Mac vs. PC - The Dilemma of a Small, One-Man-Band Production House

Screenlight by Ryan Dietz

We are faced with decisions daily. Pepsi or Coke? Short-sleeves or long-sleeves? Mac or PC?

But as a small production company, the answer to the last question is not as easy as it might sound.

Let me first give you some background. I started my own production company in May 2011, with the following goal: to provide affordable, personable, and highly professional video production for medium to large businesses. To deliver a professional product to my clients, I needed to find a way to get the best editing equipment I could, but at a fraction of the cost of a huge editing suite.

Here are some of the challenges I needed to address:

1. Speed: I need files to transfer fast. I need uncompressed video to not stutter on playback. I need the computer to rocket through an encode batch like a Maserati.

2. Compatibility: I have a dream team, not employees. They work like freelancers with me. I need to know that no matter who I have working on any project, I’m not going to have technical problems down the line. I need things to just work.

3. Price: I don’t have unlimited resources like some of the big production houses. Each purchase has to be carefully researched and must work within my workflow.

The Mac versus PC debate is raging more now than ever. Macs have the edge in popularity, but the unknown future of the Mac Pro tower can be scary for many production companies. PCs have different bugs, but may be more compatible with enterprise systems and they can be cheaper. read more...