Q: What type of compression does the DN-400/500 use?
A: The unit records in standard DV (.dv) compression for standard definition, and in standard MPEG-2 Transport compression (.m2t) for high-definition. It will also convert the files to DV-compressed AVI Type 1 or AVI Type 2 format (.avi). The unit also ships with PC-based software (on a CD) that will convert your video to many other formats
Q: Is it possible to digitize my VHS/S-VHS/8mm/Hi-8 video with the DN-400/500?
A: Yes, as long as your source playback machine has an analog or Firewire output. To include audio from an analog source, your source machine needs to output RCA or XLR audio. Please keep in mind that depending on the format and age of your source tape, there may be quality and degradation issues.
Q: Is the DN-400/DN-500 AVC-compliant?
A: No, the DN-400/DN-500 cannot be remotely controlled via Firewire.
Q: Can I use multiple DN-400/DN-500s with a Firewire hub?
A: No, only the last connected DN-400/DN-500 will be recognized.
Q: What can I do if I'm having RS-422 problems when using analog video?A: You will need to update the unit's firmware. You can find the necessary files and a step-by-step guide on the DN-400 or DN-500 page.
Q: What resolution does the DN-400/DN-500 record in?
A: Standard definition video is recorded at 720x480 NTSC, 720x576 PAL. HDV video is recorded at 1440x1080i.
Q: Can I playback while recording simultaneously?
A: No, the output connectors on the DN-400/DN-500 will only display what is being recorded, you cannot playback previously recorded tracks.
Q: How can I use a RS-232 remote controller with the DN-400/DN-500?
A: We recommend the RS-422 port for remote-controlling the unit as the RS-232 connector is intended mainly for factory updates.
Q: I have a Firewire video capture board on my computer, but it is not detecting the DN-400/DN-500. What can I do?
A: It's possible your Firewire video capture board is not SBP-2 protocol compliant (IEEE-1394 hard disk protocol). It may only function with AVC-compliant devices, such as a camcorder, DV deck, etc. Since the DN-400/DN-500 functions as a hard drive and not a deck, you need to connect it to a regular Firewire port on your computer (or add a 1394 PCI Firewire card if no Firewire ports are available).
Q: We've noticed that the video goes out for a few seconds every 10 hours. Is there a fix?
A: This is only a problem when recording analog video in PAL - the recorder switches itself to a new track after 10 hours. It is a bug in the encoding chip's program and unfortunately cannot be fixed. If you know a recording session will be longer than 10 continuous hours, we suggest using digital cameras. Neither NTSC nor DV/HDV recording have this problem.
Q: Is "HDD Surface Scan" the same as "Format HDD"?
A: No. "Surface Scan" checks the integrity of the hard drive (and takes about 2 hours). "Format HDD" is the same as on a computer, it will erase the entire hard drive and create a new index for re-use.
Q: The USB interface on the removable drive is not fast enough for realtime editing. How can we resolve this on our NLE system?
A: We recommend the files be transferred to your local hard drive for best performance.
Q: Can I buy extra drive enclosures?
A: Yes, we sell enclosures with and without hard drives. Please see the DN-400 or DN-500 page for available enclosures.
Q: Do you recommend any particular hard drives to work with the enclosure?
A: We recommend 2.5" SATA hard drives made by Hitachi, Western Digital or Fujitsu (Seagate drives will not work with our enclosures). We suggest a minimum specification of 8M buffer, 5400RPM with 3 Gb/s bandwidth.
Q: What is the difference between the DN-400 and DN-500?
A: The DN-500 is mainly a rackmounted version of the DN-400 table-top unit. The only difference between the two is that the DN-500 has full-sized XLR inputs, while the DN-400 has mini-XLR inputs. Both have identical components and will accept the same hard drive enclosure.
Q: How do I monitor my HDV signal?
A: HDV video can only be monitored via the Firewire I/O, out to a monitor that supports 1080i video.