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!