going tapeless

[BeachBum]

I've followed the thread on the Quickstream, and I've been looking at the competing products. These include:

Datavideo DV Bank
Focus Enhancements FireStore
Laird Capdiv
nNovia A2D
Sony DSR-DU1

I've read reviews on these products as well as the literature from the manufacturers. Most provide what are regarded as two very desirable features -- i..e, direct access by a NLE to the AV content on the drive when the drive is connected to a computer, and fast data file transfer from drive to computer (e.g., 2x or 4x real time).

Maybe I have an overly simplistic understanding of these products, but they seem to me to be basically firewire drives equipped with the necessary electronics to support the AV/C and SBP2 protocols for the IEEE 1394 interface.

My application is documentary interviews, and I have a lot of flexibility with regard to the power requirements, mobility, and size/weight of the drive. I do not need to run off of batteries, my gear will be stationary, and I do not need to carry, wear or mount the drive on the cam.

I'm most attracted to the FireStore because of its modular design. But given my requirements, I see no reason why I could not just as easily connect a standard firewire hard drive (e.g., a 120GB Maxtor 5000DV) to my VAIO notebook, connect the DVX to another firewire port on the VAIO, and capture my AV content to that drive. The FireStore measures 2.75" x 6" x 8.5" (not including field pack), whereas my VAIO measures 2" x 9" x 11", not really much bigger.

Am I missing something here?

 

[scharky]

Re: going tapeless

You could definatly capture directly to your notebook. In fact that may be ideal for your shooting situation. However, for people that need to have the ability to move around, having a notbook computer strapped to your back and an external hard drive, while powering them both, is not always practical. It is not as easy as hooking up an external firewire drive to the dvx, as you know, so there has to be some kind of software to run the capture application, whether that be your notebook computer, or a Laird Capdiv drive.