FAQ - Matlab and PTB-3 on Intel based Macintosh Computers
Q: What is the current state of support for Matlab and PTB-3 on Intel based Macintosh computers?
A: PTB-3 works perfectly well on Intel based Macintosh computers when running on Matlab V7.4 (Release 2007a) or any later version for IntelMacs, so this is the recommended way of using it. Below is information on the current status.
Native Matlab V7.4 or any later version for Intel Macs: (Recommended)
Works.
Old PowerPC versions of Matlab in Rosetta emulation: (Obsolete)
Matlab + PTB seem to work ok in Rosetta emulation, with the restriction that Java needs to be disabled: No Matlab GUI, no Java based Matlab functions, no GetChar command in PTB. Although Matlab itself will probably execute only at a fraction of its normal speed under Rosetta emulation, the new core duo Intel Macs are very fast machines, so despite emulation, you'll probably still get the equivalent speed of a G4/PowerPC machine.
Graphics operations are mostly executed on the graphics processor and should therefore be mostly unaffected by the emulation. Russell Poldrack exercised Matlab+PTB in Rosetta emulation mode by running the tests in the PsychTests folder on a MacBook Pro running MATLAB 7.2 with a ATI Radeon X1600 graphics card.
The test results and my comments on them can be found under Forum message number 4537.
The results don't indicate any relevant problems in timing, accuracy or correctness. Of course this is only a test sample on one specific machine. More testing and feedback by the users would be welcome!
Issues and workarounds:
Some people reported that Matlab doesn't work anymore this way after updating to OS-X 10.4.8. The solution is to do an OS-X update again, because Apple seems to have fixed the issue.
Click this link for more info on this.
