Return-Path: Received: from mail-iy0-f169.google.com ([209.85.210.169] verified) by media-motion.tv (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 4.2.10) with ESMTP-TLS id 4590058 for AE-List@media-motion.tv; Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:11:23 +0100 Received: by iadj38 with SMTP id j38so1883303iad.28 for ; Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:18:25 -0800 (PST) Received: by 10.50.168.2 with SMTP id zs2mr14925752igb.21.1326755904920; Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:18:24 -0800 (PST) Return-Path: Received: from [192.168.1.226] (c-71-63-186-29.hsd1.mn.comcast.net. [71.63.186.29]) by mx.google.com with ESMTPS id vg9sm3606697igb.4.2012.01.16.15.18.23 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=OTHER); Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:18:24 -0800 (PST) From: Carey Dissmore Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v1251.1) Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="Apple-Mail=_6A1CD23E-8659-40BB-9652-54D7D90065B4" Subject: Re: [AE] The Future of the Mac Pro in Video Post Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:18:22 -0600 In-Reply-To: To: "After Effects Mail List" References: Message-Id: <7446D9D0-06A2-4DA4-B0EF-CE6A579C44D7@imugonline.com> X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.1251.1) --Apple-Mail=_6A1CD23E-8659-40BB-9652-54D7D90065B4 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 I was tempted to entertain the idea of a revised Mac Pro in the video = blog post but it seemed too speculative, as opposed to dealing with the = idea that Thunderbolt can't sustain enough lanes of data to fully = saturate a GPU, and the potential mass migration if---and that's a big = if---Apple didn't offer a refreshed/redesigned Mac Pro. By the way I = didn't think my take on it rose to rumor status because the Thunderbolt = spec is a known thing. The future Mac Pro is an either/or thing. My hope for any redesigned Mac Pro would be that it still offered = full-bandwidth PCI-Express support for GPUs, even if it pushed a bunch = of other stuff onto Thunderbolt.=20 In the future, 100Gbps Thunderbolt (think 2018-2020 for release date) = would accommodate this kind of bandwidth. However, looking that far = ahead at what sorts of architectures and applications might be in play = is pretty hard to do.=20 carey On Jan 16, 2012, at 4:44 PM, James Culbertson wrote: > Agreed. And that approach is quickly becoming more realistic for many. >=20 > But all of this is just rumor, including of course Carey's original = blog post. >=20 > Perhaps Carey should have put "Rumor:" at the head of his original = subject line to remind us that none of us really know what will happen. >=20 > I happen to believe the rumors that there will be at least one more = MacPro revision before Apple comes up with some more modern version of = the MacPro. I guess that is a plausible as anything else that has been = written on the subject here and elsewhere. >=20 > James >=20 >=20 > On Jan 16, 2012, at 1:38 PM, Tony Romain wrote: >=20 >> It may just be that we're just seeing the next evolution in the role = of the workstation in a production set up. Maybe there are advantages = to not having your workstation be the end all be all for all I/O, = processing, etc. But rather a new ala carte model that is catered to = your specific application. >>=20 >> There are plenty of people who manage to cut video (offline at least = ) on a laptop with an external raid=85 maybe in the future there will = be ways to offload higher end video processing/RAM/GPU intensive = calculations to an external video processor, specifically tuned to that = task=85 >>=20 >> not saying this is the best approach or cost efficient. But just = wondering of what the possibilities may be=85 >>=20 >>=20 >> -- >> tony romain :// principal/creative director >>=20 >> trance >> motion graphic animation and design >> 323 651 1114 >> www.trancedesigns.com >>=20 >> From: James Culbertson >> Reply-To: AE list >> Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:46:54 -0800 >> To: AE list >> Subject: Re: [AE] The Future of the Mac Pro in Video Post >>=20 >> I imagine most video pros will want to stick with a MacPro for at = least one more generation before depending upon Thunderbolt extensively. >>=20 >> I'm waiting for the next revision of MacPro before upgrading = personally. Though i can see how iMacs and MacBookPros are becoming more = realistic for intensive video work as time passes. >>=20 >> James >=20 --Apple-Mail=_6A1CD23E-8659-40BB-9652-54D7D90065B4 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=windows-1252 I was = tempted to entertain the idea of a revised Mac Pro in the video blog = post but it seemed too speculative, as opposed to dealing with the idea = that Thunderbolt can't sustain enough lanes of data to fully saturate a = GPU, and the potential mass migration if---and that's a big if---Apple = didn't offer a refreshed/redesigned Mac Pro.  By the way I didn't = think my take on it rose to rumor status because the Thunderbolt spec is = a known thing. The future Mac Pro is an either/or = thing.

My hope for any redesigned Mac Pro would be = that it still offered full-bandwidth PCI-Express support for GPUs, even = if it pushed a bunch of other stuff onto = Thunderbolt. 

In the future, 100Gbps = Thunderbolt (think 2018-2020 for release date) would accommodate this = kind of bandwidth. However, looking that far ahead at what sorts of = architectures and applications might be in play is pretty hard to = do. 

carey

On = Jan 16, 2012, at 4:44 PM, James Culbertson wrote:

Agreed. And that approach = is quickly becoming more realistic for = many.

But all of this is just rumor, including = of course Carey's original blog post.

Perhaps = Carey should have put "Rumor:" at the head of his original subject line = to remind us that none of us really know what will = happen.

I happen to believe the rumors that = there will be at least one more MacPro revision before Apple comes up = with some more modern version of the MacPro. I guess that is a plausible = as anything else that has been written on the subject here and = elsewhere.

James


On Jan 16, 2012, at 1:38 PM, Tony Romain wrote:

It may just be = that we're just seeing the next evolution in the role of the workstation = in a production set up.  Maybe there are advantages to not having = your workstation be the end all be all for all I/O, processing, etc. =  But rather a new ala carte model that is catered to your specific = application.

There are plenty of people who = manage to cut video (offline at least ) on a laptop with an external = raid=85  maybe in the future there will be ways to offload higher = end video processing/RAM/GPU intensive calculations to an external video = processor, specifically tuned to that task=85

not= saying this is the best approach or cost efficient.   But just = wondering of what the possibilities may = be=85


--
tony = romain :// principal/creative = director

trance
motion graphic = animation and design
323 651 1114

From: James Culbertson <albion@speakeasy.net>
Reply-To: AE list <AE-List@media-motion.tv>Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2012 = 12:46:54 -0800
To: AE list = <AE-List@media-motion.tv>Subject: Re: [AE] The Future = of the Mac Pro in Video Post

I imagine most = video pros will want to stick with a MacPro for at least one more = generation before depending upon Thunderbolt extensively.

I'm waiting for the = next revision of MacPro before upgrading personally. Though i can see = how iMacs and MacBookPros are becoming more realistic for intensive = video work as time passes.

James
=


= --Apple-Mail=_6A1CD23E-8659-40BB-9652-54D7D90065B4--