comes along. I really need to be able to use S-Video, or Composite video out, and that doesn't work right now with the Apple brand adapter. On the other hand, I'll probably need a scan convertor eventually anyways, so we'll see how things come along.
ConQuest, have you read any news about what the next generation of MacBooks will look like? Does it look like Apple is preferring one new disc format over the other? (HD/BRD) Will Apple support WUXGA screens (1920x1200)?
Of course, I'm still considering a MacBook Pro 17, and I found out that I can use my old Student ID card #, and get a student discount, to get one for About $2,850 + the cost for a windows license, and an S-Video/Composite adaptor. It wouldn't be quite as big, doesn't have the full keyboard, doesn't have the dual hard discs with RAID, and doesn't have HD-DVD, but it does have a FireWire 800 port, powered Firewire ports, is a fair bit more svelte, and of course, can run either OS.
I'm probably leaning towards the Mac, but I still want to wait a bit to see how BootCamp comes along. I really need to be able to use S-Video, or Composite video out, and that doesn't work right now with the Apple brand adapter. On the other hand, I'll probably need a scan convertor eventually anyways, so we'll see how things come along.
ConQuest, have you read any news about what the next generation of MacBooks will look like? Does it look like Apple is preferring one new disc format over the other? (HD/BRD) Will Apple support WUXGA screens (1920x1200)?
Posted Tue 13 Feb 07 @ 7:58 pm
ConQuest
Supacon wrote :
ConQuest, have you read any news about what the next generation of MacBooks will look like? Does it look like Apple is preferring one new disc format over the other? (HD/BRD) Will Apple support WUXGA screens (1920x1200)?
Tough to comment on unreleased Apple products, but I'm sure that Apple will support Blu-Ray over HD/DVD: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc#Corporate_support
As far as screen resolution, there is quite a bit of info about what is around the corner including confirmation that Apple will incorporate resolution independence http://forums.appleinsider.com/showthread.php?t=67774 in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and possibly use LED-backlit displays that offer, among other things, these advantages:
- improved battery life (uses less power)
- maintain brightness longer over current screens
- more vivid colors
But again, no one knows what Apple's gonna do until Apple does it.
Posted Wed 14 Feb 07 @ 12:40 am
Supacon
Hey, just an update to this thread.
I actually did end up spending over $2,000 on a high end desktop system... here are the specs:
It's was a gigantic improvement over the laptop in most respects, but then I was talking to a friend in the club one night (the cook incidentally), and he was telling me about a problem with speedstep on his Dell XPS laptop.
That got me thinking, and when I checked my BIOS setup, it turns out that I had turned off speed step on the Dell Inspiron 6000 thinking it'd help my audio glitches... and what that did was to permanently run the laptop at about a third of it's normal speed.
Doh!
After all that, the problems I was having were because of how Dell set up their Bios a little unconventionally, and me, being a total dumbass not even reading the instructions!
So... problem fixed! If I had figured this out a month prior, I probably wouldn't have bothered buying the new hardware, but I guess it's nice to have one way or another.
I actually did end up spending over $2,000 on a high end desktop system... here are the specs:
- Asus P5B-E Motherboard
- Intel Core 2 Duo E6300, overclocked to 2.9 GHz
- 2GB DDR2 800 Memory from Team Extreem
- 6x 500GB Maxtor Hard Drives - 4 in a RAID5 configuration for my Video
- Radeon X1950 Pro Video Card
- Antec Nine Hundred Gaming Case with hammock filters on the drive bays
- Antec NeoHE 500W PSU
- A Dell FP2007 20.1" 1600x1200 LCD Monitor
- Logitech G11 Backlit keyboard with 18 "G" keys (I use them for FX, Video Mixing, etc)
- Logitech MX400 Laser Mouse
- Windows Vista Ultimate
It's was a gigantic improvement over the laptop in most respects, but then I was talking to a friend in the club one night (the cook incidentally), and he was telling me about a problem with speedstep on his Dell XPS laptop.
That got me thinking, and when I checked my BIOS setup, it turns out that I had turned off speed step on the Dell Inspiron 6000 thinking it'd help my audio glitches... and what that did was to permanently run the laptop at about a third of it's normal speed.
Doh!
After all that, the problems I was having were because of how Dell set up their Bios a little unconventionally, and me, being a total dumbass not even reading the instructions!
So... problem fixed! If I had figured this out a month prior, I probably wouldn't have bothered buying the new hardware, but I guess it's nice to have one way or another.
Posted Tue 17 Apr 07 @ 7:31 am