Frankenstore

Emmet Lucey · March 12th, 2004, 01:27 AM

Concerning the quickstream:

Mine arrived, had several extremely frustrating problems - audio dropout, non functioning battery - so i shipped it back to the states. Quickstream - to their credit - has been responsive and promised me a new drive. However the whole process has now taken me three months since the order date.

I will continue to post as this situaton unfolds.

Daniel Kohl · March 12th, 2004, 03:13 AM

Thanks Emmet, for your report.

It doesn’t sound very encouraging though. I hope the new one they send is ok.

Keep us posted

Jeff Donald · March 12th, 2004, 06:21 AM

Mr. Kohl, if Mr. Lucey continues to post, a Wrangler will split his topics out of the thread if appropriate.

Daniel Kohl · March 12th, 2004, 02:03 PM

Okay.
Thanks,
Sorry if I've overstepping my bounds.

Neil Goodwill · March 13th, 2004, 06:12 AM

Does anyone know much about the Shining Technology CitiDISK?
I noticed that Datavision have reduced their whole range of these drives, so I emailed them to ask them why. It appears that they have a new supplier so are selling the old stock. More significant is that version B (does other formats besides raw DV)has a firmware problem which Datavision are working on.

Neil Goodwill · March 18th, 2004, 10:12 AM

The Creative Labs Zen handheld has a firewire port. I am just waiting to hear back from Creative if they know whether full res dv capture is possible. There are a few second hand Zens on ebay at the moment.

Bankim Jain · March 19th, 2004, 03:59 PM

Dear Daniel,

Dont you think tying a laptop on ur shoulder or back or chest is gonna be restricting ur shoot considerably. moreover firewire connections are so delicate that it may ot take jolts of slight jerk whilst shooting infield. i broke a cable while shooting with my DV200 attched to FS3 ... it is not a practically possible solution when compared to the ease of use with FS3 though a bit pricy...but i am sure once you buy & start using it you will recover its cost with the numerous wys you can harness the power of FS3.

This my personal thought...you may differ.

Nick Hiltgen · March 24th, 2004, 04:38 PM

please forgive me if I'm wrong but I was under the impression that DV files needed a relatively fast hard drive to record. 7200 or at the least 5400 but I heard that something spinning so slow as 4200 wouldn't adequatley record a DV signal (i.e. you'd get drops out s and stutters and other stuff that doesn't sound very good) Other wise wouldn't it just be easier to buy a 40gb ipod and download some software so that it could take in footage?

Neil Goodwill · March 24th, 2004, 05:33 PM

Frankenstein is alive and well, and living in Dundee!
I have just bought an empty LaCie Pocket firewire/USB2 casing on ebay for £29 (the original drive had been stolen apparently!), and plonked in a brand new Hitachi 4200rpm ATA100 disk (also from ebay - £84). The result - perfect capture and record with no dropped frames for hours on end through my laptop with an Orange Micro firewire hub providing the 5v power for the LaCie.
I think a manufacturer would clean up if they brought out a front end mini OS without any frills that could plug in to a drive of your choice, and priced at £100-150.

Neil Goodwill · April 21st, 2004, 06:40 AM

I have just found out that the CitiDisk version B is identical to the Pyro API-820. The Pyro is slightly cheaper.
Am I the only one writing to this forum? I feel lonely!

Daniel Kohl · April 21st, 2004, 01:44 PM

Hi Neil,

Don’t feel lonely. I’ve, just gotten back from traveling, and have a job right off the bat.

I finally got the power book I was talking about at the start of this thread, so I am about to try out my proposed Frankenstore as soon as I get some breathing room. I’ve also ordered the quickstream, because I am sceptical about my own proposal. But MCE is having trouble delivering, I was hoping to have it by now.

I’m confused about something – you say the CitiDisk is identical to the Pyro? ADS makes the Pyro and MCE makes the Quickstrem, who makes the CitiDisk.? There are some threads that suggest that MCE makes the CitiDisk as well, but I think that it is unlikely that they would come out with two products that are so similar at this early stage of the game, especially if they are having trouble delivering even one product.

Your right there hasn’t been much chatter lately, maybe everyone is on holidays.

Cheers

Neil Goodwill · April 21st, 2004, 03:44 PM

Welcome home Daniel!
The CitiDisk is made by Shining Technology. I suspect that there are only one or two companies making all these products (like Focus Enhancements make the JVC FireStore). It was DVStuff that told me about the Pyro/CitiDisk re-badge.
This page may be of interest to all the Franks out there:

http://www.ipodlounge.com/articles_m...?id=69_0_8_0_M

I should be editing right now, but the mini monster creation bug has got me going!

Daniel Kohl · April 22nd, 2004, 04:41 PM

Thanks Neil,

For the link- It doesn’t surprise me that the i-pod is not suitable for DV capture – The article didn’t say how they were capturing to the i-pod did it?

I plan to use a standard pocket Firewire drive for any overflow from the internal HDD of the powerbook.

I’ve started to put things together – last night I cannibalized an old USB mouse to serve as a remote trigger for starting and stopping capture. That works fine. And capturing from the XL1 has been stable so far. LCD monitor/ computer screen works as well, after I switched the video system on the PB from NTSC to PAL. That took me a few minutes. Unfortunately due to the extreme delay between the monitor /computer screen and what is being shot, I won’t be able to use the computer screen monitor to shoot from. I’ll add a switch to that so that I can toggle between camera monitor and screen monitor, just to be able to check that everything is running, while shooting.

I just need the time now to put the carrying system together, so that everything is in it’s right place – for me, that is the biggest factor which will decide whether this rig is really usable in the field or not.

I’ll post more as soon as I get things more together.

Jeff Price · June 2nd, 2004, 02:46 PM

I've often wondered about an iPod solution. I can see no reason why an iPod could not be used. True, it only spins at 4200 RPM but that is true of most of the Apple laptop drives as well. Plus, there is a 60g version on the way.

So, the issue is one of interface. It seems that if the SDK (?) is available then some savvy programmer ought to be able to build a small front end that would allow you to use an iPod. After all Belkin makes both a voice recorder front end and a front end for downloading photos off of a camera or memory stick (albeit slowly).

Apple apparently did hire a video specialist in their iPod division (or at least advertised for one).

Now, consider another new wrinkle. A WIRELESS firewire standard has been approved. So, abandon the cables and just put a wireless transmitter on your camera.

Bankim Jain · June 2nd, 2004, 11:58 PM

Hi Jeff,

Can you pls update us with the web info of this wireless firewire transfer stuff...how far is the range gonn work or soething more than this...

!!!

March 12th, 2004, 03:13 AM	#17
Daniel Kohl Contributor Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Frankfurt, Germany Posts: 571	Thanks Emmet, for your report. It doesn’t sound very encouraging though. I hope the new one they send is ok. Keep us posted __________________ Daniel Kohl Frankenstein meets XL1

March 12th, 2004, 06:21 AM	#18
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	Mr. Kohl, if Mr. Lucey continues to post, a Wrangler will split his topics out of the thread if appropriate. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

March 12th, 2004, 02:03 PM	#19
Daniel Kohl Contributor Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Frankfurt, Germany Posts: 571	Okay. Thanks, Sorry if I've overstepping my bounds. __________________ Daniel Kohl Frankenstein meets XL1

March 19th, 2004, 03:59 PM	#22
Bankim Jain Major Player Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: USA Posts: 219	Dear Daniel, Dont you think tying a laptop on ur shoulder or back or chest is gonna be restricting ur shoot considerably. moreover firewire connections are so delicate that it may ot take jolts of slight jerk whilst shooting infield. i broke a cable while shooting with my DV200 attched to FS3 ... it is not a practically possible solution when compared to the ease of use with FS3 though a bit pricy...but i am sure once you buy & start using it you will recover its cost with the numerous wys you can harness the power of FS3. This my personal thought...you may differ. __________________ Cheers !

April 21st, 2004, 01:44 PM	#26
Daniel Kohl Contributor Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Frankfurt, Germany Posts: 571	Hi Neil, Don’t feel lonely. I’ve, just gotten back from traveling, and have a job right off the bat. I finally got the power book I was talking about at the start of this thread, so I am about to try out my proposed Frankenstore as soon as I get some breathing room. I’ve also ordered the quickstream, because I am sceptical about my own proposal. But MCE is having trouble delivering, I was hoping to have it by now. I’m confused about something – you say the CitiDisk is identical to the Pyro? ADS makes the Pyro and MCE makes the Quickstrem, who makes the CitiDisk.? There are some threads that suggest that MCE makes the CitiDisk as well, but I think that it is unlikely that they would come out with two products that are so similar at this early stage of the game, especially if they are having trouble delivering even one product. Your right there hasn’t been much chatter lately, maybe everyone is on holidays. Cheers __________________ Daniel Kohl Frankenstein meets XL1

March 12th, 2004, 01:27 AM	#16
Emmet Lucey Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: lillehammer norway Posts: 67	Concerning the quickstream: Mine arrived, had several extremely frustrating problems - audio dropout, non functioning battery - so i shipped it back to the states. Quickstream - to their credit - has been responsive and promised me a new drive. However the whole process has now taken me three months since the order date. I will continue to post as this situaton unfolds.

March 13th, 2004, 06:12 AM	#20
Neil Goodwill Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Dundee, United Kingdom Posts: 42	Does anyone know much about the Shining Technology CitiDISK? I noticed that Datavision have reduced their whole range of these drives, so I emailed them to ask them why. It appears that they have a new supplier so are selling the old stock. More significant is that version B (does other formats besides raw DV)has a firmware problem which Datavision are working on.

March 18th, 2004, 10:12 AM	#21
Neil Goodwill Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Dundee, United Kingdom Posts: 42	The Creative Labs Zen handheld has a firewire port. I am just waiting to hear back from Creative if they know whether full res dv capture is possible. There are a few second hand Zens on ebay at the moment.

March 24th, 2004, 04:38 PM	#23
Nick Hiltgen Trustee Join Date: May 2003 Location: Atlanta GA Posts: 1,427	please forgive me if I'm wrong but I was under the impression that DV files needed a relatively fast hard drive to record. 7200 or at the least 5400 but I heard that something spinning so slow as 4200 wouldn't adequatley record a DV signal (i.e. you'd get drops out s and stutters and other stuff that doesn't sound very good) Other wise wouldn't it just be easier to buy a 40gb ipod and download some software so that it could take in footage?

March 24th, 2004, 05:33 PM	#24
Neil Goodwill Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Dundee, United Kingdom Posts: 42	Frankenstein is alive and well, and living in Dundee! I have just bought an empty LaCie Pocket firewire/USB2 casing on ebay for £29 (the original drive had been stolen apparently!), and plonked in a brand new Hitachi 4200rpm ATA100 disk (also from ebay - £84). The result - perfect capture and record with no dropped frames for hours on end through my laptop with an Orange Micro firewire hub providing the 5v power for the LaCie. I think a manufacturer would clean up if they brought out a front end mini OS without any frills that could plug in to a drive of your choice, and priced at £100-150.

April 21st, 2004, 06:40 AM	#25
Neil Goodwill Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Dundee, United Kingdom Posts: 42	I have just found out that the CitiDisk version B is identical to the Pyro API-820. The Pyro is slightly cheaper. Am I the only one writing to this forum? I feel lonely!

April 21st, 2004, 03:44 PM	#27
Neil Goodwill Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Dundee, United Kingdom Posts: 42	Welcome home Daniel! The CitiDisk is made by Shining Technology. I suspect that there are only one or two companies making all these products (like Focus Enhancements make the JVC FireStore). It was DVStuff that told me about the Pyro/CitiDisk re-badge. This page may be of interest to all the Franks out there: http://www.ipodlounge.com/articles_m...?id=69_0_8_0_M I should be editing right now, but the mini monster creation bug has got me going!

April 22nd, 2004, 04:41 PM	#28
Daniel Kohl Contributor Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Frankfurt, Germany Posts: 571	Thanks Neil, For the link- It doesn’t surprise me that the i-pod is not suitable for DV capture – The article didn’t say how they were capturing to the i-pod did it? I plan to use a standard pocket Firewire drive for any overflow from the internal HDD of the powerbook. I’ve started to put things together – last night I cannibalized an old USB mouse to serve as a remote trigger for starting and stopping capture. That works fine. And capturing from the XL1 has been stable so far. LCD monitor/ computer screen works as well, after I switched the video system on the PB from NTSC to PAL. That took me a few minutes. Unfortunately due to the extreme delay between the monitor /computer screen and what is being shot, I won’t be able to use the computer screen monitor to shoot from. I’ll add a switch to that so that I can toggle between camera monitor and screen monitor, just to be able to check that everything is running, while shooting. I just need the time now to put the carrying system together, so that everything is in it’s right place – for me, that is the biggest factor which will decide whether this rig is really usable in the field or not. I’ll post more as soon as I get things more together. __________________ Daniel Kohl Frankenstein meets XL1

June 2nd, 2004, 02:46 PM	#29
Jeff Price Major Player Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Chico, California Posts: 357	I've often wondered about an iPod solution. I can see no reason why an iPod could not be used. True, it only spins at 4200 RPM but that is true of most of the Apple laptop drives as well. Plus, there is a 60g version on the way. So, the issue is one of interface. It seems that if the SDK (?) is available then some savvy programmer ought to be able to build a small front end that would allow you to use an iPod. After all Belkin makes both a voice recorder front end and a front end for downloading photos off of a camera or memory stick (albeit slowly). Apple apparently did hire a video specialist in their iPod division (or at least advertised for one). Now, consider another new wrinkle. A WIRELESS firewire standard has been approved. So, abandon the cables and just put a wireless transmitter on your camera. __________________ Jeff Price Flickerflix Nature Videos flickerflix@yahoo.com

June 2nd, 2004, 11:58 PM	#30
Bankim Jain Major Player Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: USA Posts: 219	Hi Jeff, Can you pls update us with the web info of this wireless firewire transfer stuff...how far is the range gonn work or soething more than this... !!! __________________ Cheers !