[Mike Mihalik]

Just to clarify:
– when BM is at end of chain, you can still see the BM device in the Apple System Profiler/Thunderbolt section
– can still see the BM device with its control software

–>> but cannot see the video back on the Macbook Air within FCP or Adobe?

Mike
LaCie

[Mike Mihalik]

Possibly a defective LaCie then. You indicated a replacement was on the way. Here are other suggestions:

One other way to confirm if displaymode pass-thru is working correctly is to connect a display to the LaCie:
– can connect a mini-displayport display with an ordinary mDP cable
– can connect a displayport display with an adapter cable; mDP to DP
– can connect an HDMI display with an adapter cable; mDP to HDMI

In other words, with the right cable, other displays can be connected.

Apple Thunderbolt Display would of course require the Thunderbolt connection.

Of course, make sure that the LaCie is connected to the AC Adapter and is actually powered on.

Yes, this is quite strange.

Mike
LaCie

[Mike Mihalik]

Chris,

This is a configuration that should work. Make sure cable connecting Mac to LaCie , and LaCie to the BM are both Thunderbolt cables.

The LaCie should be able to drive any other Thunderbolt device.If you haven’t done so already, do try swapping ports on the LaCie.

Feel free to contact me directly at mike@lacie.com

Mike
LaCie

[Mike Mihalik]

Looking into it.

Mike
LaCie

[Mike Mihalik]

To answer a few questions as they will likely come up:
– does not support port multipliers
– Thunderbolt cable not supplied
– requires included AC adapter
– supports eSATA II speeds (3Gb/s
– not locked to LaCie eSATA devices
– approx 225MB/sec with LaCie 4big w/7200 RPM drives
– Encryption not supported in d2, 2big, or 4big with Enterprise drives
– these existing Lacie products supported:
+ d2 Quadra USB 2.0*
+ d2 Quadra USB 3.0
+ 2big Quadra
+ 4big Quadra
+ Big Disk Quadra
+ Little Big Disk Quadra
+ Rugged XL
+ Hard Disk (MAX) by Neil Poulton Quadra

* firmware update needed for d2 Quadra w/eSATA/USB2/FireWire; will be available at lacie.com

Not supported: Other non-listed LaCie eSATA drives
Untested and unsupported: 3rd party eSATA products

An FAQ will be available soon on the lacie.com website

Mike
LaCie

[Mike Mihalik]

The Macbook Pro, February 2011 models (13, 15, 17) were the first o ship with Thunderbolt. They shipped with OS X 10.6.6, and could be upgraded to 10.6.8.

What you can do is install 10.6.8 onto an external drive if you have access to another Mac and the Snow Leopard installer discs. Once installed onto the external drive, shutdown/disconnect, and then reconnect to the Thunderbolt Macbook Pro and reboot from that external drive.

Use Disk Utility to do a System Restore onto the internal hard drive, and you will then have a Macbook Pro with Thunderbolt that runs 10.6.8

Mike
LaCie

[Mike Mihalik]

Nigel,

Thanks for your kind words.

Mike
LaCie

[Mike Mihalik]

Bob,

Just wanted to let you know that LaCie does take a look at the forums occasionally.

The important things to remember about forums is that the bad bubbles to the top very quickly, and there is sometimes a “pile-on” effect.

I want to assure you that LaCie does not intentionally send out bad or defective products.

Last year, we shipped over 6 million drives worldwide, in a variety of single and multi-drive configurations. Not every customer has the time or proclivity to visit a forum to write about their good and bad experiences.

Of course, we do take it to heart when something does not go right with a customer. We have listened, and we do make efforts to improve our products. Demonstrating that fact is the increase in warranty period we put in place in the last few years, as well as offering advance-replacement drives for customers that require it. Recently, we have also added Enterprise class drives in some of our higher end systems for improved performance and reliability.

I support the management and development team – I do look for issues that need addressing and follow-up with our team as appropriate.

Mike
LaCie

[Mike Mihalik]

As HP licenses the technology to media manufacturers, there is an additional level of responsibility and accountability.

You won’t find sketchy media that is LightScribe compatible.

There is free software at https://www.lightscribe.com that will fix you up with compatible drivers as well as simple labeling applications. As the other poster notes, their typically is a LightScribe logo on compatible drives, but not always.

If you want to be sure without installing any of the software, go to Device Manager in Windows, and locate your drive model number. A quick Google search should reveal the specs and capabilities of the drive.

Mike
LaCie

[Mike Mihalik]

For small volumes there are several inexpensive choices:

– B/W images and labeling: use LightScribe media and LightScribe capable drives. Costs have come down considerably for drives and media. Takes awhile to burn the label; media can be gold background, and if you can find it, there are other colored backgrounds available. I’ve used this technology for one-off discs for friends and family.

– color images and labeling: many, many $150 or less inkjet printers from HP, Epson, and Canon. Note well: ink costs are noticeable. Look for the printers that are DVD/CD print capable. I have a few from HP, and they work quite well for small quantities. I picked up a few of the printers on sale for $70 – less than the cost of the actual ink cartridges! This is what I used for varsity commemorative videos for my son’s lacrosse team.

If you are steady with your hands and quite the artist, a selection of colored sharpie pens can do a wonderful personalized label

Mike
LaCie