DV Backup lets you use your DV or Digital8 camcorder as a high capacity backup tape drive. Capacity is up to 10GB per hour of tape, or 15GB if LP mode is used. Each tape has a table-of-contents which allows existing backups to be restored with drag-and-drop ease. The camera is controlled by the application (including all tape positioning), no user intervention is required. Flexible levels of error protection are available to suit the backup data in question.
System requirements:
– Mac OS X 10.2 or later
– DV or Digital8 camcorder supporting DV-out and DV-in
– Mac with Firewire port
What’s new in this version:
– multi-tape backups allowing an unlimited size of backup to be made
– incremental and compressed backups
– scheduled backups including auto-repeating schdules
– the buffer size can now be increased
– many more enhancements
More info and download link here.
This is a well-designed and potentially terrific application, but make sure you take advantage of the trial version to record and import backups of up to 50MB before you buy. I’m having a lot of trouble with non-verify errors in my attempts to back up files greater than a couple gig, and this is with the most error correction selected. At SP speed with the most error correction, I can get about 5GB per 60 minute miniDV tape. I need to experiment more before rendering a final judgement, so your mileage may vary. And camcorders themselves may differ in how successfully they work with DV Backup, even if they all pass the Camcorder Test cleverly built into this cool product (as mine did). FYI.
Digital 8 IS DV. The title is redundant. No need to say it twice.
What is probably meant is to say there are two predominant DV media form factors. Mini-DV and Digital8. But, they BOTH are recording in DV (streams).
At least that’s what Floyd told me at the barbershop.
the title is not redundant, moron.
i hope that doesnt sound too mean, i am sure you aren’t a moron, it was ment as a joke, but i hit enter too quickly. the point is that a DV camcorder and Digital8 camcorder *are* two different things, so it isn’t redundant. again, sorry if the last post sounded harsh…
Which camcorders have successfully worked for you guys? I’ll be tryin’ a Canon ZR-20 later tonight.
Also, what’s this hfstar stuff? Necessary to install with Jaguar?
Ignoring the issue of whether anybody is a moron, Digital8 *is* DV. It breaks down like this: DV is DV, it’s a type of signal. It’s not tied to any particular type of tape. To my knowledge, there are three types of recording mechanisms for DV: Digital8, mini-DV, and DV-CAM, but they are *all* recording DV signal. That all being the said, the title is the title, it’s just meant to ring bells in the minds of certain readers, but if it *were* complete, it would either simply say ‘DV’ meaning all DV, or it would mention all three DV tape formats currently available through FireWire.