Greetings to the great minds of DVinfo.net! I am back with another question: Recently, I've been looking a lot at different DTEs for use with my HD100, and I'm wondering if anyone has an opinion as to which one is the best?

Specifically, I'm curious about the Citidisk versus the Firestore drives. Since I've never used either one, I really don't know what to expect in terms of reliability, product support, or integration with editing systems. I know (from reading another recent post) that Focus has released a CD firmware update for their drives, allowing their HDV footage to be used in a true DTE manner in FCP. Is the only option with the Citidisk m2t files? Is conversion with MPEGStreamclip the only option with this drive, or non-upgraded Firestores?

Finally, I am curious if anyone has had any luck upgrading a plain 'ol Firestore FS-4 with Focus' update? Does it need to be the FS-4Pro, HD or the HD100-the drive specifically designed to match and work with the JVC HD100- to be eligible? OR, can the standard (and affordable) FS-4 be upgraded? Does it cost more to upgrade certain drives? Is there anything in the Firestore HD100 that separates it from the others and warrants the jump in price?

Many Thanks,
Matt Ecklund

If you plan to use FCP, then the DR-HD100 is the choice. It now converts the 30P into quicktime and soon will be able to do the same with 24P. Until then, MPEG STREAMCLIP works great for conversion.

Finally, I am curious if anyone has had any luck upgrading a plain 'ol Firestore FS-4 with Focus' update? Does it need to be the FS-4Pro, HD or the HD100-the drive specifically designed to match and work with the JVC HD100- to be eligible? OR, can the standard (and affordable) FS-4 be upgraded? Does it cost more to upgrade certain drives? Is there anything in the Firestore HD100 that separates it from the others and warrants the jump in price?

Many Thanks,
Matt Ecklund

Hi Matt,

The JVC DR-HD100 has specific camera-to-recorder integrated features that make it worth the extra cost. The DR-HD100 has these advantages over the FS-4:

1. Status on Viewfinder / Monitor - In the camera viewfinder or monitor, you can see the mode that the hard drive is in, and you can see how much time is left on the drive.

2. Power Management - When you turn the camera off, the DR-HD100U will shut down. This is a menu setting.

3. Split Record - Allows you to push one button to start tape recording, and a different button to start HDD recording.

Most customers feel that the extra cost is justified to get these extra features that are only found on the DR-HD100.

Regards, Carl