Mac Integrated Video

Mac computers have long been known for their superior graphic capabilities, and most Mac models utilize very good to excellent  dedicated video cards with separate video memory. However, in recent years, Apple has begun to follow the PC market in adopting the integrated video that is built into many Intel i-series processors. This has the advantage of cutting costs, power requirements, and space usage, but it does so at the cost of performance.

While integrated video is adequate for most general purpose computer usage, MediaShout is far from 'general purpose'! The process that we use for rendering video on the Main Display is rather intensive, and it gets more intensive the higher your output resolution is. We have seen a number of problems running MediaShout on Macs that have integrated video, so we have a specific requirement that you use a Mac with a dedicated video card and memory. This is a common requirement for presentation software.

And just so you don't think that we're alone in our assessment of integrated video, check out this rather telling description that is posted on Apple's own support forum in their own words:

"Discrete GPU provides high performance graphics support using discrete video memory. An integrated GPU provides effective graphics support and shares video memory with the main system." (Underlining and italics added for emphasis.)

It's hard to describe "effective" as a ringing endorsement of a graphics technology. Because Macs have a reputation of excellent graphics, many customers assume that all Macs will provide that. Unfortunately, that is not the case, and we encourage you to shop carefully when purchasing your Mac to ensure that you will be satisfied with its performance and have it properly support the software that you intend to use.