64-bit computing is a hot topic in the video production industry—and a lot of people are talking about the benefits of a complete 64-bit system. You may think that moving to 64-bit is expensive, but not necessarily. It’s actually possible to take advantage of the benefits brought by 64-bit systems without much expense, and in today’s environment, anything that brings incremental improvements to productivity without a big cash outlay is worth investigating. This article explores the advantages that 64-bit can bring to various video production workflows, and discusses the easiest ways to upgrade systems to take advantage of these gains.
Are We There Yet?
You may be waiting for 64-bit computing to arrive, an eagerly anticipated explosion that delivers unprecedented new computing power. The reality is that 64-bit computing is not going to arrive as a massive sea change; it’s already here. In fact, you may at this moment be sitting in front of a 64-bit capable machine that can add dramatic productivity improvements to your business, and not even know it. All you may need is a memory or operating system upgrade to start working at blazingly fast, 64-bit speeds.
Whenever the industry moves to a new architecture like 64-bit, it does so in a transitional manner that takes a number of years to complete. Those that move first are the most demanding users who value the benefits of the technology highly enough to endure the teething problems that are a natural part of early adoption. Eventually, as the technology advances, all users will make the change. We are well past the early stage now, and it is fair to say that for all involved in professional video production, the benefits of 64-bit easily justify the cost and time to migrate. In fact, if you wait for the transition to be complete, you will undoubtedly find yourself behind the curve.
The Benefits of 64-Bit
The biggest difference with 64-bit is memory. With a 32-bit address space, the computer can identify 232 individual bits of data, corresponding to 4GB of memory. In practice, operating systems, particularly Microsoft Windows, reserve a portion of this memory for “personal use,” meaning that less is actually available for running applications. With a 64-bit address space, computers can talk to 264 individual bits of data, corresponding to 17.2 billion gigabytes—an effectively unlimited amount of memory that can be used for running multiple applications, often with increased performance.
With more memory, video workflows gain two important benefits, both of which can give you an edge in your business: efficient high-resolution production and more flexible workflows.
Hi-Res and RAW
With more and more productions shooting high-resolution RAW content, the capacity to handle any resolution your clients request might be the deciding factor in getting a particular job, so it pays to be ready. Equally important, the additional productivity from investing in more memory for 64-bit systems equates to less time and lower cost to complete a job, providing the freedom to price more competitively or to increase margins.
Smoothly playing multiple streams of video in real time requires that many frames must be loaded into memory simultaneously so that they can be processed quickly. With cameras like RED capturing very large frame sizes up to 4K and beyond, 32-bit systems run out of memory quickly, hindering performance. With 64-bit systems, memory can be specified according to the expected workflow—if large frame rates will be the norm, you can add up to 64GB to maximize performance.
All Apps, All the Time
Running all your applications at the same time equates to a more efficient production system, leading to lower production costs. More importantly, it opens the door to experimenting more during production because there is no longer a time penalty associated with moving content to and from other applications. For example, if you can use Adobe®After Effects® to add motion graphics to any element of an Adobe Premiere® Pro timeline without having to save and close work in some other application, you are far more likely to experiment because the tools are immediately available. This flexibility can bring a creative edge to your production that improves your reputation, and ultimately, your business success.
As the solutions from the major software providers become well-integrated desktop production systems, workflows become increasingly seamless and flexible. But the reality is the race to higher resolutions means that often there isn’t enough memory in the system to run all the applications you need at the same time, and you have to close/reopen the applications that are used less frequently. With 64-bit systems, the removal of memory limitations means this issue is eliminated—you can add as much memory as you need to run multiple applications.
Getting to 64-Bit
If you are a Mac user, odds are you probably already have a 64-bit machine. With the exception of the very first generation, all Intel-based Macs are 64-bit capable, and all versions of Mac OS X that run on those machines are 64-bit too. This means that a memory upgrade is all that is needed to realize the benefits of 64-bit.
For Windows users, the decision is a little more complex. The major question is whether the CPU in your system is 64-bit capable. If it is, then you will need to purchase a 64-bit version of Windows to take advantage. Microsoft sells the 64-bit Windows Vista Ultimate upgrade for just over $200.
The majority of CPUs built in the last three years can run 64-bit systems. At Adobe, we survey our customers to understand the capabilities of their systems. Our latest information shows that the vast majority of our Production Premium CS4 customers have 64-bit capable machines.
For memory there are a number of considerations. The first is the simple question of whether the computer can physically accommodate more than 4GB of memory. This depends on the number of slots on the motherboard and type of memory expected. Most desktop machines will accommodate at least 8GB of RAM. Most laptops are limited to 4GB, although that is changing, with new machines allowing up to 16GB. There are a number of resources on the web that can help you through this process – try searching for “how to upgrade memory.”
At today’s prices, PC users should be able to upgrade a desktop system to 8GB RAM and Vista64 for less than $400. This may prove to be the most cost-effective upgrade you can make to your current system.
Up Close: Dv3 Productions and 64-Bit
One Adobe customer that has moved to 64-bit systems is Dv3 Productions, founded by brothers Obin and Amariah Olson. In Fall 2008, the Olsons became among the first to use the RED camera’s tapeless workflow built around the RED importer plug-in and Adobe Premiere Pro CS4. Their project, Fatal Flaw, is a short film produced by Joseph Simpkins of Living Water Films.
The brothers used Adobe Creative Suite 4 Production Premium software to drop 4K resolution native R3D files straight onto the Adobe Premiere Pro timeline, without transcoding or rewrapping, and 64-bit machines to work either online or offline with the same RAW master files.
The Olsons note that a major benefit of using Adobe Creative Suite 4 Production Premium is that the applications are all optimized for 64-bit computer systems. The latest version of Adobe’s toolset offers increased performance and editing speed, rapid switching among tools, and improved stability—all of which free up time. The move to 64-bit has given the Olsons confidence to work in real-time in client-supervised sessions, editing video and creating effects on the fly using native RAW video. Dv3 Productions got all of these benefits at a low cost that has quickly paid off in improved creativity and better client service.
Giles Baker is the Group Product Manager at Adobe Systems Incorporated, responsible for the professional video editing business, an integral part of Adobe's Dynamic Media Organization that provides comprehensive video and web solutions supporting entire creative workflows from conceptualization through delivery. Baker joined Adobe in 2001 as the Senior Product Manager of Adobe Encore DVD, leading the program from inception through versions 1.5 and 2.0. Prior to joining Adobe, Baker worked at Sonic Solutions, where he was Product Manager overseeing the entire line of professional DVD authoring solutions from 1999-2001. Prior to that he was the DVD Sales Engineer for Sonic Solutions Europe from 1998-1999 setting up a network of DVD production facilities using Sonic Solutions’ DVD tools. Baker is a knowledgeable speaker with experience participating in panels discussing video industry issues. He is currently a member of the board of directors with the Advanced Authoring Format (AAF) Association. He holds an MBA from The Wharton School of Business and a Bachelor of Music degree, Music and Sound Recording (Tonmeister), from the University of Surrey in the U.K.
Comments (12) for "The 64-Bit Question"
1.
I've got a little more of the nitty-gritty about how to take advantage of a 64-bit OS with After Effects in this post on my blog:
http://blogs.adobe.com/toddkopriva/2009/03/cs4_production_premium_on_64bi_1.html
Posted by Todd Kopriva on Friday, July 10, 2009 @ 03:34 PM
2.
This begs the question "How can you tell if your machine is 64 bit capable?". Well?
Posted by Skip Brand on Monday, July 13, 2009 @ 11:56 AM
3.
Google a free utility called CPU-Z. It is a great utility that gives you succinct information about your CPU, memory and motherboard. You want to know the exact name of your motherboard (if you don't know it). Once you have the name, either go to the vendor's website or even look on a retail site like Newegg and look under the specs category. There you can find if the board supports 64 bit. If the board is less than 3 years old, you have nothing to worry about. Get a bare minimum of 4GB of memory, update all of your drivers (graphics, motherboard, sound) and have fun.
Posted by Empire Video on Monday, July 13, 2009 @ 12:50 PM
4.
If the machine is 64 bit capable? Pentium based - not really, AMD based - most likely, XEON based - most likely
but then, a lot of the programs you are using won't work properly in 64 bit so you'll have to upgrade them if they have 64 bit versions (and some hardware drivers too) it's a rough road and the best solution is to get a 64 bit turnkey system.
Posted by Radu Vlad on Monday, July 13, 2009 @ 01:38 PM
5.
You cannot forget that it's not as simple as just changing the memory and OS. You will have to find all the drivers and install programs that are compatible to 64bit for your PC computer. Good luck.
Posted by Ur FAther on Monday, July 13, 2009 @ 02:26 PM
6.
Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, Core i7 = 64 bit capable.
Pentium 4, D etc. possible but you need to check. There's a Intel utility that'll tell you.5CF
Posted by Bitster on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 @ 01:15 PM
7.
Been down that 64 bit road, and back. It is Hell and I don't recommend it. Now if all you use your computer for is running one main application that is 64 bit friendly, ok. If you have 32 bit programs that are essential to your business, FUGGADABOUTIT! Until your accounting, word processing, plug-ins, accessories, ancillary programs, utilities are all 64 bit friendly, DON'T!
I went from XP-Pro 32 to Vista Business 64, to "XP Pro 64 and back to XP-Pro 32, amounting to a complete re-installation of ALL of my software THREE times.
I am a professional video editor using Adobe Production Suite CS-4. If that was the only thing I ran on this machine that would be great (dual Xeon quad Cores-8 gigs memory 2tb Raid 10) but I do other things that puke on 64 bits.
Posted by Tom Peace on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 @ 03:20 PM
8.
I've used all flavors of x64 OSs from Microsoft. I use XP at work, which isn't bad, but I would hate to try and find drivers for the off-brand scanner you may have purchased at Wal-Mart. Vista x64 was slow and clumsy. Windows 7 x64 is my top pic. It's lean, mean, and has an abundance of drivers, since all Vista x64 drivers work with 7x64.
Posted by Mark on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 @ 04:37 PM
9.
There’s a lot of misinformation out there concerning 64-bit computing and 32-bit application compatibility. The fact is that it’s much less of a 64-bit issue and much more of an OS issue. Remember when XP (32-bit) was released. People were pissed. Some of their old software and hardware wouldn’t work on the new OS. Damn you, Microsoft! The issues people have with Vista (32 and 64-bit) are the same. “My old stuff won’t work with my new stuff!”
Most of the fear and anger with 64-bit comes from Microsoft’s great XP-64 experiment. AMD’s Athlon 64 made that possible. The problem was that none of the hardware manufactures were ready for it. No one had 64-bit drivers prepared! Damn you, hardware-maker guys! Without stable drivers any software you ran was going to be glitchy. That’s why your Premiere Pro (release 1) crashed your XP-64 system. MS Word wouldn’t even run correctly. But you’ll remember that XP-32 ran just fine under the Athlon 64 and so did all the apps we were running back in 2004. It wasn’t the hardware’s fault. It was the OS and the driver’s fault.
Empire Video is right. If you have a system that is 3 years old or less you have nothing to worry about. All your hardware is Vista-64 ready. I’d go a step further and say that if you’re editing HD on a system that’s more than three years old you’ll probably want to upgrade anyway. And that holds true for your software as well. Time to upgrade your old Premiere 6.5!
Posted by Chad Haufschild on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 @ 10:12 PM
10.
Nothing like a sweet Avid Ds10 64bit system to suit all my needs.
Posted by Omar on Wednesday, July 15, 2009 @ 08:30 AM
11.
Nothing about Linux_x64? It Means no pro users here?
Posted by gescom on Friday, July 17, 2009 @ 07:14 AM
12.
Ilike the studioDaily as I am a broadcasting engineer
Posted by ASIKO GEORGE on Tuesday, December 29, 2009 @ 12:24 AM
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