Hello all.

Do any of you use a free standing hard drive for your video stuff? If so do you have any thoughts on this?



thanks
Lowell

Doesn't everyone? (I jest).

They're big, cheap, fast - ish, easy to re - configure, add, remove, did I say big?, - what more could you want for shuffling finished/ pending video stuff back and forth from?

The more you look at them the more they seem too good to be true, but in reality, they're just ........good.

Wouldn't necessarily want to edit a blockbuster off one if it was the only game in town, but as "off machine" storage for shed loads of data, magic.

Did I miss anything, anyone?


CS

yes, i use basic USB 500gig (for 120$) to store files.
and some multimedia disk (the one you connect directly to a tv).
they are cheap and big too. it is nice to include in price of project for customers. they can keep all data (rushes, pics, sounds, projects for editing and DVD mastering) and have the final movie (even in HD) ready to play.
Il later they need re-editing, they send you back the box.
if they loose/erase it, it is not your fault....

Yes, I use a Lacie 250 GB hard disc.
Love it, one of the best buys I ever did. I should get another one though, with more disc space...

I use external hard drives to store all my projects that have been finished - that way I can always go back and do modifications if the client returns. I store all the project files, media, etc as well as a final lossless render of the project. I can usually fit several projects onto one hard drive (depending on the size of the project) and, when the drive is full, I just include the price of a new drive in my next project's estimate and invoice.

If you mean external hard drives connected to a computer, I have three hanging off my system right now.

The versatility and ease of use can't be beat.

Hook one up to a laptop, go out in the field and record direct to disk, come home, unplug it and plug it into the main system. The files are all ready...

If you mean truly standalone drives (e.g., FireStore) that don't connect to a PC, I don't have any. To me, they are too expensive.

Some now come with e-sate hookup. Really fast.

Is this OK to buy?
http://www.lacie.com/products/product.htm?pid=10844

Stelios

it looks ok, but since it is also networked, you pay for a feature you could not use.
the western digital elements (500gig) is currently the cheapest usb2 box you can find.(around 130$)

E-sata is great....just got a Calvary 500 gig for $118...

Check out this test report on e-sata drives....it was an eye opener as the name brands did not do well...

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2173840,00.asp

Bob T.

Make sure you take into consideration heat dissipation - it can be significant. I have just recently received video projects to work on, on two different USB hard drives. One of them looks very sexy, it's thin and tall, nice design... but it gets so hot I'm afraid it'll die on me; and it will for sure if it's used long enough. I guess I'll eventually turn it into a stricly storage drive (just to keep finished projects on it, no editing).

The other one is a big fat (I guess I can call it ugly) box, but it has a built in fan, so it runs nice and cool - it's this one from Microcenter: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0236797

A good middle ground would be larger boxes with ventilation holes - I have two Western Digital MyBook 500GB USB hard drives, they run cool enough all day long because they have good natural ventilation. Eventually I will put them in an enclosure and have a fan blow on them.

Hi
A stupid question, but can you use these for editing and capture?

Stelios

Yes, absolutely, I use them all the time for both capturing and editing on PC with Adobe Premiere Pro.

Ervin when you use them to capture, do you use firewire (ilink)? In other words do they have a DV IN connection? like this one:
http://www.westerndigital.com/en/products/Products.asp?DriveID=224

Stelios

I use firewire to connect the camera to the PC, and USB to connect the external hard drive to the PC. I have never used one with firewire as both of mine are USB only, but you can connect the hard drive also via firewire if you have multiple firewire ports on the computer.

If your question refers to capturing directly to the hard drive via firewire from the camcorder (without using a computer), I don't believe it can be done. The firewire port on these hard drives can only be used for connecting them to a computer, just like you would connect them via USB.

Some companies make direct-to-harddrive recorders, see Firestore and Sony for example.

Thanks Ervin for the prompt reply. Now you said that you can connect the external hard drive via USB or FireWire. Which one is better to use?

Stelios

Personally, I prefer USB2.0. In practical terms there is little difference. However, when a camcorder is connected, the speed of the FireWire bus can drop to 100Mbps.

I leave all my FireWire ports free for my DV devices. I have two FireWire interfaces giving a total of six ports.

I typically have three USB2.0 drives (which also have FireWire) connected at the same time. I can reliably capture DV from three devices at the same time to two of the drives (i.e., two capture files on one and one on the other). I tried it a couple of times with four and it still worked flawlessly.

USB2.0 interfaces on external drives also seem to behave better with the computer. I have found that sometimes connecting via FireWire doesn't work at first. I have to turn the drive off and back on a number of times. Naturally, I don't like having to do that.

John.

do you have any thoughts on this?

I've got 24 LaCie drives (the triple or quadruple interface ones in aluminum enclosures), and they're used for capture and editing. When one's almost full, its retired and a new one takes its place - only one hard disk attached to the system.

I use FireWire 800 to connect them to the laptop. Works fine for DV, HDV, DCPro-HD and AIC. I've been capturing from DV to an external drive using a laptop since 2001. Even before then with a FireWire PCMCIA card in a laptop, but it was a little more hit and miss then.

Every 3 months, I connect each drive, so it's spun up and re-indexed to keep things moving.

I've had no problems with drives of 500 GB and below. I have a litany of woes with larger drives (some of which were really expensive - G-Raid, Glyph and so on). So I don't bother now.

A client once provided Western Digital drives, which - using USB - didn't quite make the grade for capture and editing. I'm sticking to FireWire, though USB can be used for editing DV.

I've even resorted to using an iPod to edit from whilst finishing a job in a hotel in Morrocco. There were frequent power cuts, but the laptop and the iPod just kept on going on batteries thanks to the UPS-like power chain.

My setup is Final Cut Pro on a PowerBook or MacBook Pro. I did try a similar setup with Avid Express Pro (hence the need for Glyph drives as LaCie's weren't deemed good enough by Avid) but it never worked, even using the wierd striping software that was recommended at extra expense. The Glyph drive failed a while later, and I left Avid for ever. But the nurse says I must rest now...

Thanks for all of the input all! This is great!

someone mentioned the drives getting hot. I was thinking one could set them on a laptop chill pad if they get too hot. Chill pads are cheap and they work really well.

just my $.02


Lowell

Thanks Ervin for the prompt reply. Now you said that you can connect the external hard drive via USB or FireWire. Which one is better to use? Stelios
Stelios, as you can see from the replies to your question, there is no final answer to this question. I have studied this myself and came to the conclusion that USB is a much more mature technology, and it is implemented in absolutely all PCs, while firewire, although it may have a higher transfer rate, it is more of a manufacturer-dependent connection method. On top of it, firewire-equipped external hard drives are significantly more expensive (about 50%).

So while in certain situations, on certain computers firewire may perform better, in most situations USB is better overall. As mentioned above, my point is arguable, so you're better off reading some more and deciding for yourself based on all the info you can put your hands on.

2 x 36.7 10,000rpm Raptors in Raid 0 for OS/Programs
2 x 250 7,200rpm Seagates for Storage
2 x 500 7,200rpm Seagates for Storage

All internal, I'm very cheap... I managed to get the 500's for $85 each back 3-4 months ago... 250's I probably paid $80 a piece for a year or so ago... and the raptors I paid $75 each for 2 used ones...

I also bought 50 mini-DV sony premium tapes for $100... I am very budgety... especially since I'm not making money filming anything yet :)

I capture to the raptors, then dump the files to the 500's, once those fill up I'll start using the 250's or get more drives...

http://www.lousyheros.com/pics/tapes.jpg - 6 months of filming on weekends... Wooo