Apple Power Mac G5 - Manual (Page 24)

Simultaneous video streams
Using Final Cut Pro 4.1, Apple tested the number of simultaneous video streams that
could be played back on a Power Mac G5.
The dual 2GHz and dual 1.8GHz Power Mac G5 systems can play up to seven simultaneous
SD video streams. The dual 2GHz system was also able to achieve eight simultaneous SD
streams using the “unlimited” feature in Final Cut Pro 4.1. With DV content, the Power Mac
G5 was capable of playing up to nine simultaneous streams. 1
Power Mac G5 systems were tested using Final Cut Pro 4.1 and a single Xserve RAID configured with 512MB of RAM
per controller, 14 drives, and RAID 50. The HP xw8000 (Avid’s recommended PC platform) is listed for comparison. PC
results are available at www.avid.com/products/composer/adrenaline/.
Video rendering
Using Final Cut Pro 4.1 on the Power Mac G5, Apple measured the time to render a
30-second uncompressed standard definition (SD) video clip with various commonly
used effects and filters, including animated background texture with feathered alpha
channel; four separate, scaled green-screen composites; and animated text with an
alpha channel.
When rendering a complete project containing multiple effects and filters, the dual 2GHz
Power Mac G5 and dual 1.8GHz Power Mac G5 running Final Cut Pro 4.1 were 19% and
10% faster, respectively, than the dual Xeon-based system. 1
Power Mac G5 systems were tested using Final Cut Pro 4.1. The HP xw8000 (Avid’s recommended PC platform) was
tested using Avid Media Composer Adrenaline 1.03.80. All systems were tested using the internal disk subsystem.
Power Mac G5
Dual 2GHz PowerPC G5
Power Mac G5
Dual 1.8GHz PowerPC G5
HP xw8000
Dual 2.8GHz Xeon
19% faster
10% faster
Baseline
Rendering of standard definition (SD) content
Percent faster than dual Xeon
4 8 0
Power Mac G5
Dual 2GHz PowerPC G5
Power Mac G5
Dual 1.8GHz PowerPC G5
HP xw8000
Dual 2.8GHz Xeon
Real-time playback of standard definition (SD) content
Maximum number of streams
5 streams
7 streams
7 streams
24 Technology and
Performance Overview
Power Mac G5
Simultaneous Video Stream Results
Video Rendering Results