Odyssey 7Q: Future accessory suggestions.

C

Colinelves

Well-known member
Having survived (just about!) one shoot that was 100% 240fps 2K Raw it has become very clear that the current architecture for backing up material on set is perhaps a little slower than it could be...

So I'm asking Mitch and Dan: Do you guys have any plans to develop an SSD dock for the Odyssey? We really need something that could take advantage of the new Thunderbolt 2 standard. As I understand it Seagate have discontinued the STAE121 Thunderbolt adaptor for their old GoFlex drives, so pretty soon everyone's going to be stuck with USB 3.0 for transfers unless something else comes along. So it would be great if you guys could think about developing something designed specifically for the O7 and O7Q...

Anyone else have any suggestions?
 
I suspect someone will soon enough come out with a Thunderbolt-2 adapter, no?

Let me ask you this: If we came out with some form of dock that cost $200, and then Seagate or some other consumer electronics giant released a basic cable adapter that cost $30, would you still buy ours?

We need to build stuff we're confident someone will buy.
 
Maybe, maybe not. It depends upon how it is set up.

One of the things I dislike about the seagate is that the SSDs don't fit in it comfortably, they just sort of hang there. This leaves me a little worried to say the least, especially with those delicate exposed pins the SSDs have.

So the seagate system is clearly not the safest approach to docking the SSDs - and since we work in a world full of 'clever' producers who decide they can save a few bucks by getting seem spotty faced kid straight out of college to 'data wrangle', rather than hire a professional DIT or digital loader, I can see that my SSDs are likely to last longer with a specially designed system where some idiot kid can slam the drives into the dock without risk of damaging the pins because they shove them in at a bad angle.

If you had a dock that snugly fit two SSDs for simultaneous downloads, with two thunderbolt 2 connectors (for daisy chaining on to other external drives) I'd definitely be interested even if if cost $400 - because I know in in the long run it would save me money!

and it is worth pointing out that nobody does make a thunderbolt dock for $30 - the STAE121 is $150 I think and the 'desktop' version (that you can daisy chain) is more like $200. Oh and I think they've been discontinued anyway.

to be honest, I'm not sure why you'd make a battery adaptor late yourself when you already know a bunch of other companies have them, but would shy away from a proper dedicate dock.
 
I might add - I picked mine up in the States for a fraction of the price so if you're out there or know someone going there, might be worth considering.
 
I would love to see a simple, well thought out implementation of stereo audio add on module which would record audio in sync with video right to the SSD's .

I actually think they should come out with an Oddyssey 8Q which would have a built in audio component, like the Pix 240i from Sound Devices.

Would also like to see some sort of remote trigger for recording - some thing versatile that easily on different handles etc...

That's it for now
 
Stuart Keasley said:
Would something like this be any good?

http://www.drobo.com/products/professionals/drobo-mini/
Click to expand...

I'm not 100% on this, but I'm quite sure the Drobo really isn't designed for docking drive in and out consistently. It's more for creating consistent storage for a computer.

I've seen this online, but don't know if it's any good - has anyone tried it? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816115141

This is the kind of product we need more of... a simple SSD/HDD dock with Thunderbolt I/O. As Thunderbolt becomes more prevalent (HP has already signed on, and I hear Dell is soon to follow) I'm sure more solutions will come out.
 
For an Odysee7Q v2, I would suggest:
- HDMI 2.0 connectors, may be 6G-SDI
- a small built-in speaker for replay of video and audio
- SSDs beyond 512 GB
- USB 3.0/Thunderbolt 2 built in-connector to attatch Apple/PC NLE-Devices without drive adapter
 
sunnyjimfilms said:
This is the current version and still available. I understand what you're saying about the docking, bit dodgy but works well enough if you're careful. There's also the desktop version, so you can daisy chain.
Seagate STAE128 Backup Plus Portable Thunderbolt Adapter: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories
Click to expand...

Thanks, I was looking for the updated version. I've actually bought two of the old ones second hand from eBay. Interesting to note though: they are $200!
 
sunnyjimfilms said:
This is the current version and still available. I understand what you're saying about the docking, bit dodgy but works well enough if you're careful.
Click to expand...

Which is exactly my point - I'm careful, but I'm not always the one backing up the footage from my drive. Long term it's just risky using this solution.
 
sunnyjimfilms said:
Yep, I like to think I'm careful but frankly I nearly botched it first attempt! This one posted by Brazzam looks interesting http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16816115141 but again over here, somewhat overpriced.
Click to expand...

I don't see this as much of a solution (except it is for two drives) because it is for 3.5 Inch and the SSDs are 2.5". So, in fact, it's worse than the Seagate dock as you can't even see the connectors: you have to push open the door and peer in (I know this as I have a similar one for USB 3.0 branded as ICY dock) - and the damn things still flap about!

I seriously think it would be good if CD made a dedicated lock, similar to the way Atomos do for the Ninja/Samurai (although they also have dedicated drive caddies).
 
Colinelves said:
I don't see this as much of a solution (except it is for two drives) because it is for 3.5 Inch and the SSDs are 2.5". So, in fact, it's worse than the Seagate dock as you can't even see the connectors: you have to push open the door and peer in (I know this as I have a similar one for USB 3.0 branded as ICY dock) - and the damn things still flap about!

I seriously think it would be good if CD made a dedicated lock, similar to the way Atomos do for the Ninja/Samurai (although they also have dedicated drive caddies).
Click to expand...

See the little cutout in the corner of each flap? That's the size of a 2.5" drive. That's where you slide it in, and it hits the connector just fine. I have a dock similar to this and it works great. No need to push in the flap and look around. I've thought about getting this one but since I'm planning on getting a Mac Pro with Thunderbolt 2, I'm going wait for a Thunderbolt 2 model.

I can see Mitch's point that there are already docks that get the job done and their solution would be expensive. Something like an even small G-Dock would be great to have in the field.

Now, one idea I've had, which I'm sure is even more expensive and complicated and I have aboslutely no idea if people would even want it, is some sort of portable RAID that also has two SSD slots. It would have it's own small LCD screen (cheapo 2.5in) and buttons, with commands to offload the drives onto the RAID, no computer required. It would use a checksum system, similar to ShotPut Pro, to verify that the data was an exact copy. The LCD screen would let you playback clips quickly to verify they are on the RAID. Maybe the whole thing could run off a V-mount battery. So it would be like a beefy version of the RAID drive you already bring on shoots.

I'm sure it would be expensive as all get-out and only appeal to people who are on the move or in remote locations where they can't be bothered with docks, RAIDs, laptops, and powering all of them. Simply brainstorming.
 
brazzam said:
I'm not 100% on this, but I'm quite sure the Drobo really isn't designed for docking drive in and out consistently. It's more for creating consistent storage for a computer.

I've seen this online, but don't know if it's any good - has anyone tried it? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816115141

This is the kind of product we need more of... a simple SSD/HDD dock with Thunderbolt I/O. As Thunderbolt becomes more prevalent (HP has already signed on, and I hear Dell is soon to follow) I'm sure more solutions will come out.
Click to expand...
It says that drives are hot swappable, so whilst I don't think it's designed for our type of use, it may still suit.

I'll look into it a bit more on Monday
 
Colinelves said:
I don't see this as much of a solution (except it is for two drives) because it is for 3.5 Inch and the SSDs are 2.5". So, in fact, it's worse than the Seagate dock as you can't even see the connectors: you have to push open the door and peer in (I know this as I have a similar one for USB 3.0 branded as ICY dock) - and the damn things still flap about!

I seriously think it would be good if CD made a dedicated lock, similar to the way Atomos do for the Ninja/Samurai (although they also have dedicated drive caddies).
Click to expand...

It's for both 3.5" and 2.5". For me too, the Seagate will suffice until a thunderbolt 2 model comes out for Mac Pro.
 
Colinelves said:
I don't see this as much of a solution (except it is for two drives) because it is for 3.5 Inch and the SSDs are 2.5".
Click to expand...

Actually, even though the description doesn't mention it, these docks are designed for 2.5" as well. I have a similar one currently that is a one-slot, USB 3.0 dock that works with my CD drive perfectly.
IMG_0001.jpg

I just want one now that is Thunderbolt 2 and with two-slots.
 
I wonder if blackmagic will update this to tb2 for nab?

http://www.blackmagicdesign.com/au/products/blackmagicmultidock

you aren't going to saturate tb1 coming off a single ssd at the moment, and then unless you have something super fast and big on the receiving end, that's the bottleneck. I like how rugged this one is. Not cheap but I'd have less concerns about someone else handling the bazillions drives for 4k. Not pricey as soon as you are protecting pricey ssds and you are not doing the offload

If I really started to see paid demand for 4k raw id probably get a cacheApro raided lto field offload.

http://www.storagenewsletter.com/rubriques/systems-raid-nas-san/cache-a-prime-cache6-lto-6/

If no heavy field project need, but still big 4k demand maybe an mtape and work that in with my 10gbe r10

http://www.mlogic.com/blogs/news/90...xpansion-chassis-for-red-rocket-x-at-ibc-2013
 
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