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Videonics Firestore Instruction Manual

Focus videonics firestore: user guide
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  • Page 2 Instruction Manual...
  • Page 4 Subject to change without notice. This device is not to be used for the unauthorized copying of copyrighted material. Focus Enhancements, Inc. • 1370 Dell Avenue • Campbell, CA 95008 USA • 408-866-8300...
  • Page 5 About Radio Interference...

  • Page 6: Table Of Contents

    Contents Chapter 1 • Introduction Chapter 2 • QuickStart Chapter 3 • Connections Chapter 4 • Recording Chapter 5 • Playback ... 21 Chapter 6 • Display Modes and the Setup Menu Chapter 7 • Disk and File Utili- ties Chapter 8 •...

  • Page 7: Chapter 1 • Introduction

    For More Information..send in your registration card so we can keep you informed of new devel- opments. Note that Focus Enhancements does not sell its mailing list. Your name and address will remain confidential. What is a DV Direct-to-Disk Interface?

  • Page 8: Basic Applications

    • Playback DV video clips that were recorded to a connected FireWire hard disk drive from FireStore to any DV video device such as a mixer, camcorder, CG (titler) or deck. Use FireStore's random access capabilities VIDEONICS FIRESTORE...
  • Page 9 You may need to purchase cables to connect more than one hard disk drive to FireStore at once. You may also need to purchase a 4-pin to 4-pin FireWire cable for connecting DV video devices. Your Focus Enhancements dealer can help you identify the cables you need.

  • Page 10: Chapter 2 • Quickstart

    PAGE 4 VIDEONICS FIRESTORE Chapter 2 • QuickStart Whether you’re a video expert looking for just the basic steps or a beginner who wants instant gratification, this chapter will have you recording or playing back DV video in minutes! This chapter describes just the basics. Many features and applications are skipped or mentioned only briefly.
  • Page 11 VIDEONICS FIRESTORE PAGE 5 Note: If you are using FireStore for playback, you must set your camcorder to VTR mode (or an other mode that lets you input a DV source). Note: FireStore does not have analog video or audio inputs or outputs. DV video must first pass through a Digital to Analog (D to A) converter before being displayed on an external monitor.

  • Page 12: Normal Mode

    In NORMAL mode, functions include fast rewind, play, fast- forward, pause, stop, record, previous track, next track, hard disk mode and change display mode. Details of each button's function are described below. In NORMAL mode, the SHIFT/ALT button will not be illuminated. VIDEONICS FIRESTORE Track Number Frame (FF)
  • Page 13 VIDEONICS FIRESTORE PAGE 7 Rewind: Initiates -2X FireStore rewind speed. Subsequent presses will result in varying speed increases up to -30X. Play: Play initiates forward playback on FireStore. Fast Forward: Initiates 2X forward speed. Subsequent presses will result in varying speed increases up to 30X.
  • Page 14 If the button is pressed during PLAY mode, FireStore will go into PLAY-PAUSE mode. FireStore must be in PLAY mode to use this feature. Play: Same as NORMAL PLAY. See pg. 7. VIDEONICS FIRESTORE Shift Functions In SHIFT mode, the SHIFT/ALT button will be ON.
  • Page 15 VIDEONICS FIRESTORE Forward 1 Frame: When this button is pressed, FireStore 1 FRM will move forward one frame. If the button is pressed dur- ing PLAY mode, FireStore will go into PLAY-PAUSE mode. FireStore must be in PLAY mode to use this feature.
  • Page 16 Once set, FireStore will remain in the selected loop mode until changed to another. No Function. VIDEONICS FIRESTORE Alt Key Functions...
  • Page 17 VIDEONICS FIRESTORE Disk Remain: Displays the amount of recording still avail- DISK REMAIN able on the connected drive in minutes and in disk space. It also lists the total available space on the drive. To exit, re- turn to NORMAL mode and press the STOP button.

  • Page 18: Chapter 3 • Connections

    You can however input or output analog video to FireStore via an external A to D/D to A converter. Check the Focus Enhancement's website (www.FOCUSinfo.com) for an up- date of qualified DV devices. DV Input Use FireStore's "DV In/Out"...
  • Page 19 Connecting a FireWire Hard Disk Drive It is possible to connect just about any FireWire (IEEE-1394) hard disk drive to FireStore. Focus Enhancements generally recommends that you use a FireWire disk drive that is audio/visual capable. This basically means any hard drive that is fast enough to read or write at least 7MB/s.
  • Page 20 To connect FireStore to a com- puter: 1. Ensure you have loaded the required FireWire disk drive drivers on your computer (consult your FireWire hard drive manual for more in- formation). VIDEONICS FIRESTORE...
  • Page 21 VIDEONICS FIRESTORE Connecting FireStore to a Computer (cont) 2. Shut down your computer, FireStore and any connected FireWire disk drives. 3. Using a 6-6 FireWire cable, connect FireStore's "To Computer" connec tor to a 6-pin FireWire port on your computer. This may be located on a PCI slot or on the front or rear of your computer (consult your computer manual for more information).
  • Page 22 FireStore features a 2.5mm power jack on its back panel. It is center pin (tip) positive and the sleeve (shield) is negative (ground). See diagram below. VIDEONICS FIRESTORE 7-15V DC, min. 500mA. - max 9A 7-15V DC, min. 2A - max 9A...

  • Page 23: Chapter 4 • Recording

    VIDEONICS FIRESTORE PAGE 17 Chapter 4 • Recording This chapter focuses on the different ways with which you can record a clip using FireStore. It is assumed that you have properly connected a FireWire drive to FireStore and that you are now familiar with the buttons and modes.
  • Page 24 By pressing the MODE you reach SLAVE MODE. The following LCD display will appear. Press the FORWARD INDEX lowing LCD display VIDEONICS FIRESTORE Simultaneously press PLAY and REC to start recording button again, recording will button a second time, will return...
  • Page 25 VIDEONICS FIRESTORE PAGE 19 You are now in FireWire Slaved mode. FireStore will automatically go into REC PAUSE mode. To exit, hold down the MODE button for another two seconds and reselect LOCAL control. Record a Single Frame (Still Rec) It is possible to record a single DV frame with FireStore in the REC STILL mode.
  • Page 26 PAGE 20 VIDEONICS FIRESTORE Triggering Record from the GPI Port (cont) current clip while in record mode and then creates a new clip and continues recording. It is also possible to trigger a Record Snapshot (Still Rec) using FireStore. Other LCD screens are shown below: Note: More than 1,000 stills on a single disk may slow down FireStore access times (this number will vary from disk drive to disk drive).

  • Page 27: Chapter 5 • Playback

    VIDEONICS FIRESTORE PAGE 21 Chapter 5 • Playback This chapter focuses on the different playback modes that are available within FireStore. Playback modes include standard play, loop play, reverse play, fast forward, fast rewind and slow playback. Standard Play Connect at least one FireWire hard drive and a DV device to FireStore with their associated power supplies.
  • Page 28 To playback in reverse at greater than normal reverse play speed, simply press the REWIND playback (or plays back at twice the speed of normal reverse play). Each sequential press of the REWIND VIDEONICS FIRESTORE Disk or Volume Number (up to 8) Track Number (up to 9,999) button once.
  • Page 29 VIDEONICS FIRESTORE reverse playback speeds. The multiples are -2X,-3X, -4X, -8X, -10X, -12X, - 15X, -18X, -21X, -25X and -30X and the LCD display will reflect this with the following: To return to normal playback simply press the PLAY Note: Some lower performance hard drives may not be able to reach some higher fast forward and rewind speeds.
  • Page 30 PAGE 24 VIDEONICS FIRESTORE Single Frame Forward and Backward (cont) will enter PAUSE mode (if you are in Stop, Pause or Play modes). The follow- ing LCD screen will display: Pressing the REWIND button, will move back one frame. Press- ing the FAST FORWARD button will move forward by one frame.

  • Page 31: Chapter 6 • Display Modes And The Setup Menu

    VIDEONICS FIRESTORE Chapter 6 • Display Modes and the Setup Menu This chapter focuses on the different display modes and setup options that are available in FireStore. This includes the LCD display modes as well as user preference modes such as GPI default action, set time/date, LCD back- light status, slave mode, record file type and lock/unlock front panel.
  • Page 32 PAGE 26 VIDEONICS FIRESTORE GPI Default Function FireStore's GPI interface allows you to trigger several commands using the GPI port on the rear of the unit. The GPI port is made up of a standard 2.5mm tip, ring sleeve mini jack that is used for transmitting standard serial com- mands to the FireStore unit.
  • Page 33 VIDEONICS FIRESTORE Set Time and Date In order to create unique file names using FireStore, it is necessary to set a master clock on the unit. Example file names on FireStore would be: 20010625-130408.dv 20010625-130408.avi These file names refer to the date and time recording of the particular clip began.
  • Page 34 FireStore using a DV based digital camcorder that features a FireWire (i.Link/ IEEE-1394) interface. Note: Check the Focus Enhancements website (www.FOCUSinfo.com) for a com- plete list of qualified camcorders. The purpose of the FireWire SLAVE mode is to enable triggering of RECORD and RECORD PAUSE on FireStore with the simple press of the RECORD and RECORD STANDBY button on most DV camcorders.
  • Page 35 AVI Type 1 and AVI Type 2 are used with Windows based applica- tions. Note: Check the Focus Enhancements website (www.FOCUSinfo.com) for a com- plete list of compatible editing packages as well as suggested file formats for different uses.

  • Page 36: Chapter 7 • Disk And File Utilities

    CANNOT be done on a Macintosh). If your disk was originally setup to be used on a Macintosh (or other platform), please go to Chapter 8. Note: Focus Enhancements highly recommends that your selected FireWire disk drive be used exclusively for recording files with FireStore. Disk fragmentation and files not recognized by FireStore can cause drops in performance and operational prob- lems.
  • Page 37 VIDEONICS FIRESTORE Press FireStore's PLAY button to cancel. Formatting can take up to several minutes depending on the drive. The following LCD screen will display during formatting: When complete, FireStore's LCD screen will display Note: If FireStore is unable to format the drive, it may be necessary to do this on a computer.

  • Page 38: Delete File

    PAGE 32 VIDEONICS FIRESTORE When complete, the default LCD screen will appear: If the connected disk drive is too fragmented, it may be necessary to reformat the drive or switch too another drive. Information on the particular drive will still be OK, but further recording may result in lost footage. The follow- ing LCD screen will appear when the disk is too fragmented for use: To format a drive, see page 30.
  • Page 39 VIDEONICS FIRESTORE INDEX and FORWARD INDEX selected, press and hold FireStore's SHIFT/ALT onds to enter the ALT mode. This key should FLASH. Press the MODE button to activate DELETE FILE. The following LCD screen will display: Press FireStore's PLAY button to cancel. Deleting a file can take a couple of seconds.

  • Page 40: Chapter 8 • Using Firestore Files On A Computer

    FAT 32 volume (e.g. the drive came formatted for use on a Win- dows based computer system, consult your disk drive documentation first for more information). Focus recommends that a new drive be formatted using FireStore before use.
  • Page 41 VIDEONICS FIRESTORE PAGE 35 Formatting a New FAT32 FireWire Disk Drive for the First Time If you have established that the connected FireWire disk drive is a FAT32 volume, it is highly recommended that you carry out a fresh format on that drive before using it with FireStore EVEN IF the drive is brand new.
  • Page 42 PAGE 36 VIDEONICS FIRESTORE Creating a Partition on an Unknown Volume Type (cont'd) 3. From the Start Menu, select Programs -> MS Dos Prompt. The following window should open on your computer: 4. At C:\WINDOWS>, type fdisk and then press the Enter key on your computer's keyboard.
  • Page 43 3. From the Start Menu, select Programs -> Settings -> Control Panel. From Control Panel, double click on Administrative Tools. Then double click on Com- puter Management. 4. In the Storage Sub Directory, click on Disk Management as shown on the following page:...
  • Page 44 PAGE 38 VIDEONICS FIRESTORE Creating a Partition on an Unknown Volume Type (cont) 5. The "Write Signature and Upgrade Disk Wizard" will Open. To Start the Wizard, click Next in the Window. 6. Select the FireWire disk drive from the list (look for the drive that has a similar capacity to your FireWire disk drive if multiple drives are connected).
  • Page 45 VIDEONICS FIRESTORE 8. To create a partition, click on the area marked "unallocated". See below: 9. From the Action menu, select All Tasks -> Create Partition. This will launch the Create Partition Wizard. 10. Start the Wizard by clicking Next. Choose Primary Partition followed by Next.
  • Page 46 2000 and Mac OS9 and later (excluding OS10 presently). FAT32 volumes will not work with Windows NT and older Macintosh based operating systems. Check the Focus Enhancement's website (www.FOCUSinfo.com) for more information. In order for you to use FireStore recorded FireWire disk drives on a com- puter, you must have an active IEEE-1394 connection on your computer.
  • Page 47 VIDEONICS FIRESTORE PAGE 41 Locate your FireWire disk drive. This will probably be labeled (E:), (F:), (G:) etc. (drive C: is usually your computer's main disk drive). Once located, double click on the FireWire disk drive. (If you have trouble locating the FireWire disk drive, right mouse click each drive and select Properties from the menu.
  • Page 48 The second 2GB segment will be labeled with a "-02". Additional 2GB segments will be labeled with a "-0X" number (where X is the sequence number). VIDEONICS FIRESTORE Clip Log Text File Folder Raw DV (.dv) Clip File.
  • Page 49 VIDEONICS FIRESTORE Dismounting FireWire Disk Drives from Windows 2000, 98SE and ME Computer Systems Once you have completed working with your disk drive on a Windows 2000, Windows 98SE or Windows ME computer system, you must first dismount the drive before unplugging it. To do this, simply click on the Stop Device icon at the bottom right side of the Windows task bar.
  • Page 50 When mounted, your FireWire disk drive should appear on the computer's desktop: Once you have located your FireWire disk drive on the desktop, double click the disk icon to open it up. Once opened, you will see the following: VIDEONICS FIRESTORE Computer Main Disk Drive FireWire Disk Drive (marked with "PC"...
  • Page 51 VIDEONICS FIRESTORE PAGE 45 From the example, we can see that .dv clip files appear with a QuickTime icon as do AVI Type 1, AVI Type 2 and AVI Type 2 Canopus. The FAT32 file system has a limitation where any particular file cannot ex- ceed 2GB in size.
  • Page 52 The format AVI-DV-Type2 specifies how a raw DV data stream should be stored in a file. Like the QuickTime specification for the storage of DV, each DV frame has (120,000) bytes is stored in the file. Also, the audio data in each frame is identified and copied to another place in the file.
  • Page 53 DV frames, and timecode and reel information as part of the wrap- per. File Compatibility with NLE Packages Check the Focus Enhancements website (www.FOCUSinfo.com) for an up to date list of compatible Non-Linear Editing system packages. NLE packages qualified at the time of writing include those listed below.
  • Page 54 PAGE 48 VIDEONICS FIRESTORE Timecode Like audio and video data, timecode may also be part of the DV video stream. It is possible to record source device timecode as part of a particular clip on FireStore. This timecode will then be available for later use in an NLE package that is able to extract the timecode.
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