" I just wanted to let you know that we have public beta version of our new ShockWave 3d exporter available for download. It will work with LightWave 6.5b and is available for Mac and PC. Most of our demonstrations were designed and done on a Mac.
Here is a link to the page, along with info about a discussion forum we set up for feedback.
www.newtek.com/products/lightwave/shockwave3d/shockwave3d.html
Thanks and have a great weekend!
David Tracy
LightWave 3rd Party Manager"

" Hi Mike, I had this same error the first two times I tried burning a DVD in iDVD. After checking around different sites to see what might cause it, I came to the conclusion that the processor needs iDVDĚS full attention so using Peek-a Boo, I checked what was consuming the processor cycles and found several things that I normally have running and I turned them all off and made a new extension set based on this. I also gave iDVD 256mb of memory.
After tuning off these extensions, I have never had any more problems burning DVD'S.
Hope this helps, Mark.
G4/733
1.5gb ram
4-75GB IBM Ultra 100 ATA drives on a TempoRaid66 controller card"

I asked Mark what extensions were shown as using the most CPU cycles. (As a general rule, I always disable Multiple Users and any other extensions I don't need/use, such as Palm, USB device extensions I don't use/printer sharing, etc.)

I got a chance to try and burn a DVD through iDVD last night with my retail SuperDrive in my DP G4 500. It was a very time consuming process. I started at about 6 pm working on preparing the movie files. The DVD that I was wanted to make had a bunch of QuickTime movie trailers, some music videos, and some of my own creations.

What I did this time was I exported the trailers into a DV stream and then imported them into iMovie. With iMovie 2.03 there is a new export feature that is for export to iDVD. I did that with everyone of my files. I came upon one movie file that would not allow me to export it to a DV stream, which may be why my first DVD burning attempt did not work because it had the copy protection embedded into it.
I finally got my DVD all set up through iDVD around 12:30 am and I started the rendering and burning process. I was so tired that I went to bed instead of watching how the progress was going.

At about 2:00 am it hear my DVD drive try spit open, I thought oh crap I ruined a DVD, instead it said that your DVD is ready. I was in shock, I really didn't think that it would work. Then came the first test, I inserted the DVD back into my drive and it saw that it was a DVD and opened my Apple DVD player, good sign. I then saw my menu that I created and I was able to view everything.
Now the real test came, I took the DVD to my Playstation 2 to see if it would work. Lo and behold it did. I was so excited that I danced a jig of joy, it was 2 am I wasn't thinking too clearly :-). So the moral of the story is that iDVD will work with the retail SuperDrive, at least it did for me. Too bad I am here at work or else would go back to sleep...
-Steve "

" Mike,
I wanted to update my earlier report of dropped frames during batch capture using FCP 2.0 and FW drives (both the OWC 20GB portable and their cheap 80GB model). I have even noticed a distorted frame here or there under capture now, but now KNOW it is a problem with QT5, and not FCP or the drives.

In my opinion, QT5 is a beta2 product, even under 5.01. Whenever an "update" breaks features that worked before, it can't be considered finished in my book. I don't know why Apple didn't wait to release it. FCP professionals have told me that QT5 is buggy, and this is a symptom. It can work fine, but then, things go wrong. Other oddities besides batch capture problems and poor control of the Canon XL1 are losing sound in FCP, having to reset settings to get it back, and sever loss of sync between picture and sound. This isn't a timebase issue like it used to be. This is just the sound decoder getting behind the picture. It doesn't happen all the time, and the same clip can exhibit it once, then be fine if you close and reopen it. None of these things happened under FCP1.2.5 and QT4, and all but the DV control are directly related to QT tools.

I still thought the dropped frames could be my drive speed and not QT5 because with QT5.01, the dropped frames don't occur to internal IDE drives, but then, today, I tried something I thought would surely fail. I capture directly from a FUSE card to the FW drive with my G4(AGP) 450. This is noted by many places as not the best of ideas, with dropped frames likely. Yet, it worked flawlessly. I have 5.5MB per sec clips, some 2GB large, with no dropped frames. I can play and capture to either FW drive at this rate. The busy light doesn't even stay fully lit! I am shocked and happy this works. That rate is 66% higher than DVs 3.4MB/sec, yet DV capture reports dropped frames and Fuse capture works fine.

Since this kind of capture doesn't use QT5 in the same way DV capture does (the card compresses the stream and then just writes to disk like any program, only using Quicktime as an interface), it is obvious to me that the FW to FW DV coding has some sort of error in it that Apple needs to fix.

So, I stand behind my full recomendation for both OWC FW drives, and hope Apple gets this issue straightened out. They are working on it based on the FAQ re: QT5.01, but they aren't there yet.
Mike Kramer "

(Note: Mike Kramer uses Desktop G4s for his DV work as noted in his previous comments on these drives. Powerbooks have lower Firewire rates than desktop G4s, but still adequate bandwidth for DV as noted in my previous FW article.) Apple has a TIL on Final Cut Pro: Dropped Frames Warning With Batch Capture that says QT 5.01 is supposed to solve the batch capture dropped frames issue with previous QT versions on PowerBooks and iBooks (using internal drives). It's interesting Mike Kramer could capture Analog video from the Fuse card to the FW drive fine, even with a portable drive. Mike Kramer's previous report on the OWC portable FW drive and his DV systems/hardware is here.
(For tests of the OWC Elite AC powered case kit tested on 4 Macs (two powerbooks, a G4/AGP system and a 9600/350 with PCI Firewire card) and compared to other drives, see this article.)

" Hi Mike. RATOC Systems' CF03 USB CF Reader works fine in OSX. Don't know if they're available in the US, though. Japanese Brand.
Satoru Murata"

" The SanDisk Imagemate model SDDR-31 works with OSX. It is listed on Apple's compatiblilty page they have another listed as well. I use the SanDisk and it works well with the exception of having to immediate pull the card out when you eject. If you don't it will remount. Supposedly, Apple and SanDisk are working on this problem.
-- Mark Neal "

" I use the SanDisk ImageMate (model SDDR-31) and it works beautifully in both Mac OS 9.1 and OS X.
Eric Westby
Director of Web Design & Technology
The Atlantic Monthly "

" I've been in touch with half-a-dozen former 3dfx employees. No one has heard anything about this. I am skeptical about the whole thing.
(Ray Swartz) "

Reader Peter Lederer sent a note that theinquirer.net has a related story but with a correction noted regarding former 3dfx CTO Scott Sellers not being a part of any such company, so that's another indication this rumor is likely false, at least as far as any 3dfx tie-in. (A later post in the forums noted a company called 3Dpower may be selling GeForce3 cards. One reader made references to 3Dpower.com, but that site had so much flash content (over 200K download on one page) I almost gave up trying to view it with a slow connection.. Their site noted 3Dpower LTD was founded in February 2000 - long before 3dfx went RIP, and listed several nvidia chip based cards.)

• Other World Computing G3/500 in B&W G3 (rated 10)
• PowerLogix G3/400 in iMac (rated 10)
• PowerLogix BlueChip PB G3/466 in PB G3 Wallstreet2 (rated 10)

You can find these full reports by searching the database selecting the indicated Mac model and upgrade card brand/type. If you've upgraded the CPU on your Mac, please post an entry in the database. Search the database for entries from most every upgradable Mac model *before* you buy. (Searchable by mac model/upgrade brand). For detailed reviews with performance tests and install tips, see the CPU Upgrades page.)

Software Updates:

• Norton AntiVirus Defs. Update - 06.07.01
• Extension Overload 5.8.3 [Extensions/Control panels Info]
• Outlook MAC 2001 Beta
  
  OS X Software
• Eudora 5.1b14
• Search & Rescue [data recovery]

Apple TIL Updates:
• iBook: Reset Button Location and Function
• Mac OS 9: Is Compatible With MacPoET 1.1
• Mac OS: Out Of Memory Errors With File Synchronization
• Tech Info Library Archive: Contents
• Apple Discussions (Software Applications): Frequently Asked Questions
• iMac: Troubleshooting "No Video" Issues with an External Monitor
• Apple Studio Display (ADC): Functionality of On-Screen Display On/Off Button
• Power Mac G4 Cube: Replacing the Enclosure
• Power Mac G4 Cube: Customer Installable Parts Procedures
• iMac (Slot Loading): Installing or Replacing Memory
• Troubleshooting Handbook: Testing and Repairing Your Hard Disk
• Troubleshooting Handbook: Problems Starting Up: Solutions - Part 2
• QuickTime Streaming Server 3.0.1 Information and Software
• iBook (Dual USB): Customer-Installable Parts Procedures

Mac News:
(Note: Rehashing of press releases, repeated news, etc. not listed)

• IBM pushes new strain of chip power [notes 1GHz PPC later this year] (Cnet)
• IBM boffins stretch silicon to speed chips 35% (the register)
• Apple preps Mac OS 9 update (excite)
• JavaOne 2001 Gallery (apple)
• The New iBook: Head of the Class (businessweek)
• Apple's IBook Easy on the Wallet And on the Back (washington post)
• Pilots Document Vietnam War (apple)
• Monsters Inc Trailer (apple)
• Chicago Apple Store shaping up (maccentral)
• New AppleScript worm targets Outlook Express, Entourage (maccentral)
• Woz gets Visionary Award (maccentral)
• Ingram ditches 1,000 staff (macworld uk)
• Handspring offers free back-up module [For UK Readers] (macworld uk)
• SmartDisk 'not quitting Macs' (macworld uk)
• Why killer apps are killing me (zdnet)
• Mac pre-amp launched (macworld uk)

Gaming:
• Myst III Exile (gamespot)
• Fair Game: What OS X Means for Gaming on the Mac, part II (maccentral)