The mac mini wil work but you might want to invest in an external hard drive.

Also if you get an intel based system you might want to upgrade Final Cut Pro because the upgrade is fairly cheap and the newest version should work on intel and PPC Macs.

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA

Yes, more hard drive space is extremely important. Get the biggest drive you can afford. You'll probably also want to upgrade the RAM. You're also probably fine with Final Cut 4, since a Mini probably couldn't handle HD or real-time effects very well anyway... if you're getting the Intel model, though, you'll have to get Final Cut 5 (an Intel version isn't out yet, it probably will be in a month, though, and a dual-core processor is probably worth the wait).

And if you can sit on your hands long enough, the conventional wisdom is that Apple will be unveiling a significant update to Final Cut at NAB near the end of April.

All in all, though, I don't see why you couldn't use even a low-end mini for editing (don't expect very good render times, though). I've done plenty of editing on iMac G4's, which are basically the same thing except with a built-in screen, and it worked just fine.

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Andrew Gingerich
Exploding Goldfish Films
Check out my vodcast on iTunes: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=96931870

Apple is indeed upgrading Final Cut. They are making it so that you cannot buy Final Cut pro without the entire suite (Motion, Soundtrack Pro, Final Cut Pro, some other one). The new suite will also be dual binary so it works on Intel or PPC systems.

If you have any of the chunks of the suite you get a really good deal on upgrading to the whole thing. I'm going from Final Cut Pro 5 to the whole suite for $99 and it would have cost me $1,000 previously. Good deal if you get in on it. If you find Final Cut Pro on the Apple website they have more details about how much it costs to upgrade from each of the programs. Some are more, some less.

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA

Right now, I use a Mac mini 1.42 w/ 1GB of RAM, and I love it!.
I would have never thot that a little computer like that could do soo much work. I put it thru alot of tasks, wedding videos, retirement videos, short films, this little guy does a lot.
It is true tho, you do need an external harddrive..but with video editing, when does that not apply?
Dont let anyone tell you differently. If you're strapped for cash or u just want a simple way to edit, a Mac mini is awesome!

Ive also sent out my version of Soundtrack Pro for upgrade, its such a cheap price, i cant turn it down. Unfortunately, I wont be able to use the Final Cut Studio until I get my new computer (PowerMac Quad).

Visualization is the art of seeing things invisible.

I never use mac mini
But I used Powerbook for final cut pro
I don't know much about storage in mac mini

Nada Taufik
Film Maker
pink_rebels?filmsindie.com
http://www.filmsindie.com/pinkrebels

im in a similar situation. I plan on switching to Mac this summer. I have always edited on mac so i know my way around them. Unfortunatly i dont know what exactly to buy. I plan on this next computer being my permamnet computer for a while. Should i go the mac mini route or what? right now im looking at an imac with ATI Radeon X1600/128MB VRAM, 500GB Serial ATA drive, and 512MB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 1x512. How does that sound? not enough power? I really need some help here. I dont want to go to the apple store and have the guy tell me I need all types of extra crap i dont really need. So if anybody here is currently using a mac what are your specs and what system are you using?

also, is it possible to edit on one of there more powerful laptops?

"Anyone who has ever been privileged to direct a film also knows that, although it can be like trying to write 'War and Peace' in a bumper car in an amusement park, when you finally get it right, there are not many joys in life that can equal the feeling." - Stanley Kubrick

For editing, I'd want a second hard disk for the video to minimise competition between the editing program and the operating system, and at least 1GB of RAM.

Which is kind of silly considering I edited a DV feature on a PII-250 with 256MB of RAM, but current editing systems seem to suck up RAM as fast as they can get it.

Personally I would suggest a Mac Mini over an iMac primarily because it is cheaper if you already have a monitor, and you can upgrade the monitor later to a big monster. The iMac on the other hand leaves you with the default size monitor. Perhaps monitor size isn't a problem (lots of people edit on laptops) but if you're going to get a desktop I just don't think you should limit your options.

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA

Dont let the size fool you..
The mac mini is quite a work horse for the price!

Visualization is the art of seeing things invisible.