QT Pro 7 vs QT 10

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Level 1

9 points

QT Pro 7 vs QT 10

So IF I decide I should be using QT Pro 7 with FCE 3.5 on newly installed Snow Leopard, can I get credit from Apple for the QT upgrade I bought 4 years ago for my Tiger?

Will I need to use both QT 10 AND QT Pro 7? I have seen that suggested on a MacRumors thread that was very long & full of needles...

All I want to do with my system is make beautiful underwater videos - not a professional, but not a soccer mom either... What benefit would Pro confer these days? (I bought it originally to facilitate exporting, which it did.)

Would appreciate yr learned opinions, Finalists!

Sharron S.

Posted on Nov 26, 2012 1:50 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

MartinR

Level 6

19,001 points

Nov 26, 2012 8:26 PM in response to sharronsuss

Hi Sharron,

You don't have to worry about QuickTime. Just install FCE. FCE will take care of itself.

If you meant, can you selectively tell FCE to use QuickTime X vs. QuickTime 7, the answer is no. On a Snow Leopard system, FCE uses QuickTime X because it is part of Snow Leopard. If you want, you can also install QuickTime 7 on a Snow Leopard system, but that is in addition to QuickTime X, not a replacement for QuickTime X. FCE does not use QuickTime 7 on a Snow Leopard system.

If you meant, can you use FCE to export video that you would further edit or convert in QuickTime 7 Pro, yes you can do that.

Also, on a Snow Leopard system it would be best if you can install FCE 4. Users have been successful with FCE 3.5 on Snow Leopard but FCE 4 is really where you should be.

There is no credit for the QT Pro license you purchased when you had Tiger. But you can reuse the QT Pro license key with QT7 on a Snow Leopard system.

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Answer 2

sharronsuss Author

Level 1

9 points

Nov 28, 2012 9:50 AM in response to MartinR

Very clear, very reassuring, thanks, Martin!

But you bring up two issues:

"If you meant, can you use FCE to export video that you would further edit or convert in QuickTime 7 Pro, yes you can do that."

What post-FCE editing capabilities does QT7 add that FCE itself won't do? I can probably dig out my Pro Key from a Tiger clone or my paper files, but it won't be fun!

"Also, on a Snow Leopard system it would be best if you can install FCE 4. Users have been successful with FCE 3.5 on Snow Leopard but FCE 4 is really where you should be."

WHY should I be using FCE4? I purchased 3.5 (along with my first Mac) about a month before 4.0 came out and decided at the time not to upgrade. Now it would be more difficult to do - what specifically makes it worth it?

I'm kind of a Luddite, but one with a good excuse - I'm a serious amateur underwater videographer. Changes in Mac software can require changes in camera and housing gear not to be undertaken lightly. Also, I have limited need for some capabilities

important to the "dry" videographer - eg I will usually replace ambient sound completely with music &/or voice-over.

I know you know more than I can imagine about the various options for using FCE with different OS's and associated software. I do appreciate your insight, opinions and help. Mainly I don't want to be crashing because of putting things together that don't play well together unless there are very good reasons for it. Or spending more time troubleshooting than editing!

Thanks,

Sharron

Thanks,

Sharron

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Answer 3

MartinR

Level 6

19,001 points

Nov 28, 2012 6:13 PM in response to sharronsuss

Hi Sharron,

I mentioned QT7 Pro because it wasn't clear to me if you had a specific interest in it or not for editing purposes. QT7 Pro does support some basic editing (mostly just trimming clips) and some format/codec conversion capabilities but you already have most if not all of that available to you right in FCE.

Regarding FCE 3.5 vs FCE 4 they will both work on Snow Leopard. The reasons I think FCE 4 is a better choice include the following:

FCE 3.5 was released in May 2006 when Tiger (10.4) was still the current version of OS X. Leopard (10.5) was released shortly after FCE 3.5 was released. What this means is that the FCE 3.5 code is a) quite old at this point and b) was developed in conjunction with Tiger & Leopard.
FCE 4 was released in May 2007, roughly halfway between the release dates of Leopard & Snow Leopard, making is much more likely that is was designed with Snow Leopard compatibility in mind.
FCE 4 is the most recent (and unfortunately the last release) of FCE. It added the ability to edit AVCHD video, to use 3rd party Fx Plug effects, and mixed-format timelines.

Copies of FCE 4 are still available on eBay and Amazon and probably other outlets.

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Answer 4

sharronsuss Author

Level 1

9 points

Nov 28, 2012 10:11 PM in response to MartinR

Hi Martin -

You have certainly laid to rest the QT issue. I'll stick with X for now - if it ain't broken, etc...

As to FCE 3.5 vs 4.0, although I don't think of "old code" as necessarily degenerate, FCE 4.0's capability with disc-based videocams would be a plus. My tape-based Sony camcorders won't last forever, and keeping them supplied with batteries is bad for the planet & for my equanimity.

Can FCE 4.0 capture1080i from mini-DVD cassettes? Those are my ultimate (not only) level of backup. And I believe it can import my Project Files, right?

I'll check out Amazon/eBay's offerings. Don't know much about purchasing Apple software anywhere but from Apple. It makes me feel like I'm doing something illegal!

Thanx,

S

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Answer 5

Alchroma

Level 7

23,809 points

Nov 28, 2012 11:13 PM in response to sharronsuss

Can FCE 4.0 capture1080i from mini-DVD cassettes?

Yes. FCE 4 can do everything the previous versions could do and more.

If you purchase a DVD disc of FCE 4 make sure you have it's serial number supplied so you can register it.

Al

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Answer 6

sharronsuss Author

Level 1

9 points

Nov 29, 2012 9:50 AM in response to Alchroma

Checked out FCE 4.0 on Amazon, there are a couple in unopened boxes and more in opened boxes, at ~$350/$100 per respectively. Also a single upgrade from 3.5 to 4.0 for ~$140.

Also read all the reviews (they sounded a little familiar - I had seen these issues addressed in late 2007-8, on this Forum.) Many were from those converting from iMovie, & were generally raves. Some complained bitterly about difficulties encountered working with AVCHD. All in all, it sounded like more work than fun. Isn't it supposed to be your money OR your life?

But YOU raised another question for me, about buying, registering, "licensing" software no longer supported by Apple.

In the past six weeks, through an apparently reputable computer repair company in my city, I bought Mountain Lion, which was not a "clean install" and which I was invited to register when I went online with it - although I have no numbers or discs. It didn't work well with Final Cut and now resides on a bootable clone, mainly for backup of some files & maybe other flotsam & jetsam.

On your advice, I had the techs do a clean install of Snow Leopard, which seems to be doing the trick, but which is NOT registered, and when I asked about a license number was told that it was not necessary for Apple software, only for MS. I'm not sure I believe that.

So, if I take advantage of the $29 Snow Leopard boxed discs now on the App store, as you pointed out to me a few days ago, will owning that licensing number (or whatever it's properly called) give me full Apple rights on the Snow Leopard I have running? Or would I have to reinstall from that actual disc?

At this point, that's the question I need answered. I think I'm going to stick with SL/FCE 3.5/QT X for now and would like to be as legitimate as possible.

Thanks,

Sharron

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Answer 7

MartinR

Level 6

19,001 points

Nov 29, 2012 10:47 AM in response to sharronsuss

Sharron,

To the best of my knowledge, OS X has never had, come with or required a serial number or registration. The registration that you are prompted to do when you install OS X yourself, or startup a new Mac for the first time, is merely information Apple wants you to provide probably for their marketing database. I have never had any reason to believe this is any kind of legal registration.

The only Apple software that I know of that requires a serial number (note: serial number, not registration) are the pro apps like Final Cut, Logic, Aperture (before it became availalble in the Mac App Store), QTPro, etc.

If you purchase the Snow Leopard disk from Apple it may at least give you peace of mind, as well as your own disks to install SL in the future if necessary. By the way, it is only $19 in the Apple Online Store.

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