iMac 5k Retina Display...Information

A lot of people here use Macs so I doubt there is going to be a lot of Mac bashing...

What do you want to do with your workstation / computer?

Have you gone to an Apple store and tried out the iMac?

John I have not gone to Mac store however I am later today to get my schooling ...I really want to ability to actually see what 4k video has captured and not look at it in 1080P. I have format related questions as with Windows it seems to want to run Apple plugins for some video, seemingly with more frequency. I’m not sure differences of files formats that Apple supports as to its affect with 4k either.

My intention was get as many facts here if possible. I thought some member has to have performed a demo 4k camera and if so how? Hopefully I can stream video to another 4k source from Mac which is paramount.

I looked at the 4k test how is content displayed through VMS software and which codec supports streaming 4k ?

The major benefit of using a Mac is that you will find more/better video editing tools, which translates to more users, which translates to more tutorials on the web. You can search for all kinds of things like "how to (x) in Final Cut" and likely find 10 different tutorials.

The resolution of your monitor doesn't matter (to a point). In video editing you're always working with the actual video in a relatively small window (unless you have a dedicated full-scale preview monitor). Editing and such at full-res just slows things down, so a 1080p monitor is perfectly fine for editing 4K video. However, given how few monitors support 4k video, I'm not sure you *really* want to be doing 4K exports. It might be nice to capture in 4K so that you have more ability to pan/zoom in the image, especially if you're applying a stabilizing filter in post.

My current monitor is an LG ultra-wide (21:9) which I've found works very good for editing, lots of room to layout all the editing windows, controls, etc. It's not 4K though, it's 3440x1480.

Thanks for all your input...I’m reconsidering my initial philosophy as there will be no advantage using Mac other than editing obviously. Hopefully my tutor will teach me how to perform those functions. I can purchase a 4k TV and build a machine for less money and have a larger screen for viewing which is my main objective (I failed to mention that). CNet report on both Mac machines reflected John’s viewpoint, details are too insignificant to the naked eye comparing 4k to 1080P...unless your at IMAX.

I use Windows for work (required) and Mac for everything else (preferred). You'll find that Macs not only are more efficient in terms of system resources, but their hardware is much more reliable because they control both sides of the equation. Obviously, you pay for this up front, but where I've had to purchase multiple PCs because they don't last as long, I've got Macs that are almost 5 years old and still scream and have never had an issue, and this has saved me money in terms of TCO and effeciency.

You only have 2 reasons NOT to go Mac in my honest opinion.

1. Software / apps that you need to utilize aren't available on the Mac OS platform (though programs like Parallels that give you both often solve this problem)
2. You are the type of person who will have a hard time learning a new OS (there are tons of tools available for learning Mac OS, but some people still really struggle to adapt)