[adamberti]

I've got a doctor friend who's been filming his surgeries for years and would like to give patients a DVD of their surgery. Now these surgeries happen very quickly (one after another), so the computer would have to handle some tasks at the same time.

The proposed process would be: Computer records operation in iMovie. When complete, the user throws it into iDVD template, hits burn. Next surgery could happen while the DVD is still encoding or burning.

Could a new iMac handle this? Is it a matter of processor or RAM? Would a MacPro handle it if an iMac couldn't. Unfortunately he only has some older G5 iMac's to test with.

Thanks for your input.

[ibook_steve]

I don't understand. Are you talking about recording the surgeries live directly into the computer? Or are you talking about a standard video camera? With a standard camera, you can import the video at any time, create an iMovie, and start creating a DVD in iDVD. You can work on a new movie in iMovie while iDVD is processing and burning the first one. Is that what you want to do?

Steve

[adamberti]

Oops, sorry it wasn't clear. The feed comes from a microscope hooked up through a video system (that goes to other monitors) but also outputs over firewire and he wants to record live surgery. The purpose behind burning the DVD right away is that the patient can take it home with them as they leave (there is a waiting period after surgery in which the DVD can burn). But there are two operating theatres so, the next surgery happens right away. Basically the computer would need to be capturing video in iMovie over firewire at the same time as it would be encoding a DVD in iDVD.

I'm trying to help him figure out if he needs two computers, or can a single iMac or MacPro handle this. Thanks.

[jansean]

Maybe it is an accessory service for the patients.But should the patients pay more money?

[chipchen]

Seems to me, the easiest thing is to have the video split... one going to the computer for the doctor to reference later if need be... and another to a DVD recorder. They can just record to the DVD recorder and give that directly to the patient. No fancy iDVD theme, but quick and easy.

[bearcatrp]

You will have to wait until the surgery is completed, then import to iMovie, then edit if necessary, then burn. You can start a new project while its burning in iDVD. I think you will tax the iMac pretty hard so I would recommend a mac pro. Doesn't have to be top of the line but would suggest at least 8GB of memory if the recording/importing/burning are one right after the other. What file format are the recordings being done in?

[adamberti]

Originally Posted by jansean 

Maybe it is an accessory service for the patients.But should the patients pay more money?

I don't know for sure, I think it's for free. He's a bit of a technology nerd like the rest of us.

Originally Posted by chipchen 

Seems to me, the easiest thing is to have the video split... one going to the computer for the doctor to reference later if need be... and another to a DVD recorder. They can just record to the DVD recorder and give that directly to the patient. No fancy iDVD theme, but quick and easy.

That's actually a really good idea - thanks. Keeps it simple and easy. Then the DVD is recorded in realtime and there's no waiting, the patient takes it out of the operating room with them.

Originally Posted by bearcatrp 

You will have to wait until the surgery is completed, then import to iMovie, then edit if necessary, then burn. You can start a new project while its burning in iDVD. I think you will tax the iMac pretty hard so I would recommend a mac pro. Doesn't have to be top of the line but would suggest at least 8GB of memory if the recording/importing/burning are one right after the other. What file format are the recordings being done in?

This is what I figured. He currently saves the clips as straight DV I think. He has some proprietary system that was given to him, but I think it's recording DV. Problem is it has to be saved to a hard drive and then that hard drive has to be connected to the network to move it to it's permanent location. He's looking at using StudioCode to code the videos too - might capture in that.

Thanks for the input.