Man,
It is truly sad to continuously see 'pros' still sqabbling over PC's & Mac's.
Ryan, way to stick to those guns boyo! If you've got a camera hand to match that eye for detail, you can crew up with me any day.
Joe,
You said at the start you're in the beginning stage of editing. Before you make any hard decisions, ask yourself; what are my goals for potential edited projects? Are you planning to do small projects in a non-profit capacity? Do you plan on editing professionally? If so, at what level (i.e. freelance or full-time business?) What will be the ultimate distribution pipeline(s) for your completed work (DVD, Internet, broadcast, etc.?) Answering these questions will give you a much clearer idea of the kind of editing system you're going to need.
Let's just say you're looking at the 'pro (freelance, full-time business) level. To turn out quality professional looking product you're going to need a system capable of doing what you need to achieve said look. Just so you know, the higher-end you want to go the more you're going to have to invest in software and hardware. On a side note, depending on your skillset you can 'get away with' working on a much lesser system with lesser software but it's so much more work!
Now to be clear, I've worked with both Macs and PC's since '96. In '97 I was doing field repairs and upgrades on graphic mac workstations. By '98 I started on my own doing the same on PC's because I couldn't afford a mac. Though now I am fluent with building custom NLE's for the PC platform, I also do occasional editing work with mac based NLE's. I currently prefer PC's because if anything goes awry, I can fix it. I have no intention of 'retooling' my production company to a mac setup, but consistantly collaborate with collegues and contractors who use both systems and I use software that aids in said collaboration.
So, to answer your question (and reaffirm some other posters); No, you can't use FCE or P on anything other than a mac. You can't use Vegas Pro (which has been mentioned) on anything but a PC. You can use Avid Media Composer on a mac (it was originally designed for mac), but you can't use Avid Symphony on a mac (if you could afford it, you wouldn't care!) Premeire Pro can be used on a PC or Mac (provided it has an intel chip).
Something you should consider if you're going the pro route to editing; whatever platform you choose, it has been my experience to use an NLE computer with two monitors and a desktop configured as a workstation. Two reasons why I would recommend against getting a 'one piece' (built-in monitor and desktop). First, when editing having a second monitor is a necessity (not a luxury). You'll need the space to work with your editing window, timeline, audio controls and the numerous bins your project will acquire during the edit. Two, if your built-in monitor goes bad unless you have� another monitor,� you'll have a nice paperweight sitting on your editing table.
Lastly, when it comes to deciding on which software to use consider the previous and what will give you the best workflow pipeline for your current budget? FCP is a great program, but unless you plan on getting Shake, Motion and other apple-only graphics support software, you're most likely going to end up getting Adobe software. So whatever money you save on FCP up front, you'll end up spending getting support software. On the otherhand, adobe makes most of the 'industry standard' programs and offers them in one bundle. Just some stuff to think about. Good luck with your decision.
