NTFS and FAT32 drives at DVinfo.net

Robin Probyn · October 16th, 2011, 06:58 PM

Can someone explain the difference.. pro,s/cons..and how it would relate to Nano recordings and using a mac for down loading footage to a mac formatted HDD..

Thanks again

Chris Medico · October 16th, 2011, 10:25 PM

NTFS is a more modern and robust file system. It supports very large file sizes.

FAT32 works on just about every computer on the planet made in the last 25 years. It has a 4Gig size limit per file.

The reason you don't find NTFS in more places is because of the licensing issues with Microsoft.

Eric Lagerlof · October 16th, 2011, 11:02 PM

Also Macs can read Windows NTFS drives but cannot write to them. They can only write to FAT32. (3rd party software may make a exception to that.)

Gints Klimanis · October 17th, 2011, 03:04 AM

Will Nanoflash support UDF?

Also, with firmware earlier this year, i was caught in a recycle loop. During firmware upgrades, I'd like to save a trip back to the computer with a Nanoflash boot option that allows a choice between formatting a CF card or upgrading firmware. On one expedition in which I did not have access to a computer, I didn't format one of my large CF cards right after the Nanoflash firmware upgrade and couldn't use it at all because it contained the firmware upgrade folder. I was stuck in a reboot loop miles away from a road.

Piotr Wozniacki · October 17th, 2011, 04:43 AM

Very good point, Gints!

Dan Keaton · October 17th, 2011, 08:38 AM

Dear Gints,

It would be nice to support UDF.

However, there is a tradeoff. If one experiences any type of problem while recording a very large file, then the entire file can be lost. If one breaks it up into smaller files, then one minimizes their risks.

We should give you the option to format the card that contains the firmware update folder.

Gints Klimanis · October 17th, 2011, 02:17 PM

Thanks, Dan. That format after firmware upgrade is a useful convenience function to keep some users out of a jam. Another way : to allow a choice menu to boot the Nano to boot without firmwareupgrade, and perhaps that may be cheaper for CD to develop and test.

Menu : reboot,upgrade, skip upgrade (or start without upgrade)

Andy Mangrum · October 27th, 2011, 09:03 AM

Hello Gints,

Thank you for your suggestion,

As for the Copying to a Mac compared to a PC, Snow Leopard and Lion are formatted as HFS, Which Works just fine as does NTFS, the major difference being taking a Mac Formated HFS drive to a Windows machine, and being able to recognize it, as well as the File Sizes will appear slightly different.

Typically if you are backing up to an External Drive, regardless of what Type of Machine you are using (Windows or Mac) if you format that drive as a Fat 32 then you should have no issues with any Operating System, (Windows XP, 7, Mac 10.5,10.6, Linux etc)

Hope That Helps

Robin Probyn · November 11th, 2011, 07:29 PM

Sorry another question re FAT 32.. if copying a file over 4GB.. to a FAT HDD.. the file will be split..? or wont copy over?

Thanks

Dan Keaton · November 12th, 2011, 12:38 AM

Dear Robin,

If you are attempting to copy a file larger than 4 GB to a FAT 32 Drive, you will be unable to copy the file.

Note: I am assuming that you are speaking of a file other than a nanoFlash file, since our files, and our our utilities such as our file converter automatically handle this automatically for you.

Robin Probyn · November 12th, 2011, 02:53 AM

Hi Dan

Well talking generally .. but I would be using my nanoflash.. so I take my CF card from the nanoflash and down load to a FAT 32 formatted HDD.. everything will be ok.. is that because the nanoflash separates the files as it records them?.. if they go over 4GB..

A client has asked about wether they can view MXF files from the nano on some avid software on their laptop.. I,ve asked in a separate thread.. do you know about this at all?

Ordered and awaiting the delivery of remote cable .. !

Can I down load from a card reader ..via my MBP.. to a mac formatted ext HDD and a Windows formatted ext HDD at the same time.. using shotput pro..?

Thanks again..

Mike Peter Reed · November 12th, 2011, 05:36 AM

Another important difference I don't see mentioned (and I only skimmed so apologies if someone did already mention), is that FAT32 is not journalled, but NTFS is journalled.

Journalling theoretically makes NTFS more robust than FAT32 in the case of file corruption. In practice, using removable media, I'm not so sure that's a huge advantage (or makes any practical difference) but I'll always opt for NTFS because it can deal with files over the FAT32 2GB/4GB limit.

There's options available to Mac users for read/write NTFS - personally I use Tuxera on Lion.

Tuxera NTFS for Mac | Tuxera

Of course, most devices use FAT32 as a defacto standard, my Panasonic SD900 and Nagra LB included. It appears the Nagra extends it's own journalling system on top of the FAT32.

ZFS for all one day? ZFS - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - it reportedly almost replaced HFS+ as the default filesystem for Macs a few years ago.

Dan Keaton · November 12th, 2011, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robin Probyn

Hi Dan

1. Well talking generally .. but I would be using my nanoflash.. so I take my CF card from the nanoflash and down load to a FAT 32 formatted HDD.. everything will be ok.. is that because the nanoflash separates the files as it records them?.. if they go over 4GB..

2. A client has asked about wether they can view MXF files from the nano on some avid software on their laptop.. I,ve asked in a separate thread.. do you know about this at all?

3. Ordered and awaiting the delivery of remote cable .. !

4. Can I down load from a card reader ..via my MBP.. to a mac formatted ext HDD and a Windows formatted ext HDD at the same time.. using shotput pro..?

Thanks again..

Dear Robin,

I added numbers to your questions.

1. The nanoFlash automatically creates files that fit into the 4 GB limit, so there is no problem.
And we have tools to stitch them back together, if desired, but this is usually not required.

2. For Avid, for older versions, then can view 50 Mbps Long-GOP, and all I-Frame Only flavors.
For the newest vesions, all flavors are supported.

The Sony XDCam Clip Viewer, version 2.10 is a great viewer for our MXF Files.

3. Great.

4. I am sorry, I do not know. Others should be able to answer that question.

Robin Probyn · November 13th, 2011, 04:36 AM

Hi Dan

Thanks as ever. is Avid ok with 35 Mbps Long GOP.. 1080/50i or 25p.

35Mbps HD would be better "quality" than SD .. shot on a 2/3 inch camera with exp glass.. ?

Thanks again

Dan Keaton · November 13th, 2011, 07:53 AM

Dear Robin,

This is the same as XDCam EX, so if your Avid supports EXCam Ex then our files will be supported.

Your second question is a subjective call.

The nanoFlash can record SDI (SD-SDI) using IMX-50, a very high quality SD format.

The nanoFlash can also record IMX-30 and IMX-40.

To answer your question:

I feel that, generally, one may be happier with HD at XDCam EX specs, 1920 x 1080, 4:2:0, 35 Mbps, Long-GOP, Variable Bit Rate as to recording SD with much lower resolution.

But, if the client wants SD, the client should get what he wants.

October 16th, 2011, 06:58 PM	#1
Robin Probyn Major Player Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Tokyo Posts: 590	NTFS and FAT32 drives Can someone explain the difference.. pro,s/cons..and how it would relate to Nano recordings and using a mac for down loading footage to a mac formatted HDD.. Thanks again

October 16th, 2011, 10:25 PM	#2
Chris Medico Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Efland NC, USA Posts: 2,322	Re: NTFS and FAT32 drives NTFS is a more modern and robust file system. It supports very large file sizes. FAT32 works on just about every computer on the planet made in the last 25 years. It has a 4Gig size limit per file. The reason you don't find NTFS in more places is because of the licensing issues with Microsoft. __________________ http://www.LandYachtMedia.com

October 16th, 2011, 11:02 PM	#3
Eric Lagerlof Major Player Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Pacifica, CA Posts: 348	Re: NTFS and FAT32 drives Also Macs can read Windows NTFS drives but cannot write to them. They can only write to FAT32. (3rd party software may make a exception to that.)

October 17th, 2011, 03:04 AM	#4
Gints Klimanis Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 2,222	Re: NTFS and FAT32 drives Will Nanoflash support UDF? Also, with firmware earlier this year, i was caught in a recycle loop. During firmware upgrades, I'd like to save a trip back to the computer with a Nanoflash boot option that allows a choice between formatting a CF card or upgrading firmware. On one expedition in which I did not have access to a computer, I didn't format one of my large CF cards right after the Nanoflash firmware upgrade and couldn't use it at all because it contained the firmware upgrade folder. I was stuck in a reboot loop miles away from a road. Last edited by Gints Klimanis; October 17th, 2011 at 02:13 PM.

October 17th, 2011, 04:43 AM	#5
Piotr Wozniacki Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Poland Posts: 4,086	Re: NTFS and FAT32 drives Very good point, Gints! __________________ Sony PXW-FS7 \| DaVinci Resolve Studio; Magix Vegas Pro; i7-5960X CPU; 64 GB RAM; 2x GTX 1080 8GB GPU; Decklink 4K Extreme 12G; 4x 3TB WD Black in RAID 0; 1TB M.2 NVMe cache drive

October 17th, 2011, 08:38 AM	#6
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	Re: NTFS and FAT32 drives Dear Gints, It would be nice to support UDF. However, there is a tradeoff. If one experiences any type of problem while recording a very large file, then the entire file can be lost. If one breaks it up into smaller files, then one minimizes their risks. We should give you the option to format the card that contains the firmware update folder. __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia

October 17th, 2011, 02:17 PM	#7
Gints Klimanis Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 2,222	Re: NTFS and FAT32 drives Thanks, Dan. That format after firmware upgrade is a useful convenience function to keep some users out of a jam. Another way : to allow a choice menu to boot the Nano to boot without firmwareupgrade, and perhaps that may be cheaper for CD to develop and test. Menu : reboot,upgrade, skip upgrade (or start without upgrade) Last edited by Gints Klimanis; October 17th, 2011 at 05:31 PM.

October 27th, 2011, 09:03 AM	#8
Andy Mangrum Sponsor: Convergent Design Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Colorado Springs Colorado Posts: 166	Re: NTFS and FAT32 drives Hello Gints, Thank you for your suggestion, As for the Copying to a Mac compared to a PC, Snow Leopard and Lion are formatted as HFS, Which Works just fine as does NTFS, the major difference being taking a Mac Formated HFS drive to a Windows machine, and being able to recognize it, as well as the File Sizes will appear slightly different. Typically if you are backing up to an External Drive, regardless of what Type of Machine you are using (Windows or Mac) if you format that drive as a Fat 32 then you should have no issues with any Operating System, (Windows XP, 7, Mac 10.5,10.6, Linux etc) Hope That Helps __________________ Andy Mangrum, Tech Support Convergent Design, Inc

November 11th, 2011, 07:29 PM	#9
Robin Probyn Major Player Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Tokyo Posts: 590	Re: NTFS and FAT32 drives Sorry another question re FAT 32.. if copying a file over 4GB.. to a FAT HDD.. the file will be split..? or wont copy over? Thanks

November 12th, 2011, 12:38 AM	#10
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	Re: NTFS and FAT32 drives Dear Robin, If you are attempting to copy a file larger than 4 GB to a FAT 32 Drive, you will be unable to copy the file. Note: I am assuming that you are speaking of a file other than a nanoFlash file, since our files, and our our utilities such as our file converter automatically handle this automatically for you. __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia

November 12th, 2011, 02:53 AM	#11
Robin Probyn Major Player Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Tokyo Posts: 590	Re: NTFS and FAT32 drives Hi Dan Well talking generally .. but I would be using my nanoflash.. so I take my CF card from the nanoflash and down load to a FAT 32 formatted HDD.. everything will be ok.. is that because the nanoflash separates the files as it records them?.. if they go over 4GB.. A client has asked about wether they can view MXF files from the nano on some avid software on their laptop.. I,ve asked in a separate thread.. do you know about this at all? Ordered and awaiting the delivery of remote cable .. ! Can I down load from a card reader ..via my MBP.. to a mac formatted ext HDD and a Windows formatted ext HDD at the same time.. using shotput pro..? Thanks again..

November 12th, 2011, 05:36 AM	#12
Mike Peter Reed Regular Crew Join Date: May 2007 Location: Hants, UK Posts: 185	Re: NTFS and FAT32 drives Another important difference I don't see mentioned (and I only skimmed so apologies if someone did already mention), is that FAT32 is not journalled, but NTFS is journalled. Journalling theoretically makes NTFS more robust than FAT32 in the case of file corruption. In practice, using removable media, I'm not so sure that's a huge advantage (or makes any practical difference) but I'll always opt for NTFS because it can deal with files over the FAT32 2GB/4GB limit. There's options available to Mac users for read/write NTFS - personally I use Tuxera on Lion. Tuxera NTFS for Mac \| Tuxera Of course, most devices use FAT32 as a defacto standard, my Panasonic SD900 and Nagra LB included. It appears the Nagra extends it's own journalling system on top of the FAT32. ZFS for all one day? ZFS - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - it reportedly almost replaced HFS+ as the default filesystem for Macs a few years ago. __________________ ---8<---

November 13th, 2011, 04:36 AM	#14
Robin Probyn Major Player Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Tokyo Posts: 590	Re: NTFS and FAT32 drives Hi Dan Thanks as ever. is Avid ok with 35 Mbps Long GOP.. 1080/50i or 25p. 35Mbps HD would be better "quality" than SD .. shot on a 2/3 inch camera with exp glass.. ? Thanks again

November 13th, 2011, 07:53 AM	#15
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	Re: NTFS and FAT32 drives Dear Robin, This is the same as XDCam EX, so if your Avid supports EXCam Ex then our files will be supported. Your second question is a subjective call. The nanoFlash can record SDI (SD-SDI) using IMX-50, a very high quality SD format. The nanoFlash can also record IMX-30 and IMX-40. To answer your question: I feel that, generally, one may be happier with HD at XDCam EX specs, 1920 x 1080, 4:2:0, 35 Mbps, Long-GOP, Variable Bit Rate as to recording SD with much lower resolution. But, if the client wants SD, the client should get what he wants. __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia