NextoDI writes to BluRay
 

NextoDI have been giving a sneak preview of the next firmware release for the NVS2500 SxS backup device. There are going to be some nice features including the ability to some types of corrupt clips, but the most striking feature will be the ability to write directly to a USB BluRay drive. This looks to be a really easy way to archive your EX material. It's due out around NAB time.

Interesting - presumably this is to a Blu-Ray DATA disc and not a Blu-Ray VIDEO disc. ?

Yes, BluRay data disk. What it means is that you can use the nexto to backup your data in the field, freeing up cards for re use. Then when you have time use the Nexto to burn the footage to BD to act as your long term archive. You could even do this in the field as the LG USB BluRay drive will run from 12v. This way you don't need to take a computer with you to backup and archive material. The current (new) firmware also allows you to write data from the NVS2500 to SD or CF cards so you can copy your material to cheap media for hand-off to clients. It's quite remarkable what this little box can do!

Wouldn't it be great if the NVS2500 could work with XDCAM discs and the PDW-U1 drive too? I bought one unit a few weeks ago and although there are a few shortcomings, that little box has unmatched capabilities. Being at firmware version 1.06, we can only expect great new functionality to be added. The only thing that I found really week is the playback feature. There is no audio, you cannot play realtime (its either slower or faster) and the quality is pretty poor.

Thierry.

I agree that the playback is pretty poor but at least you can remind yourself of what you have backed up.

Writing to a U1 would be fantastic, I wonder what it would take to make that happen, Sony collaborating with a 3rd party?? It might be straight forward for data, but I doubt the NVS2500 has the processing power to do the proxies.

Version 1.10 of the firmware is available now. It brings some speed improvements, especially with USB drives, plus one stage copy and verify, copying single backups to the external USB drive and write from the NVS2500 to SD and CF cards. You can downlaod the firmware from the link below:
Nexto DI - Next Generation Storage with Digital Interface

RE: bluray back up - if I have a 32GB SxS-1 card and I want to copy that onto a 50GB bluray dual layer, do we just use clip browser to drag/copy and the 32GB BPAV folder will automatically split itself up on the 2 Bluray layers, ie 25 GB on one side the rest on the other, does it work like that?

Your BluRay burning software should sort that out. Clip Browser itself won't burn BluRay discs.

If you have several cards to backup you can combine all the clips into one folder using clip browser and then use the clip browser split tool to split that one folder into folders that are 25Gb or 50Gb each. This will minimise the amount of discs needed.

Great, thanks for help.

Alister,

Thanks for notifying us about the 1.10 firmware availability. I checked the new features list but did not see the "backup to Blu-Ray" function. Is that something that will become available in a future release?

One thing I don't like on the Nexto is the way it names backup folder. Naming backup folders based on the last recorded clip date can be a bit confusing. I would much prefer to have an option to choose a simple, incremental, 3-digit naming sequence. So the first backup folder would be named 001, next one 002 and so on.

Do you own a NVS2500?

Thanks.

Yes I have a NVS2500. Don't know how I managed without it! It's so simple to use and so much faster, smaller, lighter than a laptop. NextoDI UK are bringing out a custom battery plate to use it with EX batteries for powering the unit when using external hard drives for dual copies or field off-load. I hope to get one to review very soon.

The BluRay write will come in the next release, some time around NAB.

The folder naming by time/date works for me. Incremental numbering would also work, provided you never reset the numbering in which case you could have duplicates. I'll put in a feature request for the option to do either.

FYI, I had the Nexto up in Arctic Norway with me and it worked fine in the low temperatures.

Alister/Thierry:

Is there any reason you couldn't write the files out of the Nexto onto the U-1, using a laptop or computer with the U-1 software?

That should work just fine. When connected to a computer the NVS2500 appears as an external hard drive.

Sure but the all idea is to eliminate the laptop.

Thierry.

I recently took mine in Iraq, it was not too hot (around 80F) but the NVS got pretty warm to the touch. I am wondering how it handles 100 or 110F on the field?

T.

I have not tried it in high temps yet but it should be OK.

Nexto might be able to adjust the firmware to write to a U1 as the U1 uses a pretty standard UDF USB driver. They just need to make sure it only tries to write to the "UserData" folder. I've put in a feature request.