vcd? magic3 vs messiah2? mac? installers? confusion.

[abetterlie]

hello all,
i have many questions to ask of all you experienced ps2 people out there.

1. magic 3 from modchip.ca or messiah 2 from your moderators? considering i live in NYC, shipping from the uk might be a bit of a pain, and since there is no set price for the messiah 2 that i know of, which would be the better choice? (i have a v7 ntsc ps2)

2. would it be possible to buy a firewire enclosure and the pioneer dvd burner and burn backups from a mac? i know this is a little obscure, but i needed to sell my pc and buy a mac for video editing.

3. does anyone know any installers in NYC, or should i just send it to bill at newage? i know he has a good rep, but he does charge a pretty high price.

4. is there any way to watch vcds on the ps2? i can watch them on my ps1 and on my dreamcast, but for obsessiveness' (word?) sake, is it possible to do?


thanks for the help!

[BG]

Get the Messiah 2 from Charlie_PS2 or Dust2Dust.... Even though you are in the US, shipping will not be a problem...

Yes you can use a MAC for PS2 backups. There is a MAC user on the forum....(Sorry, I can't remember his name at the moment.):(

I would send it to Bill..... In my opinion his price is very reasonable.. Or you could try it yourself.... (Then I think you would agree that his price is good)

Unsure about vcd's... I only use mine for games...

[Warlock]

Charlie and Dust are VERY reliable but seeing as you are in New York area and www.chipzone.com is in Blue Bell, PA i would order a magic3 from them. The chip is 49.00. You can buy it and send it and the console to bill at www.freedomlives.com, I'm not sure about his prices as i installed my own, or you can just send the console to chipzone and they will furnish the modchip and install it for 179.00. this includes tax, shiping and insurance.

[abetterlie]

chipzone? havent heard much about them on this forum, does anyone else know if they are any good?

thanks,
matt.

[elkayps2]

a firewire enclosure on a ao3/ao4/ao5 should work fine
I have a low end g4 tower , I have removed the standard dvd-rom and installed a AO4 without any hassels. but if u have to go external then firewire would be the go.

Just make sure u run Toast 5.1.2 or higher you'll be alright.

also, with the use of Idvd or dvd studio pro, ripping dvd-9 movies to dvd-5 is childs play,


Elkay

[abetterlie]

awesome, thats just the info i was looking for, do you think ill get buffer underrun errors, because of the real-world firewire limitations? i have a powerbook G4 (regretfully), and i was actually considering buying a low end pc sheerly for backing up ps2 games. i have dvd studio pro and toast 5.1.2. any recommendations?
thanks,
matt.