You Can Edit 4K Video on a MacBook Air (With a Red Rocket)
Since you can't even play 4K video on any PC, most of us would not automatically come up with an idea to edit 12-megapixel resolution video on a Macbook Air.
However, a demo published by Dave Helmly, in charge of tech sales of Adobe's pro audio and video products, shows that it is possible.
Helmly used a flagship Macbook Air with an Intel 1.8 GHz i7-2677M processor, which retails for $1700. The 4K video quickly overwhelmed the dual-core processor and its four threads. However, the video, apparently recorded with a Red One camera, ran in real-time via a Thunderbolt-connected Red Rocket accelerator and transcoder card. The Red Rocket card is key to getting 4K video to be played at 30 fps on a PC and can be purchased for $4,750.
It's important to note that Helmly went with the Apple hardware, but on the OS side it's running Windows 7 in boot camp. Helmly explained to Gizmodo on his choice:
No real reason I chose to show it running under Windows 7 other than I've been surprised that we haven't seen any demos of Windows running TB before now. It actually works pretty good in it's current beta state. That said the Mac OS kicks @ss running the same config. Please keep in mind that half the battle is getting alpha/beta Windows 7 64bit drivers for each TB device. All TB devices need drivers at some level. All necessary Mac OS driver are already shipping.
The Mac + TB is really last years news and we all want more TB peripherals to start shipping and to start showing Intel and PC makers that there is lots of interest on both sides and it will benefit all TB users. I have no preference on OS and use both everyday.
4K video is still an emerging standard and out of reach for mainstream customers. The Red One camera, which supports recording formats up to 4.5K at 4480x1920 pixels, is currently sold for $25,000. YouTube began supporting 4K videos in mid-2010. An example can be seen below (but you'll have to blow it up to original size if you want to see it in all its glory).
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Excellent tool. Were I to pursue video editing, the Red Rocket seems like the way to go...
Can't read the article. All I see in my head is Cartman and that poor dog.
Why?? Who can fully display a 4480x1920 video in all its glory anyways??? Multi-monitor set ups be damned with your black bars.
MacBook Air, Win 7 Ultimate?
What's the point of getting a Mac then ?.....
MacBook Air, Win 7 Ultimate? What's the point of getting a Mac then ?.....
Because of the available Thunderbolt connection?
Because of the available Thunderbolt connection?
So the hard work was done by an external device, the hardware is basically an Intel based ultrabook, regardless of the manufacturer the only thing that makes it Mac is the OS, and that was replaced with Windows 7
Well done, nice job
Wonder how many 7970s you need to game at that res. haha. Maybe an octo-core to go with it (and based on toms sub $200 gaming CPU, I'm not referring to the fx line!)
Or you could buy a $4000 computer and really be able to do editing... But it's a neat (although expensive) way to do on-site dailys and quick edits.
Wonder how many 7970s you need to game at that res. haha. Maybe an octo-core to go with it (and based on toms sub $200 gaming CPU, I'm not referring to the fx line!)
one, I remember the 6970 was quite OK with 3x1080P, I think the 7970 will be the same with 4x1080P
The 7990 would be excellent as the 6990 was excellent with the 3x1080P so the 7990 should be excellent with 4x1080P
read the benchmarks
actually the 7970 can play it (don't know about editing)
1700$ Air + 4750$ Red rocket box/card. Now its not porterbel any more. For the 6450$ i can buy a PC that can run it. So what the point. I fail to see it.
So the hard work was done by an external device, the hardware is basically an Intel based ultrabook, regardless of the manufacturer the only thing that makes it Mac is the OS, and that was replaced with Windows 7Well done, nice job
To my knowledge there is no option for a Thunderbolt connection on a PC. That was my point.
1700$ Air + 4750$ Red rocket box/card. Now its not porterbel any more. For the 6450$ i can buy a PC that can run it. So what the point. I fail to see it.
The point is mobility.
You can't take a big workstation with you. This thing you can travel with.
why is 1920x1080 called 1080p but 4480x1920 called 4.5k. misleading much?
... that's may prove, that thunderboult is a nice tech, but it proves too, that intel haz s#!ty GPU to accelerate video...
Hope they get it at 60fps.
Why?? Who can fully display a 4480x1920 video in all its glory anyways??? Multi-monitor set ups be damned with your black bars.
Very simple; in a few years 4K will come to the consumer market. And it would be nice if you can watch Baby's fist steps in 4K then.
Look at all the teenagers running around, when Dad gets out their digital Baby pics in (then) 640x480 they cringe. Oh Dad... nice memory, but what a crappy resolution.
In other words, even if we can not VIEW the resolution yet (within our budget, as monitors that can ARE available); it would be smart to record in as much resolution as we can. The displays will catch up !
why is 1920x1080 called 1080p but 4480x1920 called 4.5k. misleading much?
The terminology (4k) comes from the Video world, not the computer world.
IT folk count lines, Video folk used to count lines in the analog days and switched to vertical resolution when going digital. Nothing misleading, simply another way at looking at thing.
Like Europeans drive in km/h and liters and Yanks in miles and Gallons :-)
"Since you can't even play 4K video on any PC, most of us would not automatically come up with an idea to edit 12-megapixel resolution video on a Macbook Air."
My calculator says 4480*1920 = 8.6MP, not 12.
Not true. The Nvidia GT 520's video engine can playback 4k video, the output however is limited to 1080p.
so technically the laptop is only a terminal .. the hard work is still managed by a super duper powerfull unit. The title is so misleading ... better present it as Red Rocket able to work with the new Thunderbold enabled computers , not Mac Book air doing wonders in the pc industry with windows installed on it.
Why 4480x1920? That's such a weird resolution. 7:5?
Why not 4096x2160? It's about the same amount of pixels (slightly more) and it makes more sense.
truly revolutionary, the first external thunderbolt egpu in the market. not that apple did anything. thunderbolt is from intel, red rocket from red.
that's how the future will be. Anyway the card is bottlenecked by thunderbolt. No way it gives pci-e 2.0 x16 bandwidth. but it should give about 80% of the performance.
Red Rocket / great name
Yeah, of course 4k... what about giving us a 4k computer monitor first, at least a 30" IPS?
We don't necessarily use it for 4k video yet, but for photos, which are already way beyond this resolution.
This tersely written article smells of propaganda for iCrap. This has nothing to do with the McBook Air and more to do with an intel based ultra book running Windows 7. The length to which iCrap morons go to legitimize their trashy drm infested prisonware.
I love the line: "the Mac OS kicks @ss".
My response: Listen dimwit, I got a bridge to sell you in Florida!
Why 4480x1920? That's such a weird resolution. 7:5? Why not 4096x2160? It's about the same amount of pixels (slightly more) and it makes more sense.
It is a video production standard, not a PC resolution standard.
Yeah, of course 4k... what about giving us a 4k computer monitor first, at least a 30" IPS?We don't necessarily use it for 4k video yet, but for photos, which are already way beyond this resolution.
They are available; just a bit on the expensive side :-)
High end studios usually have them.
first... i doubt that 4k will be coming to homes any time soon due to human ability to precieve higher than 1080p resolutions, it may come to japan sooner than america, just because they live in far smaller houses and sit much closer to the tv, to the extent that many programs have a stid back away from the tv warning in front of them. high resolutions like this need 80+inch screens just to start seeing that detail at 10 feet away, and over 120 inch to see it all.
that segways into projectors... at some point they will be common, when they tech is perfect, but home projectors still suffer from lighting issues. but projectors are where higher than 1080p shines (outside of pc monitors)
higher than 4k resolutions are mostly just thearter resolutions because of the massive screens, and how close you sit.
i know people dont like hearing this, but 1080p is a standard for a reason, they did the research to find out thats all the detail most people in the world will see... the only reason we are progressing further in a home market at all is because 60+ inch tvs are affordable.
on the pc side, we have always had higher resolution monitors because we sit close.
Red pisses me off. They charge far too much.
Misleading title and opening statement much?
Unless you read through the entire article, this gives the impression that macs run ultra high resolution video on moderate hardware when a PC can't do it on even the most powerful hardware.
Who the hell has a 4K TV, let alone a computer with a video card that can support 4K output to a TV hooked up to it? Seriously? Where is the connector to deliver a 4K signal to a single screen anyway?
This is a product with no market.