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Hardware and Software

To create great work and to make the most of your education at Huntington University’s Arizona Center for Digital Media Arts, you need certain equipment. Check out the following list of required (and recommended) equipment.

Requirements for Film Production Majors 

  • Portable External Hard Drive - Due to the nature of the program it is required that every student purchase an external hard drive. Below is what we would consider minimum required specifications:
    • A minimum 500GB Hard Drive (1TB should hold four years worth of work.)
    • USB 3.0 (USB 2.0 Drives are not acceptable.)
    • Firewire 800
    • Spindle speed of 7200 RPM (Caution: If the drive manufacturer does not state this – the drive probably spins at 5400 RPM which is not acceptable.)
    • A Thunderbolt port is a nice feature, but is not yet required.
    • Portability is a nice feature, but is not required.
  • Card Reader – The card reader must work for both SD and CF (Compact Flash) cards. USB 3.0 is preferred. Recommendation: Transcend USB 3.0 Super Speed Multi-Card Reader
  • SD Card – A 16GB minimum card should be purchased. Recommendation: Transcend 64GB Flash Memory Card
  • Professional Stereo Headphones – All DMA students are required to have their own professional stereo headphones that enclose the ear. Ear buds and hobbyist headphones are unacceptable for developing critical listening required in freshman level audio classes.

All Digital Media Arts Majors

If you are purchasing a computer for the program, we also recommend getting the most recent copy of the new Adobe Creative Cloud as this package offers many of the programs we use on a daily basis. Keep in mind that the recommended systems are NOT required for Huntington University’s Arizona Center for Digital Media Arts. These recommendations are provided as guides for your purchase of hardware and software. Huntington University’s Arizona Center for Digital Media Arts provides lab computers with software needed for DMA course requirements for use by students enrolled in DMA courses.

Mac-Based Specifications for DMA and Film Studies Recommended Systems 

If purchasing a Mac for the academic year, we recommend purchasing a 15” MacBook Pro Laptop or a 21.5” or 27” iMac. Any configuration of these systems will work, but obviously, the higher they are configured the faster they will run. At minimum, we recommend upgrading to 8GB Ram and a 7200RPM Hard Drive.

Windows-Based Specifications for DMA and Film Studies Recommended Systems

Although the current labs that support the DMA and Film Studies programs utilize Apple computers, most of the software used can also run on the Windows operating system. For those that don't, other software may provide the equivalent function. When there is no alternative, the DMA/Film Studies labs can be used.

Recommended Minimum Specifications for a DMA/Film Studies Major's Computer

  • Processor - Intel Quad-Core 64-bit Intel or AMD processor
  • Memory - 8GB or higher
  • Graphics card - OpenGL 2.0 Compatible Graphics Card 512MB or higher

Software Discounts

Being a Forester means you get discounts! Huntington University’s Arizona Center for Digital Media Arts students are able to capitalize on any and all of the following opportunities:

E-Academy
Significant discounts on Microsoft, Adobe and other brands of software (for Windows and Mac) are available through Huntington University’s purchase program. The discounts are up to 75% off the purchase price through a normal computer vendor. To log in, use your Huntington University email address.

Huntington University Applestore
Visit the Huntington University Applestore for discounts on Apple Hardware and Software.

Autodesk Education Community
Students can now acquire a free, 36-month license, through Autodesk, for applications such as Maya and Mudbox.

Additional Discounts
Log on to the Portal for additional discounts.