HVX with citidisc 120gb HDD

[Nick Harris]

Hi all,

So I recently purchased an HVX200 with a CitiDisc 120 gb firewire drive.

I can't, for the life of me, seem to ge tthis thing to work correctly.

I think the problem is in the drivers I have. Where can I download the drivers necessary to play all of the recording formats of the camera? (1080i, 720p, and 480i). I've been able to get some footage to work, but not all, and the 480i footage just shows up as colored scrambles of pixels.

Please help so this $7000 investment doesn't continue its current role of an expensive paper weight!

Oh yeah, and I'm on an intel macbook if that makes a difference.

[Shane Ross]

Which Citidisk did you get? And if it isn't working, you should call Shining technology, as it is their product.

[Nick Harris]

It's the FW1256HD-120

I don't think it's necessarily the HDD, I just don't have the right codecs, and I'm wondering what I need to make them run correctly. I do have an older version of final cut that runs (albeit crippled) on my new intel mac. I'm planning on upgrading it soon, but for now, I just want to get the footage working to see how the adjustments I'm making in the settings are affecting it. I should just be able to play the footage in quicktime with the right codec

[Shane Ross]

AH. Yes, you need at least FCP 5.0.4 in order to import P2 footage. Get 5.1, as it is far more stable, and what Apple is currently selling.

[Kevin Wolff]

I haven't tried the CitiDisk, but you might want to look at this thread on DVXUser, in which some users report problems, particularly with the 120 gig version.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=66853

[Gomer Thomas]

well i am on the same boat too. i just purchase the HV200 with a cididisk my is 80 gig i have the same problem too i start to record and the rest of the image scramble after about 15-20 nimute the the battery went dead and systerm shuts off. I call the maf tech support explain them exatly whats went wrong. The comapany realize the problem the said theare working on a new version software. to void this problem you have to stop recording every 15-20 nimute and star again/ on DVCPRO/HD/ BUT THE SAID you shouldn't have any problem on Dv.

[Gomer Thomas]

well i am on the same boat too. i just purchased the HV200 with a cididisk my is 80 gig i have the same problem too. I started to record and the rest of the image scramble after about 15-20 nimute andthe battery went dead, and systerm shuts off. I call the mafg tech support explain them exatly whats went wrong. The comapany knew the problem. they said thear'e working on a new version of software beceause the capacity of the hardrive cannot hold the raw footage yet but there are working on it. To void this problem you have to stop recording every 15-20 nimute and star again/ on DVCPRO/HD/ BUT THE SAID you shouldn't have any problem on Dv.

[Ned Soltz]

I have not heard of a single success story with the CitiDisk, so I would beware at this point. They offered to send me one to test and evaluate for one of my articles, but I have yet to see the unit.

Ned Soltz

[Ash Greyson]

The product is really junk, their DV version soured me on tapeless acquisition.



ash =o)

[Gomer Thomas]

I have the citidisk-HD if you just purchace it recently you don't need to upgrade it that's what the company told me. but at the same time they said the will realise a new firmware in two to three weeks to resolved the problem.

[Karl Ferron]

We had purchased this unit, the 120gb CitiDisk HD, which was claimed by the makers to be compatible with the HVX200. However, the drive would not write. The camera would not recognize.

I called Chris at CitiDisk and we went over the functioning and tried all types of things. He even sent me some firmware.

But upon sending the unit to him (and its subsequent return), we still couldn't get it to handshake. Calling him back with my boss on speaker phone, he finally said that at this time the CitiDisk HD does not write the MXF format that the camera requires, even tho the CitiDisk site said it does. Sometime in the future, they plan on releasing a firmware update, Chris says. But we can't wait, so we're returning the unit.

[Ned Soltz]

I still await the review unit of the CitiDisk HD.

From everything that has been stated, it records in mov or avi but a future upgrade will handle MXF files.

Richard from ProCon, the distributor, writes on other forums that they have many satisfied users so I am not quite ready to write the product off until I actually have some hands-on time with it.

Meanwhile, I am a staunch user and advocate of the Firestore.

Ned Soltz

[Karl Ferron]

I was just sent an update for the 120gb CitiDisk HD. It's FW1256HD_HVX200__oxfw911_11022006_rom_rom2R3Release2.ZIP

The release note: "November 3, 2006 -- Release 3

Files:
1. FW1256HD(HVX200)-oxfw911-11022006+rom+rom2R3Release2.ZIP: Total zip.
2. FW1256HD(HVX200)-oxfw911-11022006+rom+rom2R3Release2.bin: Binary file.
3. FirmwareUploaderv181.zip:
CitiDISK HD Firmware Uploader v1.81, MUST un-install the previous version and install this one.
4. Updating CitiDISK DV-HDV-HD Firmware v181HDonly.pdf: How to use the firmware uploader v1.81?
5. CitiDISK HD FW1256HD(HVX200) Release Note.txt: Release note


-- New Features:
1. New Firmware Uploader v1.81 allows user to select Matrox Axio, Canopus Edius4 in AVI, Quicktime for Final Cut
or RawDV.

--- AVI file format selection including standard AVI2, Matrox Axio and Canopus Edius4

The Matrox Axio user must have Axio hardware and software plug-in installed for Adobe Premiere 2.0( 1.5 won't work ).
The standard AVI2 uses standard dv codec for DV25 but Axio codec for DV50 & DV100.
The Canopus Edius user must have Edius4 and USB Dongle from Canopus if it is selected.
Captured video clips are able to play by Microsoft Windows Media Player 10 provided above necessary codec plug-in
installed.
Project setting for Axio and Edius4 user must select 1080i/60i/30p or 720p/30p for DVCProHD and select 480/30p
DVCPro 50, DVCPro to avoid rendering each clip even the recording format is set at 24p or 24pA due to the Firewire
has only one standard and that is either DV100 for DVCProHD, DV50 for DVCPro 50 and DV25 for DVCPro.


--- MOV file format selection for Final Cut Pro & Canopus Edius4 & Avid DV XPress Pro

Project setting for FCP user must select 1080i/60i/30p or 720p/30p for DVCProHD and select 480/30p
DVCPro 50, DVCPro even the recording format is set at 24p or 24pA due to the Firewire has only one standard and that's
either DV100 for DVCProHD, DV50 for DVCPro 50 and DV25 for DVCPro.

--- Why 720p/30p and 1080/60i/30p??
If user is shooting in film camera mode by 720p/12 frames/second rate, the HVX200 camera actually inserts
extra frames making up to 60 frames per second to meet DV100 specification. Since the CitiDISK HD always
reports 2-frame-per-chunk in 720p and 1 frame-per-chunk in 1080 mode, and 720p screen resolution is
half of 1080, so, both 1080 & 720 both end up 30 frames/second in NTSC and 25 frames/second.

--- Are CineForm-AVI & Raylight-AVI codec supported?
No. Both are intermediate codec not in standard DV-AVI form.

2. Add in support for HVX200/PAL and HVX20E.
3. Re-enable "DV Control" by camera function provided a not-full-P2 card inserted.


-- Problem fixed:
1. While in recording, REC light went on but not being able to turn it off. fixed.


-- Known issues:
1. "P2-MXF" -- P2 card like folder structure and MXF file format supported are not included in this release
2. "QPLAY" & "PLAYALL" -- both functions are disabled for DVCProHD, but DVCPro50 and DVCPro are OK.
The "QPLAY" & "PLAYALL" choose for DV not DVCPro to playback, so, user must select DV mode even the video was
shot as DVCPro.
3. Lab. test shows the 100G & 120G can record as long as you like in RawDV/DVCProHD recording, however, the 120G model
seems not able to keep up the incoming data rate and automatically turns off the recording preventing the "skip-frame"
in MOV & AVI modes. But the 100G works much better. Engineers are working on this issue now, will release it once
it is available."

But since it doesn't have the MXF compatibility necessary, how could it work for the HVX200?

[Gunleik Groven]

You could record as DVCPRO HD QT - according to the spec sheet, but you would not get anny guarantee on the 120 Gb model...


So this is a "we fixed it - only not for the 120 GB" update.


Install and test and report back, if you care. Im curious about this product.

Gunleik

[Mark Williams]

I know how it is to make a purchase and not have it perform as advertised and then the following frustration with trying to make it work. So others bewarned. Browse this site and others and the level of disatisfaction with Citidisk products is overwhelming. I'd suggest if there is anyway to return the product and get your money back then do it.