XDCAM SxS / SDHC Direct Offload to Mac Pro???

[Kellen Dengler]

Thank you guys. This all really helps and will speed up my work flow. I’m going to go with the Sony USB offload device for my Mac Pro. I want to eliminate the MBP middle man and just go straight to editing. A decently priced quality RAIDed drive system for archive is next on my list of things to purchase.

Recommendations?

[Don Greening]

Hi Kellen,

Are you sure you want to spend money on a RAID system just for archiving? Since access speed isn’t a factor with stored files why not just buy some USB drives and fill those up? RAID systems are more for editing multiple streams of video rather than archiving. And if you’re thinking of using a RAID setup for both editing and archiving that sort of defeats the purpose of having a separate raw file backup, doesn’t it?

There are lots of great RAID systems out there these days. Whatever you decide to go with give serious consideration to a turnkey system as opposed to something cobbled together from different manufacturers. The article below explains why:

https://library.creativecow.net/articles/weiss_roth_david/caldigit_HDOne.php

– Don

[Clint Fleckenstein]

One thing about a RAID is that it’s hard to put in a fire safe. Perhaps it’s part of my tape-based upbringing, or my collector mentality, but I need something physical to lock away in case Milton sets the building on fire after I take his Swingline stapler 🙂 That’s why the XDCAM disc method is so appealing (once Sony’s firmware update comes). I have space ready next to our tape library in our gigantic fire safe.

Cf

[Olof Ekbergh]

The way I see it, RAID is for editing. I use a RAID level 5 12 drive SAS system very fast and redundant with hot spare. I have current projects on it, and a few where we are doing new versions often.

I use FW 800 drives for archive storage of projects files and footage (2 sets) in a different building. This is for quick reloading onto RAID and BU of current large projects (we have some that we have been working on for years).

All non tape footage is burned to DVD single layer, dual layer or Blueray depending on how much footage there is (4.3, 8, 23 or 46GB). I see this as my “tape” library, we also have hundreds if not a thousand or so Beta, DVcam, DVCpro, and even MiniDV and HDV tapes stored in the same climate stable room. Most of them (OK less than half) are also in Databases for searching. But all new solid state footage goes in the DB.

Olof Ekbergh

[Annette Duerr]

dear experts. we´ve been working with p2 for a year now, but now are thinking of changing to sdhc. i need to get the movs on a fw800/usb2.0-disk (via mbp) every day after shooting (+ safty copies on another disk like that) – so now i wonder if it would be faster to use an expresscard-adapter or a good usb2.0-cardreader?
are there any card readers with more than 1 sdhc slot? i didn´t find any, googeling for it…but we´re shooting with 2 cameras, and it would be great not to spend my evenings next to the computer because of changing cards every 20 minutes.
looking forward to answers: annette