XH-A1 and Firestore at DVinfo.net

Brandon Freeman · October 9th, 2007, 11:25 AM

I apologize for starting ANOTHER thread on this very talked about issue -- I have done the searches, feel fairly confident in what direction I will take, but I wanted to verify that I am understanding correctly the issue of Canon's 24F .m2t in relation to the FireStore products.

I am not interested in working with QT files, I work with Vegas, which works with .m2t files natively. It appears that I can save a bit of money and record .m2t streams to this FS-4 as well as this FS-C. The FS-4 is quite a bit cheaper, and I am interested in saving money of course. BUT, I want to be certain that the FS-4 will handle the 24F .m2t format without problems, WITH THE XH-A1.

I have attempted to talk with Focus Enhancements, with Sales Reps at Bhphotovideo, and have gotten conflicting reports as to whether the FS-4 can handle the 24F .m2t mode.

Are there any XH-A1 users with an FS-4 HD that regularly shoot 24F .m2t with no trouble? Or do I need to fork over the additional cash for the FS-C unit?

Thanks for your time.

Stephen Eastwood · October 10th, 2007, 11:23 AM

fs 4 pro will handle 24F into an mt2 stream, just not into a quicktime file. For everything else it works fine, as in a 1080 60i into either mt2 or quicktime. The fsc will likely have the most updates for canon cameras in the future.

Brandon Freeman · October 10th, 2007, 11:35 AM

Thanks, Stephen. Does the FS-4 HD listed on the link I posted fall into the "pro" category?

Glen Johnstone · October 10th, 2007, 01:05 PM

Brandon,

The FS-4 HD is *not* the FS-4 HD Pro. However, Stephen is right. the FS-4 HD will accept the 24F stream and put it in an .m2t file. I just tried it with mine.

Brandon Freeman · October 10th, 2007, 01:13 PM

Thanks Glen. When you copy over the .m2t, does your NLE of choice (I'm using Vegas) recognize it correctly as a 23.976 file? Sorry for the constant questions, but I want to be certain before I spend $800.

Glen Johnstone · October 10th, 2007, 03:59 PM

Liquid 7.2 recognizes and imports the file as 23.98 fps.

I have uploaded ~10 seconds of NTSC bars and 1Khz tone (courtesy of the A1) to
http://www.diamondrosevideo.com/vide...-173407D01.m2t
(Right click, Save target as...) (34MB). How does Vegas handle it?

Brandon Freeman · October 10th, 2007, 06:00 PM

Got it. Looks great!

One more question (I hope) and then I'm good to go.

A lot of what I do is film interviews that can last between 10 and 45 minutes. I've read that the FireStores break HDV clips into 9 minute segments while recording. Now, I know that it's not supposed to drop frames inbetween those splits, but I've heard of audio glitches between the splits. Has this been a valid issue, and if so, is it still?

Bill Pryor · October 10th, 2007, 06:30 PM

I read one report that the drives are a little noisy for shooting in tight quarters, but I haven't seen that confirmed by any posts other that that one.

Glen Johnstone · October 10th, 2007, 06:32 PM

Yes, it does break up the files since it used a FAT file system. I have only done one project that required clips that long. I did not have any audio issues when it broke up the files. Either I got lucky or the latest software fixed any early issues.

Brandon Freeman · October 10th, 2007, 07:09 PM

Thank you everyone! I know what course of action I am taking, now.

Travis Binkle · October 10th, 2007, 10:59 PM

I own a FSC and have recorded many interviews with clips lasting longer than 9min and have yet to find an audio problem when importing into Vegas or FCP for that matter.

On a similar note, I would suggest (if you can) to hit the rec button in between questions to create a new clip which will cut down on your clip length and make editing a little easier as you'll have individual clips to look at rather than scrubbing through an entire interview.

October 9th, 2007, 11:25 AM	#1
Brandon Freeman Major Player Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 226	XH-A1 and Firestore I apologize for starting ANOTHER thread on this very talked about issue -- I have done the searches, feel fairly confident in what direction I will take, but I wanted to verify that I am understanding correctly the issue of Canon's 24F .m2t in relation to the FireStore products. I am not interested in working with QT files, I work with Vegas, which works with .m2t files natively. It appears that I can save a bit of money and record .m2t streams to this FS-4 as well as this FS-C. The FS-4 is quite a bit cheaper, and I am interested in saving money of course. BUT, I want to be certain that the FS-4 will handle the 24F .m2t format without problems, WITH THE XH-A1. I have attempted to talk with Focus Enhancements, with Sales Reps at Bhphotovideo, and have gotten conflicting reports as to whether the FS-4 can handle the 24F .m2t mode. Are there any XH-A1 users with an FS-4 HD that regularly shoot 24F .m2t with no trouble? Or do I need to fork over the additional cash for the FS-C unit? Thanks for your time. __________________ Canon EOS 7D, Final Cut Studio 2

October 10th, 2007, 11:35 AM	#3
Brandon Freeman Major Player Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 226	Thanks, Stephen. Does the FS-4 HD listed on the link I posted fall into the "pro" category? __________________ Canon EOS 7D, Final Cut Studio 2

October 10th, 2007, 01:05 PM	#4
Glen Johnstone Regular Crew Join Date: May 2007 Location: New York, NY Posts: 30	Brandon, The FS-4 HD is not the FS-4 HD Pro. However, Stephen is right. the FS-4 HD will accept the 24F stream and put it in an .m2t file. I just tried it with mine. __________________ Glen Johnstone

October 10th, 2007, 01:13 PM	#5
Brandon Freeman Major Player Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 226	Thanks Glen. When you copy over the .m2t, does your NLE of choice (I'm using Vegas) recognize it correctly as a 23.976 file? Sorry for the constant questions, but I want to be certain before I spend $800. __________________ Canon EOS 7D, Final Cut Studio 2

October 10th, 2007, 03:59 PM	#6
Glen Johnstone Regular Crew Join Date: May 2007 Location: New York, NY Posts: 30	Liquid 7.2 recognizes and imports the file as 23.98 fps. I have uploaded ~10 seconds of NTSC bars and 1Khz tone (courtesy of the A1) to http://www.diamondrosevideo.com/vide...-173407D01.m2t (Right click, Save target as...) (34MB). How does Vegas handle it? __________________ Glen Johnstone

October 10th, 2007, 11:23 AM	#2
Stephen Eastwood Major Player Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Great Neck, NY Posts: 291	fs 4 pro will handle 24F into an mt2 stream, just not into a quicktime file. For everything else it works fine, as in a 1080 60i into either mt2 or quicktime. The fsc will likely have the most updates for canon cameras in the future.

October 10th, 2007, 06:00 PM	#7
Brandon Freeman Major Player Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 226	Got it. Looks great! One more question (I hope) and then I'm good to go. A lot of what I do is film interviews that can last between 10 and 45 minutes. I've read that the FireStores break HDV clips into 9 minute segments while recording. Now, I know that it's not supposed to drop frames inbetween those splits, but I've heard of audio glitches between the splits. Has this been a valid issue, and if so, is it still? __________________ Canon EOS 7D, Final Cut Studio 2

October 10th, 2007, 06:30 PM	#8
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	I read one report that the drives are a little noisy for shooting in tight quarters, but I haven't seen that confirmed by any posts other that that one.

October 10th, 2007, 06:32 PM	#9
Glen Johnstone Regular Crew Join Date: May 2007 Location: New York, NY Posts: 30	Yes, it does break up the files since it used a FAT file system. I have only done one project that required clips that long. I did not have any audio issues when it broke up the files. Either I got lucky or the latest software fixed any early issues. __________________ Glen Johnstone

October 10th, 2007, 07:09 PM	#10
Brandon Freeman Major Player Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 226	Thank you everyone! I know what course of action I am taking, now. __________________ Canon EOS 7D, Final Cut Studio 2

October 10th, 2007, 10:59 PM	#11
Travis Binkle Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Lancaster, PA Posts: 84	I own a FSC and have recorded many interviews with clips lasting longer than 9min and have yet to find an audio problem when importing into Vegas or FCP for that matter. On a similar note, I would suggest (if you can) to hit the rec button in between questions to create a new clip which will cut down on your clip length and make editing a little easier as you'll have individual clips to look at rather than scrubbing through an entire interview.