Nexto Video Storage Pro Video at DVinfo.net

Andy Shipsides · August 25th, 2009, 07:54 AM

I just posted a short video review of the Nexto NVS2500 Video Storage Pro. We just received the new units and this thing does all that it claims to do. Check out the video here - Nexto Video Storage Pro | CineTechnica

Stephen Mick · August 25th, 2009, 08:07 AM

Good to know Andy, since I placed my order for the 500GB model first thing this morning with you guys. :D

I'll be punishing it pretty hard in the next two months, and I'll post a full field review after.

--SM

Dan Keaton · August 25th, 2009, 02:15 PM

Dear Andy,

Does this work with XDCam 4:2:2 50 Mbps footage?

I just checked you blog and you report that it works with our MXF footage. This is great news.

Steve Gibbons · October 2nd, 2009, 11:01 AM

Any updates or further reviews on the Nexto unit out in the real world?

Stephen Mick · October 2nd, 2009, 01:22 PM

I'm not big on long-winded reviews with a bunch of data/testing, so I'll be brief here.

Last month, I had a chance to take the Nexto Video Storage Pro with me for a shoot in Costa Rica. (Thanks to Andy and Abel CineTech for getting it to me so quickly.) Filming took place on C.R.'s hot, rainy and humid east coast. We had two cameras, the Sony EX1 and Panasonic GH1, as well as Convergent Design's Nano Flash. Meaning not only was I shooting to Sony's SxS cards, but also SDHC cards (Hoodman) in the EX1, Compact Flash cards (the Nano Flash) and SDHC cards in the GH1.

A normal shooting day would begin at 5:30AM, shooting all morning before breaking for lunch, then shooting again from 2:00PM until dark (and beyond in some cases).

As the Nexto has SxS (ExpressCard), CF and SDHC slots, offloading was as simple as plug-and-play. Power the unit on, insert the card, verify that you want to begin copying, and it starts. SDHC and SxS seemed to be the fastest transfers, with CF a bit slower. But all transfers executed flawlessly with no issues. In all, I probably backed up almost 400GB of footage on the trip, without a single bad clip in the bunch.

There were times when I'd leave the Nexto copying unattended, and I'd return to find it switched off. The drive has an auto-off function, meaning once copying is finished, after a certain amount of time, it will shut itself off. Turning the unit back on will show a "copy succeeded" message, and asking if you want to verify the card contents. I only ran verification on every other card copied, and everything was perfectly fine.

An interesting note about power… One night, in the midst of offloading, the entire village lost power. I was working with the AC adapter plugged in, and the Nexto switched right over to the internal battery without missing a beat.

I also used the Nexto's screen to review clips occasionally. The only problem is that clip review works only with the SxS footage, not with either Nano Flash footage or GH1 footage. This wasn't really an issue for me, as I also had my laptop for footage review.

All in all, I would have absolutely no hesitation not only taking the Nexto on any shoot, but also relying on it's performance for offloading and backups.

It's expensive, but there are those who need what the Nexto can do. For them, as me, it's a bargain at any price.

Mark Williams · October 2nd, 2009, 02:37 PM

What is the physical hookup for P2 media. Does it have a slot?

Oops... watched the video and got the answer.

Steve Gibbons · October 6th, 2009, 07:48 PM

Some transfer test results here:

Preview: NEXTO DI’s NVS2500 portable media storage. | TechThoughts.org

Philip Howells · January 1st, 2010, 01:56 AM

We recently returned a Nexto item under DSR regs (suitable for CF cards only) because on import into Avid we received the failure notice that the path used by the device was too deep. The objective was to provide back up for unusually long events. We purchased additional cards instead.

Buck Forester · January 7th, 2011, 03:51 PM

I really like this device, the only thing I'm not sure about is additional back ups in the field. Obviously one wouldn't rely just on this device. If it doesn't power another USB harddrive, like a Lacie Rugged, why would I get a Nexto when I'll have to haul my laptop and Lacie Ruggeds into the field anyway? Am I missing something?

Dave Sperling · January 24th, 2011, 08:56 PM

My favorite thing about my NEXTO 2500 is SPEED -- it copies the files really fast! So when I do a job where I'm giving the client a hard drive at the end of the day, particulary when I've shot multiple cards and used a NanoFlash, I can quickly do a backup to the NEXTO and not have to wait to do a lengthy 'second copy' with the computer. (It's amazing just how slowly the final couple of 64GB CF cards seem to transfer on the computer.)

Of course the 2500 can also go into Multiple Copy mode - by attaching a small usb FAT32 drive to its larger USB port - and then I can copy both to the internal drive and to an external drive simultaneously. This seems to be what you're talking about - trying to avoid bringing a computer on location, and yes, the NEXTO does power the outboard drive through the USB cable. The only caveat on this setup -- I only do it when I can plug the NEXTO into a power source, since I'm not sure its internal battery can power both itself and an external bus-powered drive simultaneously. Also, probably because I have a bunch or 5400rpm usb drives, the multi-copy seems to go slower than doing a single copy to the NEXTO. If I were really hip I'd use one of the lesser model NEXTO drives (like the 2700) for my second drive, then It could run off its internal battery and I wouldn't need to plug in to wall power at all.

Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I always bring a laptop, as well as backups for most support equipment, and sometimes even a backup camera when I know I'm going to be days of travel from the nearest rental house. Of course in this scenario the NEXTO provides the backup for the transfer system as well, so I don't get stressed about trying to bring two laptops.

August 25th, 2009, 07:54 AM	#1
Andy Shipsides Sponsor: Abel CineTech Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: New York, NY Posts: 361	Nexto Video Storage Pro Video I just posted a short video review of the Nexto NVS2500 Video Storage Pro. We just received the new units and this thing does all that it claims to do. Check out the video here - Nexto Video Storage Pro \| CineTechnica __________________ Andy Shipsides -Camera Technology Specialist AbelCineTech, New York - Visit our Blog - http://blog.abelcine.com

August 25th, 2009, 08:07 AM	#2
Stephen Mick Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 167	Nexto Good to know Andy, since I placed my order for the 500GB model first thing this morning with you guys. :D I'll be punishing it pretty hard in the next two months, and I'll post a full field review after. --SM

August 25th, 2009, 02:15 PM	#3
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	Dear Andy, Does this work with XDCam 4:2:2 50 Mbps footage? I just checked you blog and you report that it works with our MXF footage. This is great news. __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia

October 2nd, 2009, 01:22 PM	#5
Stephen Mick Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 167	Nexto Video Pro Review I'm not big on long-winded reviews with a bunch of data/testing, so I'll be brief here. Last month, I had a chance to take the Nexto Video Storage Pro with me for a shoot in Costa Rica. (Thanks to Andy and Abel CineTech for getting it to me so quickly.) Filming took place on C.R.'s hot, rainy and humid east coast. We had two cameras, the Sony EX1 and Panasonic GH1, as well as Convergent Design's Nano Flash. Meaning not only was I shooting to Sony's SxS cards, but also SDHC cards (Hoodman) in the EX1, Compact Flash cards (the Nano Flash) and SDHC cards in the GH1. A normal shooting day would begin at 5:30AM, shooting all morning before breaking for lunch, then shooting again from 2:00PM until dark (and beyond in some cases). As the Nexto has SxS (ExpressCard), CF and SDHC slots, offloading was as simple as plug-and-play. Power the unit on, insert the card, verify that you want to begin copying, and it starts. SDHC and SxS seemed to be the fastest transfers, with CF a bit slower. But all transfers executed flawlessly with no issues. In all, I probably backed up almost 400GB of footage on the trip, without a single bad clip in the bunch. There were times when I'd leave the Nexto copying unattended, and I'd return to find it switched off. The drive has an auto-off function, meaning once copying is finished, after a certain amount of time, it will shut itself off. Turning the unit back on will show a "copy succeeded" message, and asking if you want to verify the card contents. I only ran verification on every other card copied, and everything was perfectly fine. An interesting note about power… One night, in the midst of offloading, the entire village lost power. I was working with the AC adapter plugged in, and the Nexto switched right over to the internal battery without missing a beat. I also used the Nexto's screen to review clips occasionally. The only problem is that clip review works only with the SxS footage, not with either Nano Flash footage or GH1 footage. This wasn't really an issue for me, as I also had my laptop for footage review. All in all, I would have absolutely no hesitation not only taking the Nexto on any shoot, but also relying on it's performance for offloading and backups. It's expensive, but there are those who need what the Nexto can do. For them, as me, it's a bargain at any price.

October 2nd, 2009, 02:37 PM	#6
Mark Williams Trustee Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Deep South, U.S. Posts: 1,526	What is the physical hookup for P2 media. Does it have a slot? Oops... watched the video and got the answer. __________________ Mark videos: http://vimeo.com/channels/3523 Stock: http://www.pond5.com/artist/mark29

October 2nd, 2009, 11:01 AM	#4
Steve Gibbons Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Bridgenorth Posts: 116	Any updates or further reviews on the Nexto unit out in the real world?

October 6th, 2009, 07:48 PM	#7
Steve Gibbons Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Bridgenorth Posts: 116	Some transfer test results here: Preview: NEXTO DI’s NVS2500 portable media storage. \| TechThoughts.org

January 1st, 2010, 01:56 AM	#8
Philip Howells Trustee Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Manchester UK Posts: 1,212	We recently returned a Nexto item under DSR regs (suitable for CF cards only) because on import into Avid we received the failure notice that the path used by the device was too deep. The objective was to provide back up for unusually long events. We purchased additional cards instead.

January 7th, 2011, 03:51 PM	#9
Buck Forester Major Player Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: California Posts: 230	I really like this device, the only thing I'm not sure about is additional back ups in the field. Obviously one wouldn't rely just on this device. If it doesn't power another USB harddrive, like a Lacie Rugged, why would I get a Nexto when I'll have to haul my laptop and Lacie Ruggeds into the field anyway? Am I missing something?

January 24th, 2011, 08:56 PM	#10
Dave Sperling Major Player Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Tinton Falls, NJ Posts: 780	My favorite thing about my NEXTO 2500 is SPEED -- it copies the files really fast! So when I do a job where I'm giving the client a hard drive at the end of the day, particulary when I've shot multiple cards and used a NanoFlash, I can quickly do a backup to the NEXTO and not have to wait to do a lengthy 'second copy' with the computer. (It's amazing just how slowly the final couple of 64GB CF cards seem to transfer on the computer.) Of course the 2500 can also go into Multiple Copy mode - by attaching a small usb FAT32 drive to its larger USB port - and then I can copy both to the internal drive and to an external drive simultaneously. This seems to be what you're talking about - trying to avoid bringing a computer on location, and yes, the NEXTO does power the outboard drive through the USB cable. The only caveat on this setup -- I only do it when I can plug the NEXTO into a power source, since I'm not sure its internal battery can power both itself and an external bus-powered drive simultaneously. Also, probably because I have a bunch or 5400rpm usb drives, the multi-copy seems to go slower than doing a single copy to the NEXTO. If I were really hip I'd use one of the lesser model NEXTO drives (like the 2700) for my second drive, then It could run off its internal battery and I wouldn't need to plug in to wall power at all. Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I always bring a laptop, as well as backups for most support equipment, and sometimes even a backup camera when I know I'm going to be days of travel from the nearest rental house. Of course in this scenario the NEXTO provides the backup for the transfer system as well, so I don't get stressed about trying to bring two laptops.