FireStore FS100 various topics

Shawn Alyasiri · May 22nd, 2007, 02:37 PM

Trying to bump this again. Any word, confirmation, speculation?

Herb Forsberg · July 23rd, 2007, 10:47 PM

FS100 with software version 3.0.0

In preparation for a job in 2 days, I was testing out my FS100 with my HVX200. All settings seem to be fine having followed reference materials from Focus Enhancements and Panasonic. Recording goes fine. I can transfer them via P2 Genie, view them with P2 Viewer, and import them into Avid.

Problem is, when recording onto FS100 the darn thing stops when a file reaches 2GB and the FireStore freezes completely. It only comes to life when all power if removed. After power cycling, the files seem to be on the drive and readable following "organize P2" command. Any ideas?

Thanks,
Herb Forsberg

Shawn Alyasiri · July 26th, 2007, 03:20 PM

Hello.

I've recently noticed an occasional audio dropout glitch on the FS100, with the new v3 software. I've seen this on long-form recordings on the Panny HPX2000 & SPX800 cameras - using Edius SP v4.24. P2 files are organized, and then copied to the computer drives.

The audio will just drop out every once in a while - leaving an audible little tick. It seems to only be for a frame.

It hasn't killed anything yet, but it's annoying. You can see it drop out if you have the waveform data expanded on the track.

I'd like to know if anyone else has noticed this and what platforms they're using so I can see if it's a firestore issue, or Edius for some reason.

Thanks.

Brian Jerman · October 2nd, 2007, 05:50 PM

Guys,

I haven't figured out how to get my Avid on Macbook to see MXF files. Can I get any help in this area? I can get it to see OMFIs just fine, but MXFs don't work as easily. Please let me know if anyone has used these. I would like to shoot in DVC-Pro 50, but not sure how to get the MXF files into the Avid on my MacBook.

Sorry so repetitive, just looking for help,

Thanks,

Brian

Kenny Shem · October 28th, 2007, 04:51 AM

Wondering does the FS-100 works with other cam such as PD-170 or even XH-A1 when recording in DV mode? Anyone knows?

Patrick Forestell · November 7th, 2007, 07:51 PM

I was worried, but I went to two big shoots with just the newly bought fs-100 and my spx800 and left behind the PC with HD Rack recording on a CalDigit RAID tied to AC. I was in the field with no AC for the two big shoots and used one Pro14 and one $$Diconic160 and made it through the shoot with no problems, the fs-100 was powered by the light 12v tap on the spx800 GOLD Anton Bauer plate. Each day I had 3 hrs of video and consildated all the video into AVID (shot at 30p and edited on in AVID 29.97 NTSC 29.97 timeline project bin, exported a QT Ref file and imported that into TMPGEnc which MPEG2'd it and then burned the DVDs in Sony DVDarchpro and at DVCpro50 16:9 it looks damn good !

PS: I wanted the newer fs-160 but it wasn't out yet, now I see it is.

Chris Vaglio · February 9th, 2008, 08:30 AM

Hello, does anyone know if the FS 100 can be used with the DVX100B. I have one for my HVX, bt was not sure if I could also use it for my other cameras.

February 18th, 2008, 09:01 PM

I just got an HVX200 and the fS100. I thought I would see if the fS100 works with my old XL1. It did not. Is this a fact or should it work?

I cant get it to record at all with the XL1. Anyone else have this result.

JM

February 18th, 2008, 09:18 PM

From Focus Enhancements Web Site:

Native Frame Rate Recording
The FS-100 enables you to record DVCPRO HD at 720p 24/25/30 (model dependant, PAL / NTSC) in P2 or Quick-Time file formats at native frame rates. Only the required frames are recorded. This feature not only eliminates the need to remove pulldown or duplicate frames during ingest, but also enables you to record twice as much DVCPRO HD video to disk. The FS-100 also supports variable frame rate (VFR)recording for spectacular slow-motion and fast-motion effects. VFR files are imported directly into your NLE system’s timeline—no conversion is required.

From Barry Greens HVX Book:

The only drawback to 24PN/25PN/30PN is, it doesn't get transmitted over the 1394 connection. No DVCPRO-HD compatible device such as the Firestore FS-100 would understand the non 60P data stream.

Who is right? What am I missing.

Kevin Richard · February 25th, 2008, 04:06 PM

It looks like you have to BUY the upgrade to use that feature touted in the feature list. Yay :(

Tim Polster · April 28th, 2008, 07:44 AM

Is it me or has the Focus enhancements rep disappeared?

I read through this entire thread and his last post was over a year ago with a lot of questions & problems from users here.

What is up with that?

I am looking at buying this unit but I do not have much confidence after reading this thread.

I also tried calling the company to ask some pre-sales questions and the phone had a permanent voice message.

E-mail only support for a $1,700 product that will be a critical recording device, I don't know...

They have not responded to my e-mail either.

Kevin Richard · April 28th, 2008, 10:28 AM

Ouch... yeah, that would make me a little nervous also. Guess P2 cards are putting a hurt on them... shame, I really liked the concept of their products.

I know someone at our college got a FS-100(?) for their HVX-200 and they just use P2 cards because of all the problems with the firestore... I have it in my hands figuring I might could find a "fix" for it... She said, she probably wouldn't ever use it again because she doesn't trust it anymore. :(

I haven't used it a LOT but I haven't had a problem with standard miniDV.

Kevin Richard · December 8th, 2008, 05:12 PM

Wow, just did a search and came up with this post... Still silent after all this time. :(

Any chance of allowing those that pony'd up premium bucks for the first units to get the latest firmware so they can have all the benefits of those that bought it later in it's product life?

I'm really not sure how that works, those that were there in the begining get punished for funding the futher development and going through the growing pains of a new product.

Bob Hart · December 8th, 2008, 09:34 PM

I would not be holding my breath.

The company is likely in hands of an administrator or some mandated body which will not permit any furthur haemorrhaging of finances if there are creditors standing in line.

Until governments legislate that when certain software dependent devices time out of product support or this is terminated abruptly due to bankruptcy, beneficent or hostile takeovers, any such integrated software which is locked, should be released at its latest upgrade unimpeded to the end-users or released as open-source for communities of hackers to fix.

By the time this company gets back on its feet, normal finessing of the Firestore product will likely have been in hiatus too long for it not to have become obsolete. Support of it may not be in the new scheme of things.

This is rather a pity because the product is good, once the learning curve and a few glitchy things like poorly made firewire ports on cameras are overcome. The next generation product would have been killer I think. Now one can only mourn for what might have been.

Lastly. No one sets out to deliberately do what has happened to the Firestore and its customers. If the cashflow dwindles, the enterprise dies on its bum, a simple rule of venture capitalism.

Kevin Richard · December 10th, 2008, 03:19 PM

I was not aware of that.

That's pretty crazy... great concept, I just don't know of it was poor timing or just all the bugs they had.

May 22nd, 2007, 02:37 PM	#106
Shawn Alyasiri Major Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Bloomington, IL Posts: 256	Matt - any word from Focus? Trying to bump this again. Any word, confirmation, speculation?

July 23rd, 2007, 10:47 PM	#107
Herb Forsberg New Boot Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Ridgewood, NJ Posts: 15	FS100 freezes at 2GB FS100 with software version 3.0.0 In preparation for a job in 2 days, I was testing out my FS100 with my HVX200. All settings seem to be fine having followed reference materials from Focus Enhancements and Panasonic. Recording goes fine. I can transfer them via P2 Genie, view them with P2 Viewer, and import them into Avid. Problem is, when recording onto FS100 the darn thing stops when a file reaches 2GB and the FireStore freezes completely. It only comes to life when all power if removed. After power cycling, the files seem to be on the drive and readable following "organize P2" command. Any ideas? Thanks, Herb Forsberg

July 26th, 2007, 03:20 PM	#108
Shawn Alyasiri Major Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Bloomington, IL Posts: 256	FS100 v3 single-frame audio glitch Hello. I've recently noticed an occasional audio dropout glitch on the FS100, with the new v3 software. I've seen this on long-form recordings on the Panny HPX2000 & SPX800 cameras - using Edius SP v4.24. P2 files are organized, and then copied to the computer drives. The audio will just drop out every once in a while - leaving an audible little tick. It seems to only be for a frame. It hasn't killed anything yet, but it's annoying. You can see it drop out if you have the waveform data expanded on the track. I'd like to know if anyone else has noticed this and what platforms they're using so I can see if it's a firestore issue, or Edius for some reason. Thanks.

October 2nd, 2007, 05:50 PM	#109
Brian Jerman Tourist Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: USAFA Posts: 1	FS-100 to Macbook Avid Guys, I haven't figured out how to get my Avid on Macbook to see MXF files. Can I get any help in this area? I can get it to see OMFIs just fine, but MXFs don't work as easily. Please let me know if anyone has used these. I would like to shoot in DVC-Pro 50, but not sure how to get the MXF files into the Avid on my MacBook. Sorry so repetitive, just looking for help, Thanks, Brian

October 28th, 2007, 04:51 AM	#110
Kenny Shem Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Singapore Posts: 163	Firestore FS-100 works with other cam other than panasonic? Wondering does the FS-100 works with other cam such as PD-170 or even XH-A1 when recording in DV mode? Anyone knows?

November 7th, 2007, 07:51 PM	#111
Patrick Forestell New Boot Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Lancaster Pa Posts: 12	fs-100 & SPX800 were happy together on two big shoots ! I was worried, but I went to two big shoots with just the newly bought fs-100 and my spx800 and left behind the PC with HD Rack recording on a CalDigit RAID tied to AC. I was in the field with no AC for the two big shoots and used one Pro14 and one $$Diconic160 and made it through the shoot with no problems, the fs-100 was powered by the light 12v tap on the spx800 GOLD Anton Bauer plate. Each day I had 3 hrs of video and consildated all the video into AVID (shot at 30p and edited on in AVID 29.97 NTSC 29.97 timeline project bin, exported a QT Ref file and imported that into TMPGEnc which MPEG2'd it and then burned the DVDs in Sony DVDarchpro and at DVCpro50 16:9 it looks damn good ! PS: I wanted the newer fs-160 but it wasn't out yet, now I see it is.

February 9th, 2008, 08:30 AM	#112
Chris Vaglio Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Rockaway, NJ Posts: 29	FS 100 with DVZ100B? Hello, does anyone know if the FS 100 can be used with the DVX100B. I have one for my HVX, bt was not sure if I could also use it for my other cameras. __________________ Sincerely, Chris Vaglio Director/Producer/Editor Grey Sky Films www.greyskyfilms.com

February 18th, 2008, 09:01 PM	#113
John Mahoney Posts: n/a	FS100 and XL1 I just got an HVX200 and the fS100. I thought I would see if the fS100 works with my old XL1. It did not. Is this a fact or should it work? I cant get it to record at all with the XL1. Anyone else have this result. JM

February 18th, 2008, 09:18 PM	#114
John Mahoney Posts: n/a	What gives with these two quotes about the FS-100 From Focus Enhancements Web Site: Native Frame Rate Recording The FS-100 enables you to record DVCPRO HD at 720p 24/25/30 (model dependant, PAL / NTSC) in P2 or Quick-Time file formats at native frame rates. Only the required frames are recorded. This feature not only eliminates the need to remove pulldown or duplicate frames during ingest, but also enables you to record twice as much DVCPRO HD video to disk. The FS-100 also supports variable frame rate (VFR)recording for spectacular slow-motion and fast-motion effects. VFR files are imported directly into your NLE system’s timeline—no conversion is required. From Barry Greens HVX Book: The only drawback to 24PN/25PN/30PN is, it doesn't get transmitted over the 1394 connection. No DVCPRO-HD compatible device such as the Firestore FS-100 would understand the non 60P data stream. Who is right? What am I missing.

February 25th, 2008, 04:06 PM	#115
Kevin Richard Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lafayette, LA Posts: 270	It looks like you have to BUY the upgrade to use that feature touted in the feature list. Yay :(

April 28th, 2008, 07:44 AM	#116
Tim Polster Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Arlington, TX Posts: 2,231	Is it me or has the Focus enhancements rep disappeared? I read through this entire thread and his last post was over a year ago with a lot of questions & problems from users here. What is up with that? I am looking at buying this unit but I do not have much confidence after reading this thread. I also tried calling the company to ask some pre-sales questions and the phone had a permanent voice message. E-mail only support for a $1,700 product that will be a critical recording device, I don't know... They have not responded to my e-mail either.

April 28th, 2008, 10:28 AM	#117
Kevin Richard Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lafayette, LA Posts: 270	Ouch... yeah, that would make me a little nervous also. Guess P2 cards are putting a hurt on them... shame, I really liked the concept of their products. I know someone at our college got a FS-100(?) for their HVX-200 and they just use P2 cards because of all the problems with the firestore... I have it in my hands figuring I might could find a "fix" for it... She said, she probably wouldn't ever use it again because she doesn't trust it anymore. :( I haven't used it a LOT but I haven't had a problem with standard miniDV.

December 8th, 2008, 05:12 PM	#118
Kevin Richard Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lafayette, LA Posts: 270	Wow, just did a search and came up with this post... Still silent after all this time. :( Any chance of allowing those that pony'd up premium bucks for the first units to get the latest firmware so they can have all the benefits of those that bought it later in it's product life? I'm really not sure how that works, those that were there in the begining get punished for funding the futher development and going through the growing pains of a new product.

December 8th, 2008, 09:34 PM	#119
Bob Hart Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PERTH. W.A. AUSTRALIA. Posts: 4,477	I would not be holding my breath. The company is likely in hands of an administrator or some mandated body which will not permit any furthur haemorrhaging of finances if there are creditors standing in line. Until governments legislate that when certain software dependent devices time out of product support or this is terminated abruptly due to bankruptcy, beneficent or hostile takeovers, any such integrated software which is locked, should be released at its latest upgrade unimpeded to the end-users or released as open-source for communities of hackers to fix. By the time this company gets back on its feet, normal finessing of the Firestore product will likely have been in hiatus too long for it not to have become obsolete. Support of it may not be in the new scheme of things. This is rather a pity because the product is good, once the learning curve and a few glitchy things like poorly made firewire ports on cameras are overcome. The next generation product would have been killer I think. Now one can only mourn for what might have been. Lastly. No one sets out to deliberately do what has happened to the Firestore and its customers. If the cashflow dwindles, the enterprise dies on its bum, a simple rule of venture capitalism. Last edited by Bob Hart; December 8th, 2008 at 09:38 PM. Reason: errors

December 10th, 2008, 03:19 PM	#120
Kevin Richard Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lafayette, LA Posts: 270	I was not aware of that. That's pretty crazy... great concept, I just don't know of it was poor timing or just all the bugs they had.