Is there a 2 gig size limit for Mac files as there is with Windows?

When editing with Windows, how much of a factor is the 2 gig size limit? Are there simple workarounds? Or does this really hurt?

-- Frank Ishizaki (frankishi@earthlink.net), May 04, 1999

Answers

I don't think there is a 2GB limit on the Mac. Older PC compatible computers had a problem b/c of their BIOS (where they couldn't access anything >528MB). However if you have a computer which was made after 1995/96 you should have no problem with the hardware. Then with Windows 95 OSR2 or Win98 or NT you should not have a problem with software either. I installed a 22gig IBM Deskstar drive on my G3 and all I had to do was install it and format it for access to the entire drive, which took about 15 minutes total.

Patrick

-- Patrick (pstepp@hotmail.com), May 16, 1999.

The previous answer to this question seems to confuse the old DOS limitation on large HD sizes with the 2GB limitation on video files in both Video for Windows and Quicktime. To answer your question, yes, there is a 2Gig limit on individual .mov (Quicktime) or .avi (VfW) files. So if you're editing DV footage you'll be limited to a video file of about 9 minutes. However, most of the hardware/software bundles out there now include playback from the timeline of your NLE software (such as Premiere) which sequentially plays back a series of files, bypassing the 2Gig limit.

-- Frank Walters (frank.walters@atkearney.com), May 18, 1999.

I think the 2gig limit he's asking about is the limit on digitizing video, not playback. As far as I know, at this time there still is that drive allocation limit for longer files. We operate a Media 100 and it only will give you 2gig at a time while inputting files. Have you found a way to get around that?

-- Mike Weber (cmr@ij.net), June 02, 1999.