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HDD Mode
General
The HDD mode is the mode where the DN-600 appears to the computer as a Hard Disk Drive and not as a
VTR. The connection to the computer is done via the IEE-1394 connector. The HDD mode is entered by
pressing the Menu key within the 5 seconds after the DN-600 is powered on.
Note: Care must be taken when connecting the IEE-1394 cable in the DN-600 when the other end is already
connected to the computer. Do not attempt to insert the connector backwards as DC power from the
computer is present on the cable in the cable and can damage the sensitive receiver circuits in the DN-600.
Note: No software drivers are necessary for the computer to recognize the DN-600 as an HDD.
Preparation
Prior to turning on the DN-600 in the HDD mode and seeing your video as files instead of clips the MAKING
MEDIA FILES process must be undertaken.
MAKE MEDIA FILES
This operation prepares the recorded content to be seen by a computer by building the file wrappers around
the recorded content and emulating the computer's operating file system. Two choices are available, FAT32
and NTFS and they are chosen by the SETUP FAT32/NTFS option.
Operating File System limitations
The FAT32 format is compatible with both Macs and PCs. This format limits the size of a file to a maximum of
2GB, in DV that translates to approximately 9+ minutes of video. A clip that lasts longer than 9min is broken
into multiple files each 2GB long with the last one making up the remaining time. If the split files are strung
on the time line of an NLE, no frame is lost over the transition. In addition, FAT32 has a clip boundary has a
resolution of 2 seconds so the beginning of a clip other than the first in a bin is most likely to contain the end
of the previous clip, up to 2 seconds' worth. Conversely the end of a clip is most likely to be found in the first
file of the next clip. For an accurate correlation of clip numbers between the VTR and the HDD mode, it is
best to keep each clip longer than 2 seconds and to have fewer than 97 per bin.
The NTFS format is fully compatible with PCs and is read compatible with Macs. Its main advantage is that it
does not impose a file size limitation to the DN-600 resulting in one file per clip. NTFS' clip boundary is frame
accurate and therefore has perfect correlation with clip numbers in the VTR mode.
Note: Some NLEs cannot accept file sizes greater than 40GB, make sure your NLE is not one of them if you
plan on shooting one continuous take greater then 3 hours and using NTFS.
File Organization
After the media conversion is made, all bins that contained video will appear to the computer as folders
named BINxx where xx represents the BIN number ranging from 01 to 99. Inside each folder, each clip will
be represented as a file with an extension name .avi, .mov e.g. depending on the type chosen prior to
recording. Each file will be named BxxCnnyy where xx again represents the bin number; nn represents the
Clip number ranging from 01 to 97. The number yy is the number of the spilt file caused by the FAT32
limitation
Connecting the DN-600 directly to the computer
Once the Make Media File is completed it is possible to eject the DN-600 and connect it directly to your
computer using the special Firewire cable or the optional USB-2 cable. Connect the 36-pin end of the cable
to the DN-600 and the other end to the 1394 or the USB port of the computer depending on the cable at
hand. The 1394 cable comes standard with the bundled DN-600 package. In this manner, the DN-600 is
connected to the computer while the DN-600 is free to capture more video.
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