Sony USB Direct Copy (HRD-CX550V)
 

Finding a genuine VMCUAM1 usb cable adapter for direct copy to an external stand alone Hard Drive at a good price is a challenge. Do the Knock Offs function perfectly (they are 1/5 th price)
Will Drives other than the recommended WD work as well?

Thanks

Edit:
Seems the cable comes in the box with the WD My Passport AV which is the sony recommended external HDD so I ordered one (only 320gb but according to the reviews quite small and runs cold

I wonder if the cx550v will record directy to the 'My Passport AV hdd' and not simply copy previously recorded footage?

Bruce,

When two pieces of equipment (like a camcorder and an USB mass-storage device) are connected together without a computer or a self-powered USB hub (as you put it, a “cold connection”), data transfer is limited to only 12 Mbps.

On the other hand, the minimum write speed for AVCHD recording is supposed to be not less than 32 Mbps.

Thus, it’s impossible to use a “cold connected” USB mass-storage device as the real-time capturing media. You can only transfer already recorded video to an external USB drive.

That is why Sony calls this “Direct Copy”. Nevertheless, even in such a “limited” form, it is a very cool feature; it can come in handy in various situations.

thanks for that Arkady
So how you liking this tapeless way of doing things?
For myself I'm totally surprised at how much I like it already.
Leaves me wondering what to do with my hdv gear now

Yes, Bruce, I am too, absolutely delighted to record tapeless!

First, you can forget long hours of video ingestion to a computer. You can connect your camcorder with a PC or simply plug your flash card into a memory card reader slot, or – in your case -- copy directly to an external hard disk drive (like a WD My Passport drive).

Second, you can search instantly any recorded clip using thumbnail images. In addition, you can access a particular clip directly without winding the tape back and forth.

Third, you can immediately – without any rendering – playback your AVCHD clips with a diversity of media players: Windows Media Player, VLC, Splash– just to name a few.

Fourth, AVCHD gives you high image quality superior than HDV. The AVCHD format is spreading rapidly, and you should not have any problem distributing your AVCHD video to your clients.

Certainly agree on most points
I'm not sure if avchd "gives you high image quality superior than HDV". Certainly that new camera of yours produces nicer footage than your old FX7 but better than the latest HDV cameras not sure. It's academic anyhow
As to distributing avchd to clients, it is still nowhere near mainstream yet. I've been offering blu-ray/avchd for two years and maybe 5 out of 100 clients will choose the HD version over the DVD version but more and more all the time