FS4 / FS4 Pro HD various topics

Cali Lewis · January 17th, 2007, 08:02 AM

We have an FS-4 Pro HD. When we tried to use it for the first time, all we were getting was audio, and a blank white video. We were using Quicktime Pro to view. Nothing we tried fixed the video, so we called support.

They had us play back the video through the camera, and everything worked fine. They said that Quicktime didn't have the correct codec to properly view the video, but that Final Cut and Final Cut Express does, so if we import it, it would work. We didn't have Final Cut, so after some consideration if it would be worth it, we bought it.

This is the error we get when we import it into Final Cut Express: "Codec not found. You may be using a compression type without the corresponding hardware card."

Did support give me bad advice? Or is there something else?

Thanks in advance!

Bill Ravens · January 17th, 2007, 08:03 AM

at one time, Focus Enhancements promised a firmware upgrade to provide exactly that...the capability to record to an external firewire drive. I don't know what ever happened to that sales promise.

Matt McEwen · January 24th, 2007, 01:28 PM

HDV native files are only supported in Final Cut Pro, not Final Cut Xpress. You need the codec drives for HDV playback that are only loaded into QuickTime Player if Final Cut Pro is loaded on your system.

Matt

Matt McEwen · January 24th, 2007, 01:31 PM

Hi Bill,

I don't believe we ever promised that for the current FS-portable devices...I am curious where you heard that.

Thanks,

Matt

Jeff Milligan · February 14th, 2007, 09:42 PM

What DV format setting on the FS-4 works best for import into Vegas 6?

Kit Hannah · February 14th, 2007, 10:49 PM

AVI Type 2.

Jeff Milligan · February 16th, 2007, 08:59 PM

AV Type 2 is what I have been using. Thanks for the confirmation.

Matt Vanecek · February 17th, 2007, 10:59 AM

Is the FS-4 HD Upgrade still available, does anyone know? I did not see it on the Focus Website yesterday.

Thanks,
Matt V.

Jeff Milligan · February 19th, 2007, 10:48 PM

I believe the upgrades for both the FS-4 to FS-4 HD and the FS-4 pro to FS-4 pro HD are still listed in the webstore section of the Focus Enhancement website. I just ordered one of these upgrades.

Kit Hannah · February 20th, 2007, 01:14 AM

Just checked - still there. http://www.focusinfo.com/webstore/webstore.asp

Danny Fye · February 21st, 2007, 06:41 PM

Batch files for the FS-4 HD.

Here are two batch files for combining *.m2t files created by the FS-4 HD.

Batch file one will rename the files as well as combine them. It will not rename the folder that the files are in because rename does not work with wildcards while renaming folders. So it is almost totally automatic.

Batch file two will combine the files but not rename them. It is for those situations where there is more than one recording session.

Only files that are a part of the same video session should be combined. If you start recording at 7:00 pm and stop recording at 7:05 pm, that is session one with one file for session one. And then start again at 7:20 pm and stop at 7:25 pm, that is session two with one file for session two. You will have two separate video files from the two separate sessions that should not be combined.

If each session is longer than 9 minutes you will have multiple files for each session. Files that are a part of session one should only be combined with files from session one and files that are a part of session two should only be combined with files from session two. Files from session one should not be combined with files from session two.

The more recording sessions you have, the more complicated this whole thing gets and the less likely the batch files will work. However, and since I have the non-pro version of the FS-4 HD, it may be possible to have each session use a separate folder with the pro version. If that is the case, then it may be possible to simply rename one folder at a time and then use batch file number one to combine the files of each session.

When using batch file one, you will get the following error when it encounters files that you do not have. Do not be concerned about this as the batch file will continue and finish properly.
“The system cannot find the file specified”.

Both batch files assume that after you mount the FS-4 HD, it will be drive “f:”. If not then you will need to change the first line of the batch files to be what drive it actually is. So if the FS-4 HD is drive “E” then you need to change the first line to read “e:” without the quotes. The batch files also assume that you will rename the folder that the files are located in to “fs”. The batch files also assume you are copying and combining the files to drive “v:” and to a folder named “capture”. If this is not the case with your system then make the appropriate changes.

These batch files assume 9 minutes per *.m2t file and an FS-4 HD with a 40 gig hard drive. If you have an FS-4 HD with a larger drive and if you make a super long recording then you may want to increase the number of files that the batch file(s) work with.

Finally the batch files should be run from a drive that the video files are not on or will be copied to. I have them on my c: drive because the video files are never on it. The batch file(s) may not work otherwise.

It is best to copy and paste the batch files from this post to Notepad and then save them with the name you want plus the extension of “.bat”. To make the needed changes, simply right click on the file name and select “edit”. Make the needed changes and then save it.

Here is batch file one.

First line is “f:”.
Last line is “exit”.

-------------------------------

f:
cd fs
rename *01.m2t 001.m2t
rename *02.m2t 002.m2t
rename *03.m2t 003.m2t
rename *04.m2t 004.m2t
rename *05.m2t 005.m2t
rename *06.m2t 006.m2t
rename *07.m2t 007.m2t
rename *08.m2t 008.m2t
rename *09.m2t 009.m2t
rename *10.m2t 010.m2t
rename *11.m2t 011.m2t
rename *12.m2t 012.m2t
rename *13.m2t 013.m2t
rename *14.m2t 014.m2t
rename *15.m2t 015.m2t
rename *16.m2t 016.m2t
rename *17.m2t 017.m2t
rename *18.m2t 018.m2t
rename *19.m2t 019.m2t
rename *20.m2t 020.m2t
rename *21.m2t 021.m2t
rename *22.m2t 022.m2t
rename *23.m2t 023.m2t
rename *24.m2t 024.m2t
rename *25.m2t 025.m2t
copy /b 001.m2t+002.m2t+003.m2t+004.m2t+005.m2t+006.m2t+007.m2t+008.m2t+009.m2t+010.m2t+011.m2t+012.m2t+013. m2t+014.m2t+015.m2t+016.m2t+017.m2t+018.m2t+019.m2t+020.m2t+021.m2t+022.m2t+023.m2t+024.m2t+025.m2t v:\capture\cam-1.m2t
exit

--------------------------------

And here is batch file two.

--------------------------

f:
cd fs
copy /b 001.m2t+002.m2t+003.m2t+004.m2t+005.m2t+006.m2t+007.m2t+008.m2t+009.m2t+010.m2t+011.m2t+012.m2t+013. m2t+014.m2t+015.m2t+016.m2t+017.m2t+018.m2t+019.m2t+020.m2t+021.m2t+022.m2t+023.m2t+024.m2t+025.m2t v:\capture\cam-1.m2t
exit

----------------------------------

Disclaimer:

Be very careful making changes to these batch files. Do not delete any spaces in the batch files. Do not make any other changes that you are unsure of. Doing so can cause errors to occur that could result in loss of files and other problems. Test these batch files only with a test recording. Do not test with a recording for an important project that you want to keep.

I tried to make these instructions as complete and accurate as possible. I am not responsible for file loss or other problems you may have because of your inability to use these batch files properly or from errors in the above instructions.

I hope these batch files will prove to be helpful to you. Please reply and let me know what your results are. Also let me know what suggestions you may have to help improve these batch files to make them even more beneficial to all here.

Danny Fye
www.dannyfye.com
www.vidmus.com/scolvs

Paul Steinberg · February 24th, 2007, 09:01 PM

I have a Firestore FS-4ProHD running firmware version 2.0.0.04092006 and am feeding it a DV stream from a Miranda DVC-800. The Firestore works great as long as I have it in av/c mode and have it slaved to my F900 using external TC. When I try to use the Firestore as a stand-alone device (pressing record on the Firestore but tape isn't rolling in camera) and using internal TC I see TC running on the Firestore's screen but when I try and dump the material to a DSR-11 or import them into Avid there is no TC present.

I've looked for a "record tc / screw up tc" option but no luck. Has anyone else had this problem? Am I missing a step somewhere?

Thanks in advance,

Kelvin Kelm · February 28th, 2007, 01:10 PM

I have a GL-2 and would like to move to a direct-to-disk solution, but I may be getting a newer HD camera soon and would like for the FS-4 to work with both cameras. Does anyone know if this is possible.

Thanks

Scott Vystrcil · February 28th, 2007, 01:18 PM

Yep. As long as there is a IEEE (firewire) connection on the camera, you will be fine.

March 2nd, 2007, 12:10 PM

I have doing some tapeless captures, and need to reset the counter... How do I do that? It currently is set to TC REC RUN

Thanks!

January 17th, 2007, 08:02 AM	#241
Cali Lewis Tourist Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 1	FS-4 Pro HD - Codec Issues We have an FS-4 Pro HD. When we tried to use it for the first time, all we were getting was audio, and a blank white video. We were using Quicktime Pro to view. Nothing we tried fixed the video, so we called support. They had us play back the video through the camera, and everything worked fine. They said that Quicktime didn't have the correct codec to properly view the video, but that Final Cut and Final Cut Express does, so if we import it, it would work. We didn't have Final Cut, so after some consideration if it would be worth it, we bought it. This is the error we get when we import it into Final Cut Express: "Codec not found. You may be using a compression type without the corresponding hardware card." Did support give me bad advice? Or is there something else? Thanks in advance!

February 14th, 2007, 09:42 PM	#245
Jeff Milligan Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Keizer, Oregon Posts: 26	FS-4 DV Formats for Vegas 6 What DV format setting on the FS-4 works best for import into Vegas 6?

February 16th, 2007, 08:59 PM	#247
Jeff Milligan Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Keizer, Oregon Posts: 26	Thanks for Info AV Type 2 is what I have been using. Thanks for the confirmation.

February 17th, 2007, 10:59 AM	#248
Matt Vanecek Major Player Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Denton, TX Posts: 334	FS-4 HD upgrade availability? Is the FS-4 HD Upgrade still available, does anyone know? I did not see it on the Focus Website yesterday. Thanks, Matt V.

February 19th, 2007, 10:48 PM	#249
Jeff Milligan Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Keizer, Oregon Posts: 26	FS-4 Upgrades I believe the upgrades for both the FS-4 to FS-4 HD and the FS-4 pro to FS-4 pro HD are still listed in the webstore section of the Focus Enhancement website. I just ordered one of these upgrades.

January 17th, 2007, 08:03 AM	#242
Bill Ravens Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: santa fe, nm Posts: 3,264 Images: 10	at one time, Focus Enhancements promised a firmware upgrade to provide exactly that...the capability to record to an external firewire drive. I don't know what ever happened to that sales promise.

January 24th, 2007, 01:28 PM	#243
Matt McEwen Focus Enhancements Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Campbell, CA. Posts: 508	HDV native files are only supported in Final Cut Pro, not Final Cut Xpress. You need the codec drives for HDV playback that are only loaded into QuickTime Player if Final Cut Pro is loaded on your system. Matt

January 24th, 2007, 01:31 PM	#244
Matt McEwen Focus Enhancements Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Campbell, CA. Posts: 508	Hi Bill, I don't believe we ever promised that for the current FS-portable devices...I am curious where you heard that. Thanks, Matt

February 14th, 2007, 10:49 PM	#246
Kit Hannah Major Player Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Fresno, California Posts: 528	AVI Type 2.

February 20th, 2007, 01:14 AM	#250
Kit Hannah Major Player Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Fresno, California Posts: 528	Just checked - still there. http://www.focusinfo.com/webstore/webstore.asp

February 21st, 2007, 06:41 PM	#251
Danny Fye Major Player Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Independence MO. Posts: 318	Batch files for the FS-4 HD. Batch files for the FS-4 HD. Here are two batch files for combining .m2t files created by the FS-4 HD. Batch file one will rename the files as well as combine them. It will not rename the folder that the files are in because rename does not work with wildcards while renaming folders. So it is almost totally automatic. Batch file two will combine the files but not rename them. It is for those situations where there is more than one recording session. Only files that are a part of the same video session should be combined. If you start recording at 7:00 pm and stop recording at 7:05 pm, that is session one with one file for session one. And then start again at 7:20 pm and stop at 7:25 pm, that is session two with one file for session two. You will have two separate video files from the two separate sessions that should not be combined. If each session is longer than 9 minutes you will have multiple files for each session. Files that are a part of session one should only be combined with files from session one and files that are a part of session two should only be combined with files from session two. Files from session one should not be combined with files from session two. The more recording sessions you have, the more complicated this whole thing gets and the less likely the batch files will work. However, and since I have the non-pro version of the FS-4 HD, it may be possible to have each session use a separate folder with the pro version. If that is the case, then it may be possible to simply rename one folder at a time and then use batch file number one to combine the files of each session. When using batch file one, you will get the following error when it encounters files that you do not have. Do not be concerned about this as the batch file will continue and finish properly. “The system cannot find the file specified”. Both batch files assume that after you mount the FS-4 HD, it will be drive “f:”. If not then you will need to change the first line of the batch files to be what drive it actually is. So if the FS-4 HD is drive “E” then you need to change the first line to read “e:” without the quotes. The batch files also assume that you will rename the folder that the files are located in to “fs”. The batch files also assume you are copying and combining the files to drive “v:” and to a folder named “capture”. If this is not the case with your system then make the appropriate changes. These batch files assume 9 minutes per .m2t file and an FS-4 HD with a 40 gig hard drive. If you have an FS-4 HD with a larger drive and if you make a super long recording then you may want to increase the number of files that the batch file(s) work with. Finally the batch files should be run from a drive that the video files are not on or will be copied to. I have them on my c: drive because the video files are never on it. The batch file(s) may not work otherwise. It is best to copy and paste the batch files from this post to Notepad and then save them with the name you want plus the extension of “.bat”. To make the needed changes, simply right click on the file name and select “edit”. Make the needed changes and then save it. Here is batch file one. First line is “f:”. Last line is “exit”. ------------------------------- f: cd fs rename 01.m2t 001.m2t rename 02.m2t 002.m2t rename 03.m2t 003.m2t rename 04.m2t 004.m2t rename 05.m2t 005.m2t rename 06.m2t 006.m2t rename 07.m2t 007.m2t rename 08.m2t 008.m2t rename 09.m2t 009.m2t rename 10.m2t 010.m2t rename 11.m2t 011.m2t rename 12.m2t 012.m2t rename 13.m2t 013.m2t rename 14.m2t 014.m2t rename 15.m2t 015.m2t rename 16.m2t 016.m2t rename 17.m2t 017.m2t rename 18.m2t 018.m2t rename 19.m2t 019.m2t rename 20.m2t 020.m2t rename 21.m2t 021.m2t rename 22.m2t 022.m2t rename 23.m2t 023.m2t rename 24.m2t 024.m2t rename *25.m2t 025.m2t copy /b 001.m2t+002.m2t+003.m2t+004.m2t+005.m2t+006.m2t+007.m2t+008.m2t+009.m2t+010.m2t+011.m2t+012.m2t+013. m2t+014.m2t+015.m2t+016.m2t+017.m2t+018.m2t+019.m2t+020.m2t+021.m2t+022.m2t+023.m2t+024.m2t+025.m2t v:\capture\cam-1.m2t exit -------------------------------- And here is batch file two. -------------------------- f: cd fs copy /b 001.m2t+002.m2t+003.m2t+004.m2t+005.m2t+006.m2t+007.m2t+008.m2t+009.m2t+010.m2t+011.m2t+012.m2t+013. m2t+014.m2t+015.m2t+016.m2t+017.m2t+018.m2t+019.m2t+020.m2t+021.m2t+022.m2t+023.m2t+024.m2t+025.m2t v:\capture\cam-1.m2t exit ---------------------------------- Disclaimer: Be very careful making changes to these batch files. Do not delete any spaces in the batch files. Do not make any other changes that you are unsure of. Doing so can cause errors to occur that could result in loss of files and other problems. Test these batch files only with a test recording. Do not test with a recording for an important project that you want to keep. I tried to make these instructions as complete and accurate as possible. I am not responsible for file loss or other problems you may have because of your inability to use these batch files properly or from errors in the above instructions. I hope these batch files will prove to be helpful to you. Please reply and let me know what your results are. Also let me know what suggestions you may have to help improve these batch files to make them even more beneficial to all here. Danny Fye www.dannyfye.com www.vidmus.com/scolvs

February 24th, 2007, 09:01 PM	#252
Paul Steinberg Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Toronto Posts: 50	FS-4ProHD not recording internal TC I have a Firestore FS-4ProHD running firmware version 2.0.0.04092006 and am feeding it a DV stream from a Miranda DVC-800. The Firestore works great as long as I have it in av/c mode and have it slaved to my F900 using external TC. When I try to use the Firestore as a stand-alone device (pressing record on the Firestore but tape isn't rolling in camera) and using internal TC I see TC running on the Firestore's screen but when I try and dump the material to a DSR-11 or import them into Avid there is no TC present. I've looked for a "record tc / screw up tc" option but no luck. Has anyone else had this problem? Am I missing a step somewhere? Thanks in advance, __________________ Paul Steinberg DP, Toronto \|+\|Canada

February 28th, 2007, 01:10 PM	#253
Kelvin Kelm Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Katy, Texas Posts: 49	Will the FS-4 HD work with a Canon GL-2? I have a GL-2 and would like to move to a direct-to-disk solution, but I may be getting a newer HD camera soon and would like for the FS-4 to work with both cameras. Does anyone know if this is possible. Thanks

February 28th, 2007, 01:18 PM	#254
Scott Vystrcil Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: McKinney, TX Posts: 116	Yes Yep. As long as there is a IEEE (firewire) connection on the camera, you will be fine. __________________ Scott A. Vystrcil Equipment - Sony HVR-Z1U--Firestore FS-4 Pro HD (40GB)--Cartoni Focus F101 Editing - Canopus Edius Pro 4, Intel Pentium D 940 (3.2 GHz), 2GB, 74GB SATA 10K, 160GB SATAII, 300GB SATA, nVidia GeForce 6800 (256MB), Dell 20 in widescreen flat panel (2007WFP) http://watersedgefrisco.com http://vystrcil.com

March 2nd, 2007, 12:10 PM	#255
Stembridge Posts: n/a	Resetting counter on FS 4 HD I have doing some tapeless captures, and need to reset the counter... How do I do that? It currently is set to TC REC RUN Thanks!