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MillimeterBlu-ray Creation with the New Apple Final Cut Studio
Aug 13, 2009 12:00 PM, By Jan Ozer
Figure 1. The drive case on the Apple Mac Pro pulls right out, but mind the cables.
This issue of Final Cut Pro Insider finds me—well, inside an Apple computer, appropriately enough, specifically to add a Blu-ray drive to a Mac Pro. It’s a journey that many of you will take now that Final Cut Studio can burn Blu-ray Discs, so I thought that I would share the experience. Then I’ll describe how to create a Blu-ray Disc with the new Final Cut Studio. Though both tasks might sound intimidating to the uninitiated, they’re actually so easy that you’ll be wondering if I actually get paid to write this stuff. I do, and please keep thoughts like that to yourself. (Please don't share them with my editors.)
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So, getting the drive installed. For the record, I used a Pioneer BDR-202 BD-RW that the Pioneer folks obviously forgot that they sent me late last year (don’t tell them, either). The drive supports both write-once and rewritable Blu-ray Discs. BD-R are discs about $3 per disc, so rewritable makes sense for test discs and the like. I installed the drive in a 2009 Mac Pro—I can’t vouch that the process will be this simple for earlier versions. For this baby, however, all you’ll need is the drive and a Phillips-head screwdriver, so don’t procrastinate. Let’s jump right in.
Pop the case by pulling the latch in the back and removing the side panel. On the top front, you’ll see a drive case that should pull out without tools. Note that you’ll be pulling out the current drive attached via its cables, so work gently and don’t pull too far.
Figure 2. The SuperDrive in the DVD case, looking lonely.
Once you get the case out, unplug the cables from the back of the current drive so you can place the case on a table or other flat surface, as you see in Figure 2. Don’t sweat getting those cables reattached; Apple includes a combined power/Serial ATA plug that makes installation a snap. Even better, as you’ll see below, Apple provides two such plugs—one for each drive that the case can hold—so you don’t have to worry about cables for your new drive.
Figure 3. Both drives installed.
You won’t have to worry about screws, either, since Apple includes the required four of them prescrewed into holes on the side of the case. Remove them with the Phillips, insert the new drive below the original, and screw it in.
After that, it’s time to reattach the cables. Figure 4 is a glam shot of the two-headed, power/Serial ATA cable. The top cable attaches to the original drive, while the second, lower extension goes into the second drive. Now would be a good time to mention that if you’re trying to install an older, IDE-connected drive, you’re probably out of luck.
Plug those cables in, then slide the drive case back into the Mac Pro, careful to use the guide screws on the bottom for guidance. Unless you’re a total klutz, you should be done in less than 10 minutes. See? I told you it was easy.
Figure 4. Apple’s neat, dual headed Serial ATA/power cable.
Boot the computer, and the first question that'll come to your mind is, "How the heck do I open the second drive?" Mine too. I’ll save you a trip to Bing and tell you that you simply hold the Option key down when pressing the eject button on the keyboard (F12 on non-Apple keyboards), and the second drive will open right up.
Now that we’ve got the drive installed, let’s burn a Blu-ray Disc.
Continue the discussion on “Crosstalk” the Millimeter Forum.
