DVRack/Laptop Advice

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ItsJanosz

Active member
Hey all.

Shooting a feature, and thinking of getting DVRack (or a similar program) and using it as a production monitor/back-up recording device.

I'd like to know how that has worked for those of you who use such a setup.

But also, and perhaps more importantly, I'd like to know what kind of specs I'm going to need in terms of computer power to operate like this. I have a Toshiba Satellite, running a 2.4 GHz processor and 240 MB RAM. The hard drive is 40 G, with 20 G free on it. I would likely attach an external hard drive to handle the files. This is more than DVRack says is needed, but I want to hear people's first-hand opinions.

Also, how do you handle the power situation when out in the field. This kind of a setup seems like it would drain power incredibly fast....

Thanks everybody!
 
Re: DVRack/Laptop Advice

I meet the "prosumer" definition, so take this with a grain of salt. Power usage depends on the external disk drive you use to store the video. I use 2.5" drives in USB2 cases and limit the drive size to 40GB. There is no new load on the camera of course (in fact a drecreased load if no tape is loaded) and the external USB2 tiny drives do not seem to eat too much battery life. YMMV. Each drive holds 3-3.5 hours of recording this way.
 
Re: DVRack/Laptop Advice

I've had DVRack for less than a month and am doing more testing and familiarization at this point than real world shooting.
1) your laptop is similar to my Dell Latitude in speed (2.2Ghz) but with 512Mb RAM. Your 240Mb(?) RAM should be okay according to the min. req. Do you have an open memory slot if you need more? And you do need XP. My Dells are the C840 and so are 'desktop replacement' types from a couple of years ago (power hungry)
2) the firewire/USB combo drive I have is USB 2, but the Dell has only USB 1. Not good. If I want to record to the ext. drive it will need to be on the firewire. But I can't do that either because the only firewire port will be occupied by the DVX. I'm looking at a way to get a second port. I might just need to dump the video to the ext. drive every hour or so or, probably the better choice is to get a bigger drive for the laptop. Your HDD needs more free space if you want much more than about 75 minutes of video. Record to tape as a backup if needed or just go tape only when the drive is full. But that tactic erases much of the advantage of DVRack.
3) Power is definitely a problem in the field. Fortunately I can replace the floppy with a second battery. My ext. drive requires external power as well, so I'm in a pickle there too if I don't upgrade the laptop drive. I could buy more batteries and chargers, but they take like 8-10 hours to recharge. I haven't looked but there could be some sort of big external battery available out there.
4) mobility? My plan for shooting on the run is to use DVRack to get the camera calibrated as much as possible then pull the wire and go. I'll be shutting down the laptop before pulling it though. For dolly shots up to about 25 feet a 15 ft. wire (max. recommended firewire length) should work if I can position the laptop correctly (halfway down the track)

So, in short, I think the program shines brightest on the desktop. In the field with a big drive and extra batteries you could go all day as long as you can sit still or take the 'the rack' along somehow.

Hope this helps a bit...
 
Re: DVRack/Laptop Advice

Get more RAM. Also, disable *every* little program and utility that you can, all those little icons in the lower right. They'll cause dropped frames. Get rid of all the fluff, get at least another 256mb of RAM, and you should be in okay shape.
 
Re: DVRack/Laptop Advice

Great advice Barry.
And there are more things going on behind those icons that can be turned off or disabled safely. If you want a clean machine, like to read and can follow good instuctions I suggest taking a look in here.
http://www.blackviper.com/index.html
 
How to upgrade DDR - brands and matching size?

How to upgrade DDR - brands and matching size?

I have a follow-up question on the RAM upgrade. I've always thrown PNY memory into my desktop towers, but never upgraded a laptop. Now I've got an entry-level Toshiba Satellite widescreen that I'd like to run Vegas on while I travel.

So, if I'm upgrading from the stock and quite meager 256MB, is it okay to add a full gig in one DDR or should I do both to the same level (e.g., 2x 512 DDR)?

On a lower-level 1.5Ghz / 400Mhz FSB machine, would it make performance sense to go to the full 2GB RAM capacity? Is there an equation against FSB and processor that most people use to figure a performance plateau?

The Toshiba has two slots in total - easily accessible from underneath, so the upgrade, once I make up my mind, should be a no-brainer.

Also, has anyone tried or recommend brands other than PNY: Corsair, Kingston or Viking et-cetera?

Cheers,

e
 
I've never used more than 1GB of RAM in any of my computers. If you have the money to go to the full capacity, then why not?
 
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