In the old days, to monitor video to see exactly what it looks like for color grading required an external video monitor. Today, that’s no longer necessary. Here are three different techniques to view full-screen video from cheap to high-quality.
Most USB drives are formatted as FAT32. This older format is highly compatible, but very limited in terms of file names and size. A better option is to reformat the drive as ExFAT which is supported natively by both Windows and Mac systems.
I like this Levitouch Dual-arm Monitor Mount from Gabor a lot. It is solidly built, easy to assemble, and supports two computer monitors from 17 – 32″ and up to 19.8 pounds each. Here’s my detailed review.
It seems counterintutive, but you don’t need massive amounts of RAM for video editing. This explains why the duration of your video project does not determine the hardware you need. It also explains what DOES require faster hardware.
The Apple Studio Monitor is an amazing display. But, as a monitor, it has too much — and too little. This could be the perfect monitor for you – or it could be far more than you need. It’s complex. Here are my thoughts.
If you want power to burn in a space small enough to fit on your desk and still have a desk left, the 2023 Mac mini with the M2 Pro SoC is impossible to ignore. Here are my thoughts on strengths, weaknesses and configuration.
I am often asked which NLE is “better.” That question can’t be answered, except to say “It depends…” However, we CAN test render and export speeds, along with multicam streaming support using the new 2023 M2 Pro Mac mini. I did – and here are the results.
The new 2023 Mac mini is a powerhouse – especially when equipped with an M2 Pro SoC. In this detailed analysis, Larry Jordan looks at the performance of the M2 Mac mini specifically for use editing media in Apple Final Cut Pro.
This you won’t believe. I tested to see how many streams of 4K media Final Cut Pro can edit in a multicam clip. The answer blew me away. These are the details.
A frequent question is whether a computer has the power an editor needs. Here I look at what Apple Final Cut Pro needs for 4K multicam editing and the speeds your storage needs to support. The answer is not what you expect.
Digital video no longer requires state-of-the-art hardware. We no longer need the biggest, fastest, most powerful system to get our work done. Here’s what you need to consider for a video editing system today.
Here are the top ten media tutorials on the LarryJordan.com website for Dec. 2022. These include links and short article descriptions.
The Synology WRX 560 Wireless Router is fast, powerful and amazingly flexible. It is designed for networks that need lots of controls. But, installation is a challenge.
macOS Ventura is significantly (masses of megabytes!) slower than macOS Monterey for both ExFAT- and APFS-formatted SSD drives. No one know why. Worse, formatting drives is now harder than before. Here are the details.
If you are wondering whether it is time to upgrade, 13.1 is a good place to start. Just give yourself time to get everything sorted once the upgrade is complete. Here’s a detailed look at what to do, the problems I ran into and links for more information.
“Ask Larry Anything!” is a free-form conversation about video editing technology. In this short tutorial, Larry Jordan illustrates real-world speeds for SSDs and RAIDs, along with details on how much storage speed we actually need for editing video smoothly. The answers will surprise you.
This tutorial measures and illustrates the difference in speeds between different SSD (Solid State Drive) RAID levels. This also provides definitions of these different levels and recommendations on which to use for your storage.
How fast does our storage need to be to edit video successfully? In other words: How fast is “fast enough?” Surprising, the answer is: Not as fast as you think. Here’s what you need to know.
Measuring the speed of storage is an exercise in futility for a whole lot of reasons. Here’s what you need to know when you want to measure the speed of your system.
Here are the step-by-step instructions for creating or deleting a multi-disk RAID 0 or RAID 1 storage system using Apple’s Disk Utility, which ships with every Mac.
The OWC Thunderblade is a four-blade SSD RAID with speeds that more than meet the needs of virtually all video editors or audio mixers. This thing is plenty fast – the trick is figuring out exactly HOW fast. Read a detailed product review from Larry Jordan.
There is a large, significant difference in measuring storage speeds when using Blackmagic Disk Speed Test versus AJA System Test Lite. The problem is that we don’t know which one is more accurate. Here are the details.
Is there a speed difference between the three Thunderbolt ports on an 16″ M1 MacBook Pro? Larry Jordan tests his system to find out.
In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan explains that Thunderbolt, though very fast, still has speed limits, especially for video editing. And those speed limits vary, depending upon what you are doing.
In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan explains what affects computer system performance for video editing, what can slow down your data and what speeds we should expect from our gear. There’s a lot that can affect the performance of your system.
Nothing replaces directly-connected storage for speed. But nothing is better at sharing than a server. The Synology DS-1522+ is an excellent choice for any small network. Here’s a detailed review, including configuration and performance tests.
Servers are designed for sharing data. In this tutorial, Larry Jordan looks at how to install hardware into Synology DS 1522+ server, then interviews Patrick Deshere, from Synology, about how to pick the right server for your office.
One of our favorite – and most wide-ranging – sessions returns with “Ask Larry Anything!” Presented by Larry Jordan, this is a free-form conversation based on questions submitted by viewers. In this short video tutorial, Larry explains the challenges of maximizing performance when using hard disk drive RAIDs for video editing.
The speed of a local-area network is dependent upon a number of factors, some of which we have more control of than others. Here’s a list of what to check to improve your network speed, without replacing the server.
SSDs offer far faster performance and, when combined into a RAID, storage equal to spinning hard disks. But, there are traps to avoid. Here’s what you need to know. (Featuring an in-depth technical interview with Tim Standing, VP Software Engineering, OWC.)
Confused when comparing Intel to Apple silicon systems? Jerry Thompson was, too. Here are the answers to your questions on what the differences are between Apple silicon and Intel, along with suggestions on how to spec a system.
Picking a high-quality computer monitor for video editing is surprisingly confusing. Here is Larry Jordan’s explanation of what specs you need to look for, which you can ignore, and what criteria he uses for picking computer and video monitors.
What is a “Retina Display?” What does it do and what monitors support it? This tutorial explains the term, why it’s used and what it means.
No monitor is perfect, but if images are your life, you should make the effort to check out the ViewSonic VP2776. When I look at the same image on all three monitor connected to my Mac, the ViewSonic looks the best. Here’s a detailed review.
Which combination of hard disk or SSD storage provides the fastest speed or highest capacity for video editing? This illustrated tutorial will answer these questions, plus provide a spreadsheet you can use to test your own numbers. This works for Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve and Apple Final Cut Pro editors.
Even the largest RAIDs fill up. If you own an OWC RAID, you can safely and easily archive RAID sets for archiving and storage. Loren Miller explains the process in this highly-illustrated, step-by-step tutorial.
Thunderbolt is an amazing protocol and essential to many video workflows. However, it isn’t a magic box. Once you understand what affects the speeds it can transfer data, you can better plan for how to use it. This tutorial explains what impacts the speed of a Thunderbolt device.
August is vacation time. Still, over these five weeks, we published 19 tutorials and product reviews. Here’s a summary of everything we released this month. Something to look through during the holiday weekend.
V-Station HD is a new and uniform approach for multi-cam video projects, particularly for those who are not trained in video production. In this article, Larry Jordan interviews FutureVideo Products CEO Robert Cohen to learn more about their video products.
I’ve been thinking recently about how much the marketing of the tech industry is driven by “Fear of Missing Out” (FOMO). Rumor sites are in the business of generating page views by emphasizing “what we might miss.” But speculating on what Apple will announce is a smoke-and-mirror-filled rabbit hole. Don’t let FOMO derail your buying decisions.
The CalDigit Thunderbolt Station 4 (TS4): More ports and more speed in one small box with a great price. However, there are a few key issues you need to understand before you buy. Here’s my detailed review.
The ATEN UC8000 MicLIVE AI-powered podcast audio mixer is a good first effort, but it isn’t ready for production. It is well-built but not well thought-out. Here’s my review.
One of our favorite – and most wide-ranging – sessions returns with “Ask Larry Anything!” Presented by Larry Jordan, this is a free-form conversation based on questions submitted by viewers. In this short video, Larry has a conversation about computer performance in the real-world, specifically for video editing.
The TourBox is a small control surface for just about any Windows or Mac application – with a special emphasis on media creation and editing. It is well-built with a very well-designed software interface. There’s only one small problem…
The iRig Pro Quattro I/O is a four-channel audio interface perfect for recording music or video in the field, or for live-steaming podcasts or other productions. Here’s an in-depth review.
At WWDC 2022, Apple introduced their latest iteration of Apple silicon: the M2. Based on information released by Apple during the event, the M2 is, on average, 10-15% faster than the M1. Note: That’s not a knock on the M2, …
Recently, the folks at ViewSonic contacted me about what they see as the top trends in 2022 for visual displays and monitors. I was intrigued by their list and emailed Jeff Volpe, President of ViewSonic Americas, to learn more. Larry: Jeff, …
The New Mac Studio computer is stunning. But, is it for you? Here’s what you need to know to configure it for video editing – yet save money at the same time.
There are cheaper soft lights out there, but I like the quality of the Lumecube Edge Light. It is well-built, easily adjustable and floods a medium-sized area with clean, soft light. Here’s my review.
(Updated Dec. 2024). RAIDs (Redundant Array of Independent Drives) are high-speed, high-capacity storage systems designed for video editing. However, they are often described using arcane terms like RAID 0, 1, 3, 5, and so on. This describes what those terms mean and illustrates real-world speeds.
