Hard drive with USB 3...work for video editing?

Hi everyone,

It's been a while since I've been here. Been busy with some other things and no projects on the go. :-(

I'm looking at getting another hard drive and with the prospect of future video projects, can one edit video on an external drive through USB 3. I have to go external because I'm on a laptop. In the store (Future Shop) they say it's fast but I wanted to talk to the pros regarding video.

(I did try searching this out in the forum but got zero for results.)

Thanks so much!
Deanna

MBP 2.66 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo, OS Snow Leopard, FCS (FCP 5.1.4)
G5 dual 2.0 Ghz, OS Tiger, FCS (FCP 5.1.4)

While USB is fast as far as data transfer speeds go, like the previous USB standards, it still transfers data in packets (short bursts). This will probably not be a problem in video editing if you stick to working with lower data rate video formats like DV or HDV, but if you ever plan to work with formats that have higher data rate requirements, you may receive error messages about "dropped frames" or have other playback issues. This is due to the fact that most NLEs will interpret the gap between the bursts of data in a USB transfer as dropped frames.

On the other hand, Firewire, Thunderbolt and eSATA transfer data in a sustained stream with no gaps, which is why they are generally recommended over USB hard drives.

The bottom line is it depends on which video formats you plan to work with.

-DH

I don't know that USB 3 is even supported on the Mac.

--ken

I think I recall seeing third party PCI cards that allow USB 3.0 available for MacPro desktop towers. I'd have to look though.

-DH

Thanks for everyone's feedback. I think that because I think I presently only have usb2 on my MBP I'm going to just get that and when I'm ready for my next editing project, I can use my G-tech 500 gig with firewire for it....or depending on how long until the next project...maybe some new technology! My camera is dying anyway and is DV so I have to upgrade and that's probably going to mean upgrading my FCP!

Have a great weekend!
Deanna

LaCie has a card that allows USB 3.0 connection to Intel MacPros or MacBook Pro models with ExpressCard/34 slots built-in. While this is a reasonable option for making backups on cheap drives I would never consider using USB for serious editing.

Best wishes,

Ronny