[Jim Scott]

i am in a similar situation.. i was wondering if you ever found a solution? To anyone looking for answers i will comment on the fact that id be scared of A) the digital amplifier failing… cords always fail.. thats why i think its good to record on camera. B) i would be concerned that the time stamp needs to be burned onto master footage by the actual camera and not a secondary device. I dont know if it states that in the federal or state laws but it seems like its better to avoid grey areas when your clients are on the line for what could be a multi million dollar case. “sorry i wanted to get creative with my video acquisition” isnt going to cut it. however, i would readily make an appeal and think most court reporters/legal videographers would too that a new standard should be for time stamp generators (approved ones) to be acceptable for legal video work. I mean a well made portable time stamp gen with a variety of hq input and outputs would make any and all cameras on the market with clean video out useable for legal work.. the freedom it would afford would be great. heck u could bust out an hdslr and if it output clean video u could time stamp it split it then record it onto and an atmos ninja and a dvd via dvd recorder.. the key would be in building a time stamp gen and splitter (possibly in the same unit) that could really hold up. because if at any point it fails you are screwed because nothing else is recording your depo. nothing on camera or off. If you did record a clean backup on camera i would think that would be a legal issue because it would be too easy to later add a new time stamp for illicit purposes.. that is probably why law makers would want all time stamp burning to time place A) on camera and B) while recording — because this is fool proof and cant be doctored. anyway, that was long winded even for me, but as you can tell i am really in the middle of it right now with trying to choose legally acceptable but aesthetically and fiscally reasonable video equipment. PS we wouldnt be in this mess if camera companies were nice even to have the ability to port menu features from one camera to another through firmware upadtes.. i understand why u wouldnt include every feature in a consumer camera thereby overwhelming the consumer but at least give us the option to hack the system and add a feature or two.. dont make us spend 2k dollars more for a worse camera just cause it does time stamp? wasnt to hard for those hi8 cameras in the 80’s ? shouldnt be hard for us in 2011 people.