Is it possible to record to my camera's miniDV tape and to a portable hard drive at the same time? I've seen the Sony HDV Hard Drives, but a 60GB version costs around $1600(US) (not talking about the HDD cameras, but a separate add on that is made to work with miniDV cameras). I've already figured out how to record straight onto a computer while the camera is also recording, but I was wondering if I could record directly to a portable hard drive without needing to lug around a PC or buy a laptop.
I have a Sony HC7, and I supposed that it would work the same on this camera as on any other camera that uses the iLink/IEEE 1394 interface. And if this is possible, what type of quality loss would exist, if any?
I believe most or all DV cameras with Firewire output will send the data out on Firewire while recording it to tape. In theory it will be identical to the data on the tape, though you may get a few dropouts that would cause a limited number of bit differences.
As I understand it you can't just plug any old hard disk into the camera as it requires a controller which can capture the Firewire data and save it to the disk.
Yes, you need a mediator of sorts between the camera and the hard drive, unless you're using a drive specifically designed to work with the camera. The camera itself won't connect and record to any old external hard drive. Perhaps there's a way around that for someone with some ingenuity, but I haven't put my mind to it just yet.
'In the life that man creates for himself, he too, creates his demise... and his legacy.'
'In the life that man creates for himself, he too, creates his demise... and his legacy.'
