DV MasStor — a new page in NLE history

By Maxim Jurzinov and Alexander Osipov

Recording technologies have come into a new century. In this century the main medium for video is neither a videotape which everybody used to, not DVD but HDD which provides possibility of fast random access to the disk content. This makes it possible to record and playback of graphics and video files with a random access.

Product line of ADTX Company which is named DV MasStor totally has all the advantages marked above. These devices are portable hi-speed durable modules for video recording. They are developed especially for field use. Every device in the line DV MasStor is based on developed by ADTX removable hard disks Digital AV Pack. These disks provide hi-speed access and a sufficient memory space. To increase a durability of the device the disks are placed inside the special plastic shell which defends them from shocks and vibrations. Specially developed dustproof connector is used to connect removable disk with the base station.

DV MasStor with hard disk installed

Front panel of the base station has a lit LSD display and a control button set. In a purpose to minimize a risk of unauthorized invention to the workflow there is a key to lock a connection between HDD and a base station. Also on the front panel there are playback speed control wheel (an emulation of a traditional for VTR Jog/Shuttle wheel). With the help of this wheel one can control playback speed, make a frame-by-frame search, navigate the menu etc. Package contains convenient distant control unit. For a field operation DV MasStor is equipped with modern Li-Ion batteries, which provides energy for a 90 min operation.

Two 6-pins IEEE 1394 are placed on the rear panel of the DV MasStor.

There are two 6-pin IEEE 1394 ports on the DV MasStor rear panel. Device can be connected to the camera DV out with the special cable. Video in the DV format can be recorded to the DV MasStor directly, without any additional units and recording can be done ether from a tape or right from the camera head. It allows avoiding the use of DV cassettes. DV MasStor is fully compatible with AV/C protocol which means that recorded video may be used for NLE editing without need to transfer files onto the computer hard disks. One more feature of a DV MasStor is a possibility to connect several DV MasStors into the cascade.

Main features of the DV MasStor:

• LCD-panel for settings, battery status and current time code
• normal and loop playback mode. When loop mode is active there is no need to wait while the tape will be rewinded
• normal and loop record mode. In the normal mode video is recorded onto the free sites of the disk. In the loop mode video is recorded onto the free sites of the disk first, and in the case of a free space lack recording is being done over the previously recorded video.

DV MasStor can store up to 1024 separate clips. With the help of jog wheel it is possible to choose one or several clips for playback. Recorded clips may be deleted if necessary. DV MasStor has a memory function which allows restore an accidentally deleted clip. This function also may be used for additional hard disk space creation. User can record a video onto the space of deleted file and after deleting this new record it is possible to restore a file which had been deleted before recording.

Due to the fact that DV MasStor is using a hard disk for storage instead of cassette, search function is 256 times faster than the normal playback. There are no artifacts while speed searching as it takes place when using DV cassette. Playback speed is controlled by the jog wheel and can be slowed down to 1/8 of a normal speed and even to 1 fps.

Recording speed can be adjusted from 30 fps to 1 frame every 10 hours.