Hi all,

I hate to post this question as I'm sure the info is out there, but I can't seem to find it.  (The search command on this forum is not that great... why can I not search just in the subject line.  It seems that it searches anywhere in the post, which is not always the best approach)

I'm trying to find out what type of hard drives you would need to edit with DVCPRO HD.  It's for a wedding.. I'm not sure which flavor they will be shooting (720/24pn, 1080/30p) but I was trying to get an idea of what type of hard drives would work.  Would a single SATA (7200rpm) hard drive keep up?  Would I need a 2 or 4 stripe RAID system?

Thanks alot,

-Peter B

I just did a project in 720/24p - a single SATA 7200rpm drive was enough to edit in Avid in Yellow/Green mode, but a full-quality Quicktime reference file would stutter (it managed to only play back anywhere from 18fps - 21fps). Keep in mind this was only 720p and only 24fps - I'm sure 1080p or 60fps would be even harder for a single drive to playback. I'd recommend at least a two drive RAID setup (I'd like to get a G-tech G-speed ES myself...)

-Matt

Thanks Matt.

Great to get some real world info.  I did lots of searching on dvcprohd data rates and sustained hard drive data rates but good to hear that it will work in draft mode.  I figured a RAID array would be needed for the 1080p stuff and for smooth full quality output.  At least I can do some import testing before I upgrade the hard drives.

-Peter B

Suggestion: Dont buy huge expensive enclosures until you know you need them.

We have, on more than one occasion, upgraded our drives etc only to find out they were not the issue at all. Same for a video card -- bought one a certified tech told us we "needed" to get the right performance and he was wrong.

So, when you need bigger faster drives, go get them... but make sure you need them before you blow a lot of cash. This is an area of less clarity than others. IMHO