I have read the manual and as far as I can see the only way to trigger record from the cam is for it to be connected from the HD-SDI connection. So is there no way to trigger it if you are connected to the HDMI connection?

As far as I know the nanoflash can only be started by the camera via an SDI cable.

When I am using an HDMI connection, I use the tally cable supplied by CD. They also sell a dual line remote tally cable that starts the nanoflash timecode as well as the record function. If you are recording using the camera as well, you will need to synch the two (nano and cam) with a hand clap or slate clapper.

Hope this helps.
Alan

I have read the manual and as far as I can see the only way to trigger record from the cam is for it to be connected from the HD-SDI connection. So is there no way to trigger it if you are connected to the HDMI connection?

You are correct Ron. HDMI does not provide a Time Code, thus can not be use for NF to start recording simultaneously with the camera unit.

HD-SDI sometimes does not provide NF with the "trigger Record" option if you haven't choose the proper TC settings on the camera and the NF and that is only a human error.
Cheers

Dear Ron,

Just to confirm:

Timecode is not included in the HDMI spec.

Thus, we cannot trigger on timecode since it is not present in the HDMI signal.

Timecode is typically present in an HD-SDI signal.

It is optional in an (SD) SDI signal.

We offer a Timecode Input cable, or a Remote Control Cable with Timecode Input for circumstances when timecode is not present, or a different timecode source is to be used.

Thanks for clearing that up guys. I shot my first job using the Nanoflash Friday and I was rolling tape at the same time as a backup. At one point the nano returned a message that said flash card too slow, or something like that. I stopped recording and the message stayed on the screen. I then cycled the Nano off and on and recorded the rest of the job with out incident. I was glad I had rolled tape. I have not looked at all the footage to see if anything was lost. What I did look at looked great.

Dear Ron,

The maximum bit-rate that the nanoFlash can use for recording is dependent on the CompactFlash card you use.

280 Mbps is reserved for only the fastest CompactFlash cards.

Quite a few modern cards can support 220 Mbps.

Other cards, generally older designs, can not support these higher bit-rates.

Our list of qualified CompactFlash cards, their recording times, and maximum bit-rates are listed on our website:

Media | nanoFlash | Video Recorders and Converters (http://www.convergent-design.com/Products/nanoFlash/Media/tabid/1653/Default.aspx)

If we detect that a card is too slow, we stop recording, reduce the bit-rate, then start recording again.
We downgrade the bit-rate one step at a time.

It is certainly desirable to select the proper bit-rate with the performance of your cards in mind.

For Time-Lapse, one can use the highest bit-rates for recording, but the playback in the nanoFlash will be limiited or not workable, if one uses a very high bit-rate and the card is slow. However, the footage will be ok, and will work fine in an NLE.

I was recording at 100mbs long GOP to a Scandisk Extreme 60mbs UDMA 16gb CF card. So, I guess I should only record at 50 to those cards.

That was the cards that B&H recommended when I bought the Nano. It did not even register that it would be too slow.

Ron,

That should probably read 60 MBps, not Mbps - this is 480 Mbps. It should be fne even for the 280 Mbps nanoFlash recording.

Dear Ron,

The SanDisk Extreme CompactFlash card should work at all of our bit-rates.

It is one of our fully qualified cards, and it should work up to 280 Mbps.

This rate is rated by SanDisk as "up to 60 Megabytes per second".

Did you format the card in the nanoFlash prior to using the card? This is required. If this is not performed, one could get a "Card Too Slow" error message.

Do you have any other cards? If so, you could setup your camera and record a test until the cards are full.

Yes, I have four cards I bought at the same time I bought the Nano. Believe it or not that shoot Friday is the only time I have even ran the Nanoflash. I was literally zip tying the thing to the camera on my way to the shoot.

The funny thing about it was, it was a commercial for a camera shop. They quickly got past my cobbled together rig and were amazed by the Nanoflash technology. You will not believe what I did to power the unit for that shoot. It involves a remote controlled car, a broken Sony hi8 cam and the dtap connector.

If that link points to the same card, they are on sell now at Amazon
Amazon.com: SanDisk 16GB 60MB/s Extreme Compact Flash Card SDCFX-016G-A61 (US Retail Package): Electronics

$97.84 that is a lot cheaper than what I payed for the ones I have.

Can you confirm that when recording from a Sony V1 at 30p, the Nanoflash should be set to 1080sf29.

Dear Ron,

Yes.

The 1080p30 is actually 1080p29.97 but camera manufacturers typically call this 1080p30.

The camera will output 1080psf29.97, so we show it as 1080sf29 (to save space).

You should check the Video|Record PSF>Prog checkbox so the nanoFlash can record this as pure progressive. Otherwise the PSF will appear to be 1080i59.94.

Since the nanoFlash shows 1080sf29, you have the settings correct.

This indicates that we have converted the PSF to Progressive and we are recording it as 1080p29.97.

Dan, I just ran the test you suggested with one card it recorded till the card was full with no message. As soon as I can I will run it with two cards.

SUPPLEMENT

Dan, I am thinking that maybe I formatted the card wrong. I just noticed that when you choose format on the Nanoflash that before pushing the OK button you have to push the right arrow button. If that is the case then maybe the card was not formatted. It may be that I just pushed OK and went on.

Dear Ron,

Thanks for the update.

When you had the "Card Too Slow" error message, was the card formatted in the nanoFlash prior to the shoot?

We recommend that one always format the cards when they are new, before any shoot, and after they have been in a computer, before the next shoot.

Computers tend to put extra files on the cards which interferes with our ability to write to the cards as fast as possible. The Mac and Windows 7 both do this. I am not certain about Windows Vista.

Deleting files off the card, then re-inserting the card in the nanoFlash will also cause us problems as this creates a fragmented file system, thus interfering with our ability to write to the cards.

Dan, I believe it was formatted with the Nanoflash. As soon as I feel comfortable re-formatting that card I will run the test with it in the number one slot. That is how it was on the shoot.

Dan, I am thinking that maybe I formatted the card wrong. I just noticed that when you choose format on the Nanoflash that before pushing the OK button you have to push the right arrow button. If that is the case then maybe the card was not formatted. It may be that I just pushed OK and went on.