Apple Final Cut Pro 5 User Manual download pdf (Page 184)

Chapter 14 Determining Your Hard Disk Storage Options 183

III

Example Calculation for Disk Space Requirements

Suppose you want to create a music video that’s approximately four minutes long

using DV video for capture, editing, and output. Consider a shooting ratio of 15:1,

meaning you shot 15 times more footage than you will use in the final movie.

Total duration of media captured to disk:

Â 15 x 4 minutes = 60 minutes

Data rate requirements for DV media:

Â 3.6 MB/sec. video data rate x 60 seconds = 216 MB/min.

Calculated disk space requirements for media:

Â 60 minutes x 216 MB/min. = 12960 MB

Â 12,960 MB ÷1024 MB per GB = 12.66 GB

Multiply final movie length by a safety margin of 5 for extra files:

Â 4 minutes x 216 MB/min. = 864 MB x 5 = 4320 MB

Â 4320 MB ÷ 1024 MB per GB = 4.22 GB

Total disk space requirements:

Â 12.66 GB + 4.22 GB = 16.88 GB

Round your calculation up to 17 GB to be safe. This is the amount of disk space you’ll

need for this one project. If you plan to work on multiple projects at the same time,

estimate the amount for each project and add these numbers together.

Note: These calculations are also important when planning how to archive your

projects when they are finished, though many people choose to archive only the

project file and not back up their media files (since the original footage is stored on

tape, you can always recapture the footage if necessary).

Choosing a Hard Disk

The disk that contains your computer’s operating system is called the startup disk or

boot disk. In addition to the operating system, the startup disk also stores your

applications (such as Final Cut Pro), your application preferences, system settings, and

other documents. Since the files on the startup disk are your most critical data,

maintaining the startup disk is vital.

Since digital media (especially high data rate video) makes your disks work harder, you

should use dedicated disks for capturing and playing back your digital video and other

media files. Consider your media disks as storage units that work long, hard hours,

while your startup disk keeps your system properly organized. If a disk is going to

malfunction, it’s better if your critical data is separate from your replaceable media files.

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Apple Final Cut Pro 5 User Manual Page 184