Just a rant about the build quality of these cards. at DVinfo.net

Chris Bottoms · June 10th, 2014, 05:28 PM

Just wanted to say something about these cards.

1st off I think they should come in a case. Even CF cards come in a little plastic case. The way these are built with exposed pins feels cheap to me. Not bulletproof at all- not great for the rigors of filmmaking. They should come with some protection if it's not being built into the card. At $800 for a 512gb card couldn't you make them more robust physically? Ever hold a Redmag or Codex Capture Drive? Those things just feel solid- well made.

The reader situation is pretty awful to.The interface between the cards and the 3rd party readers isn't solid at all. The route of the problem i think is it's a design that should live inside a computer and not be used in the way we use these cards- in the field- in and out of devices- in set bags- handing off from AC's to DIT's etc. The fact that we need to use 3rd party readers that don't fit perfectly is a disaster waiting to happen. Here's 3 pictures of the poor fitment I'm talking about. I know people are making inserts for the Seagate thunderbolt to aid in the fitment issue but I don't want to have to wince every time we are downloading a card and hope we don't bend a pin or one gets knocked while downloading etc. Cards should be the last thing i need to worry about on set. You can see in pictures 2 and 3 the amount the card can be moved in the reader. Anyway- hope some of this is constructive and not just a rant.

Olof Ekbergh · June 12th, 2014, 05:58 AM

Just get one of my inserts and it will work very nicely.

SSD support for Seagate TB: Westside A V Studios WEB Store

I also offer a free 3D printer file so you can print one yourself, if you have access to a PrinterBot or similar 3D printer. Just PM me and I will send you a link to download it.

Nick Hiltgen · June 16th, 2014, 06:51 AM

Just a follow up in agreement, the lack of a case for the drives is really really frustrating. And they do seem like drives that are just meant only to be put in a computer. Maybe someone can develop a custom insert for a DVCPRO case that would work? But for 400-800 bucks when I can buy an off the shelf 1tb ssd for 400 I would really like for it to be shipped in something that protects the drive.

John Mitchell · June 17th, 2014, 11:54 AM

Agreed - BMD make one for a standard SSD, they also make a 4 port thunderbolt dock.. it seems like they thought about these things in advance.

June 10th, 2014, 05:28 PM	#1
Chris Bottoms New Boot Join Date: May 2014 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 15	Just a rant about the build quality of these cards. Just wanted to say something about these cards. 1st off I think they should come in a case. Even CF cards come in a little plastic case. The way these are built with exposed pins feels cheap to me. Not bulletproof at all- not great for the rigors of filmmaking. They should come with some protection if it's not being built into the card. At $800 for a 512gb card couldn't you make them more robust physically? Ever hold a Redmag or Codex Capture Drive? Those things just feel solid- well made. The reader situation is pretty awful to.The interface between the cards and the 3rd party readers isn't solid at all. The route of the problem i think is it's a design that should live inside a computer and not be used in the way we use these cards- in the field- in and out of devices- in set bags- handing off from AC's to DIT's etc. The fact that we need to use 3rd party readers that don't fit perfectly is a disaster waiting to happen. Here's 3 pictures of the poor fitment I'm talking about. I know people are making inserts for the Seagate thunderbolt to aid in the fitment issue but I don't want to have to wince every time we are downloading a card and hope we don't bend a pin or one gets knocked while downloading etc. Cards should be the last thing i need to worry about on set. You can see in pictures 2 and 3 the amount the card can be moved in the reader. Anyway- hope some of this is constructive and not just a rant. Attached Thumbnails

June 12th, 2014, 05:58 AM	#2
Olof Ekbergh Sponsor: Westside AV Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Mount Washington Valley, NH, USA Posts: 1,365	Re: Just a rant about the build quality of these cards. Just get one of my inserts and it will work very nicely. SSD support for Seagate TB: Westside A V Studios WEB Store I also offer a free 3D printer file so you can print one yourself, if you have access to a PrinterBot or similar 3D printer. Just PM me and I will send you a link to download it. Attached Thumbnails __________________ Olof Ekbergh • olof@WestsideAV.com Westside A V Studios • http://www.WestsideAVstore.com/

June 16th, 2014, 06:51 AM	#3
Nick Hiltgen Trustee Join Date: May 2003 Location: Atlanta GA Posts: 1,427	Re: Just a rant about the build quality of these cards. Just a follow up in agreement, the lack of a case for the drives is really really frustrating. And they do seem like drives that are just meant only to be put in a computer. Maybe someone can develop a custom insert for a DVCPRO case that would work? But for 400-800 bucks when I can buy an off the shelf 1tb ssd for 400 I would really like for it to be shipped in something that protects the drive. __________________ I have a dream that one day canon will release a 35mm ef to xl adapter and I'll have iris control and a 35mm dof of all my ef lenses, and it will be awesome...

June 17th, 2014, 11:54 AM	#4
John Mitchell Contributor Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 873	Re: Just a rant about the build quality of these cards. Agreed - BMD make one for a standard SSD, they also make a 4 port thunderbolt dock.. it seems like they thought about these things in advance.