Iomega Rev Drive at DVinfo.net

Josh Allen · June 21st, 2004, 10:49 PM

I am not sure which forum this should go in, so I figured to start it here.

Have any of you heard of or used the new Iomega "Rev" drive? It is basically a drive that uses removable 35gb "hard drives" the size of a zip disk.

I am looking for a good solution to backing up all my project files once a project is completed. This way I can easily make changes/corrections/updates as needed. I have used a Maxtor firewire external hdd, but have not been happy with the reliability. So I was thinking of trying this new "Rev". Any thoughts?

Alex Taylor · June 22nd, 2004, 12:23 AM

Sounds like a good product. I've used Zip and Jazz in past years, they're incredibly useful - it's just too bad they never really caught on. I think it would be worth looking into that, though.

Ken Tanaka · June 22nd, 2004, 01:36 AM

I only recently learned of Iomega's latest removable drives, the "Rev"s. But I have used the Jazz drives in my PC days (years ago) and still use some Zip disks, although rarely. And let's not forget their (in)famous Bernoulli Boxes, although that may be before most readers' times.

Iomega continues to struggle to maintain a proprietary storage architecture as the computing world has long since moved into more open standards for high-capacity storage. Its products' popularity and market shares have withered with the widespread adoption of CD-R/CD-RW and now with the tidal wave of economical Firewire devices.

Only you can decide whether or not the Rev is a good product for you. I would, however, caution you to consider two factors.

1. What is the cost per unit storage of the Iomega product? Some quick comparative arithmetic will likely reveal that the Iomega product is not a winner, as their proprietary overlay factors into the product's price.

2. What do you think the product's support and availability longevity will be? There are countless Bernoulli and Jaz cartridges resting silently in dark drawers and closets like stranded refugees from lost planets with no home.

Rob Lohman · June 22nd, 2004, 05:19 AM

Alex: how can you say the ZIP drive never really caught on? The
PC's BIOS was basically altered to support the ZIP drive natively
on a PC. One time I couldn't look in the store for a system that
didn't came with a builtin ZIP drive.

Or have I been dreaming? Jazz I haven't really seen much around
these parts of the globe...

Robert Mann Z. · June 22nd, 2004, 08:39 AM

i did the math, and its cheaper to just buy hard drives....

Alex Taylor · June 22nd, 2004, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Alex: how can you say the ZIP drive never really caught on?

Good point, Rob. I wasn't aware of that, I didn't think they did all that well. They're certainly not around now as much as they were 2 or 3 years ago.

Josh Allen · June 22nd, 2004, 02:53 PM

Ken...excellent points, and as Robert mentioned they may in fact not be cheaper.

However...I prefer store my data separate from my pc to protect against fire, damage, theft, etc. I may sound paranoid...but just 3 months ago, half of our office building burned down because someone left a cigarette butt in a trash can. My heart was jumping out of my chest as I raced there to see if my external drives survived. Luckly our offices were spared from the fire.

Anyways...sorry to ramble. It sounds like for basic storage they are not a good choice. But as an option for removable storage they might be.

The longevity is definitely still an issue...

How are most of you backing up your footage and project files?

Ken Tanaka · June 22nd, 2004, 03:42 PM

Footage remains on tape. Special clips, such as roto work, goes to a CD (if it fits) or to a data DVD. As do the core project files (FCP) require to reconstruct the work if needed.

Josh Allen · June 22nd, 2004, 11:47 PM

Yeah Ken...that is how I have pretty much handled it in the past. There have been only a few times that I have had to reconstruct titles, etc. If I end up getting the Rev, I will let y'all know how it goes.

Robert Mann Z. · June 23rd, 2004, 07:59 AM

rev drive costs $300

rev disks costs $60

you get 30 (90 gigs compressed), usually office documents compress best, video and audio clips won't compress much, so a disk may hold about 35-40 gigs at best, lets just say 40 gigs

maxtor 250 gig drive $200 = about 8 rev disks (non compressed)
usb + 1394 enclosure $55

hardrive solution
total cost for 250 gigs = $255 (about a 1 buck a gig)

rev solution
total cost for 240 gigs (compressed 6 disks) = $660

so for about $250 you have a storage solution that is very fast, versitile, and you keep on your shelf, or wherever else you want to put it...we buy 1 harddrive per month, usually when they are on sale or there is a rebate, last week compusa was having an online special 200 gig maxtor for $99 dollars....need i say more

iomega is struggling, if they sold the drives around $20 bucks and the disks for $30, i may consider it...but even then you need drivers..... and such with a usb/1394 solution it is very plug and play even 5 years from now...

Ken Tanaka · June 23rd, 2004, 10:29 AM

The only surprising part of your figures, Robert, is that Iomega is still trying to play the same game.

Josh, if you like the general idea of having dockable drives, try Wiebetech's "DriveDock" units. For $170 they provide a stationary Firewire (400/800) dock that facilitates easy interchange of 3.5" IDE/ATA drives. It's not pretty but it makes a great deal of sense. Wiebetech's been selling these for nearly 2 years.

Josh Allen · June 30th, 2004, 01:17 PM

Robert, I think you are right, and your figures drive the point home.

Ken..the drivedock certainly seems interesting.

I guess my hesitency towards the external firewire drives is my recent experience with a maxtor unit. I brought it home, transferred lots of footage to it, the the drive failed. Never could get it to work properly. I am sure it my have been a bad unit or bad experience and I need to get over it :)

Ken Tanaka · June 30th, 2004, 01:35 PM

Maxtor seems to be accumulating a bad reliability reputation during the recent year or so. I have one, an 80Gb, but only use it as a backup device for my system drive. It's been fine.

Otherwise, my other 6 Firewire drives have operated flawlessly and have been a real blessing.

TingSern Wong · July 5th, 2004, 02:24 AM

Maxtor - I have 2 units of the 80GB drives. One unit has the control unit (interface board) failure. I removed the drive (basicallly a normal IDE drive) and brought an empty casing for Firewire/USB 2.0 and plugged the drive back in. No problems ever since. The other unit is still going fine today.

It would be cheaper if you can just purchase an EIDE 3.5" drive (400GB now) and an empty casing with Firewire/USB 2.0 and put the disk inside the box. 10 minutes job. Note you can't use the bus power to run a 3.5" hard-disk ... 500mA is not enough to spin the motors. It has to be external power supply. Only the smaller 2.5" Traveldisk can be bus powered.

Josh Allen · July 5th, 2004, 08:27 PM

Interesting to hear that Ken. Perhaps I should experiment with another brand.

TingSern...that is a good idea. If my drive is totally toast, perhaps I can atleast pull the actual drive out and get at my data. Thanks!

June 21st, 2004, 10:49 PM	#1
Josh Allen Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Wildomar, CA Posts: 89	Iomega Rev Drive I am not sure which forum this should go in, so I figured to start it here. Have any of you heard of or used the new Iomega "Rev" drive? It is basically a drive that uses removable 35gb "hard drives" the size of a zip disk. I am looking for a good solution to backing up all my project files once a project is completed. This way I can easily make changes/corrections/updates as needed. I have used a Maxtor firewire external hdd, but have not been happy with the reliability. So I was thinking of trying this new "Rev". Any thoughts?

June 22nd, 2004, 12:23 AM	#2
Alex Taylor Major Player Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 390	Sounds like a good product. I've used Zip and Jazz in past years, they're incredibly useful - it's just too bad they never really caught on. I think it would be worth looking into that, though. __________________ alextaylor.org

June 22nd, 2004, 01:36 AM	#3
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	I only recently learned of Iomega's latest removable drives, the "Rev"s. But I have used the Jazz drives in my PC days (years ago) and still use some Zip disks, although rarely. And let's not forget their (in)famous Bernoulli Boxes, although that may be before most readers' times. Iomega continues to struggle to maintain a proprietary storage architecture as the computing world has long since moved into more open standards for high-capacity storage. Its products' popularity and market shares have withered with the widespread adoption of CD-R/CD-RW and now with the tidal wave of economical Firewire devices. Only you can decide whether or not the Rev is a good product for you. I would, however, caution you to consider two factors. 1. What is the cost per unit storage of the Iomega product? Some quick comparative arithmetic will likely reveal that the Iomega product is not a winner, as their proprietary overlay factors into the product's price. 2. What do you think the product's support and availability longevity will be? There are countless Bernoulli and Jaz cartridges resting silently in dark drawers and closets like stranded refugees from lost planets with no home. __________________ Lady X Films: A lady with a boring wardrobe...and a global mission. Hey, you don't have enough stuff! Buy with confidence from our sponsors. Hand-picked as the best in the business...Really! See some of my work one frame at a time: www.KenTanaka.com

June 22nd, 2004, 05:19 AM	#4
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	Alex: how can you say the ZIP drive never really caught on? The PC's BIOS was basically altered to support the ZIP drive natively on a PC. One time I couldn't look in the store for a system that didn't came with a builtin ZIP drive. Or have I been dreaming? Jazz I haven't really seen much around these parts of the globe... __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

June 22nd, 2004, 08:39 AM	#5
Robert Mann Z. Skyonic New York Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: NYC Posts: 614	rev is costly i did the math, and its cheaper to just buy hard drives....

June 22nd, 2004, 02:53 PM	#7
Josh Allen Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Wildomar, CA Posts: 89	Ken...excellent points, and as Robert mentioned they may in fact not be cheaper. However...I prefer store my data separate from my pc to protect against fire, damage, theft, etc. I may sound paranoid...but just 3 months ago, half of our office building burned down because someone left a cigarette butt in a trash can. My heart was jumping out of my chest as I raced there to see if my external drives survived. Luckly our offices were spared from the fire. Anyways...sorry to ramble. It sounds like for basic storage they are not a good choice. But as an option for removable storage they might be. The longevity is definitely still an issue... How are most of you backing up your footage and project files?

June 22nd, 2004, 03:42 PM	#8
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	Footage remains on tape. Special clips, such as roto work, goes to a CD (if it fits) or to a data DVD. As do the core project files (FCP) require to reconstruct the work if needed. __________________ Lady X Films: A lady with a boring wardrobe...and a global mission. Hey, you don't have enough stuff! Buy with confidence from our sponsors. Hand-picked as the best in the business...Really! See some of my work one frame at a time: www.KenTanaka.com

June 22nd, 2004, 11:47 PM	#9
Josh Allen Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Wildomar, CA Posts: 89	Yeah Ken...that is how I have pretty much handled it in the past. There have been only a few times that I have had to reconstruct titles, etc. If I end up getting the Rev, I will let y'all know how it goes.

June 23rd, 2004, 07:59 AM	#10
Robert Mann Z. Skyonic New York Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: NYC Posts: 614	rev drive costs $300 rev disks costs $60 you get 30 (90 gigs compressed), usually office documents compress best, video and audio clips won't compress much, so a disk may hold about 35-40 gigs at best, lets just say 40 gigs maxtor 250 gig drive $200 = about 8 rev disks (non compressed) usb + 1394 enclosure $55 hardrive solution total cost for 250 gigs = $255 (about a 1 buck a gig) rev solution total cost for 240 gigs (compressed 6 disks) = $660 so for about $250 you have a storage solution that is very fast, versitile, and you keep on your shelf, or wherever else you want to put it...we buy 1 harddrive per month, usually when they are on sale or there is a rebate, last week compusa was having an online special 200 gig maxtor for $99 dollars....need i say more iomega is struggling, if they sold the drives around $20 bucks and the disks for $30, i may consider it...but even then you need drivers..... and such with a usb/1394 solution it is very plug and play even 5 years from now...

June 23rd, 2004, 10:29 AM	#11
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	The only surprising part of your figures, Robert, is that Iomega is still trying to play the same game. Josh, if you like the general idea of having dockable drives, try Wiebetech's "DriveDock" units. For $170 they provide a stationary Firewire (400/800) dock that facilitates easy interchange of 3.5" IDE/ATA drives. It's not pretty but it makes a great deal of sense. Wiebetech's been selling these for nearly 2 years. __________________ Lady X Films: A lady with a boring wardrobe...and a global mission. Hey, you don't have enough stuff! Buy with confidence from our sponsors. Hand-picked as the best in the business...Really! See some of my work one frame at a time: www.KenTanaka.com

June 30th, 2004, 01:17 PM	#12
Josh Allen Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Wildomar, CA Posts: 89	Robert, I think you are right, and your figures drive the point home. Ken..the drivedock certainly seems interesting. I guess my hesitency towards the external firewire drives is my recent experience with a maxtor unit. I brought it home, transferred lots of footage to it, the the drive failed. Never could get it to work properly. I am sure it my have been a bad unit or bad experience and I need to get over it :)

June 30th, 2004, 01:35 PM	#13
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	Maxtor seems to be accumulating a bad reliability reputation during the recent year or so. I have one, an 80Gb, but only use it as a backup device for my system drive. It's been fine. Otherwise, my other 6 Firewire drives have operated flawlessly and have been a real blessing. __________________ Lady X Films: A lady with a boring wardrobe...and a global mission. Hey, you don't have enough stuff! Buy with confidence from our sponsors. Hand-picked as the best in the business...Really! See some of my work one frame at a time: www.KenTanaka.com

July 5th, 2004, 02:24 AM	#14
TingSern Wong Major Player Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Singapore, Rep of SINGAPORE Posts: 749	Maxtor - I have 2 units of the 80GB drives. One unit has the control unit (interface board) failure. I removed the drive (basicallly a normal IDE drive) and brought an empty casing for Firewire/USB 2.0 and plugged the drive back in. No problems ever since. The other unit is still going fine today. It would be cheaper if you can just purchase an EIDE 3.5" drive (400GB now) and an empty casing with Firewire/USB 2.0 and put the disk inside the box. 10 minutes job. Note you can't use the bus power to run a 3.5" hard-disk ... 500mA is not enough to spin the motors. It has to be external power supply. Only the smaller 2.5" Traveldisk can be bus powered.

July 5th, 2004, 08:27 PM	#15
Josh Allen Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Wildomar, CA Posts: 89	Interesting to hear that Ken. Perhaps I should experiment with another brand. TingSern...that is a good idea. If my drive is totally toast, perhaps I can atleast pull the actual drive out and get at my data. Thanks!