Lacking some of the bells and whistles of its pricier competitors, but Datavideo's DN-60 compact flash card recorder gets the job done at a fraction of the cost.
If you've got an aging DV or HDV camcorder whose heads are beginning to fail, or perhaps you simply want to step into the digital age, but your older camera still delivers great footage, then strapping a direct-capture-device onto that prized piece of video history may be exactly what the geriatrician ordered.
Like all of us, camcorders eventually begin to age and parts don't work as well as they once did. Even then they may still have a lot of life left in them and aren't ready for the Soylent Green factory just yet. With two cameras fitting that description, a Canon XL2 and a JVC GY-DV100U, one begins looking for the camcorder fountain of youth. Some great products exist on the market today that are quite capable of meeting that need, but may be cost prohibitive, particularly when you have multiple units waiting to be sprung from the video retirement home. The Datavideo Corporation, however, may have come to the rescue with its DV/HDV Compact Flash card recorder - the DN-60.
With one exception, the box comes packed with exactly what's needed to get the job done. Besides the recorder itself, there are two FireWire cables: 1 - 6-pin to 6-pin and 1 - 4-pin to 6-pin; an external power supply, an instruction booklet and a 16GB Compact Flash card. The missing item is a hot shoe adapter of sufficient height to mount the unit on the camcorder with enough clearance to accommodate the FireWire cable. The FireWire port is inconveniently located on the back of the unit in close proximity to, and potentially interfering with, the 1/4-inch threaded camera mount. Perhaps a better location would have been along one of the sides or on the front.
Lying on its back we see that the on/off switch protrudes from the left side of the unit with the DC In port residing on the right. The DN-60 seems to be quite sturdy, with care taken to protect these two features by providing a protruding plastic ridge around them to deflect any potentially damaging blows.
A rotary control knob, the Menu Navigation Button, lives on the front of the unit. Below it is the CF card bay with its sliding door and eject button. A monochrome display window is used in conjunction with the control knob to adjust the numerous settings and perform the various functions the DN-60 is capable of. Rotate to change menu options and press it to make selections.
The main menu scrolls horizontally across the screen and consists of five options: Record Mode, Play Mode, Tools, Setup and Status. Scrolling to one of these and pressing the Menu Navigation Button reveals more options that may be adjusted as needed. In Setup you may set the appropriate file type including AVI, MOV and MXF in SD mode and M2T in HDV mode. Here you may also set up the Pre-record and Timelapse functions, switch between SD and HDV modes, and save User 1 or User 2 settings for rapid changeover in the field.
Cards may be formatted with either the FAT32 or NTFS file system. FAT32 works well with older computers but limits file size to 2GB. The NTFS file system doesn't have this restriction. Set the signal type by choosing either 50Hz or 60Hz DV or HDV. Note that each card can record only SD or HDV, not both. While using this device isn't hard, setting it up may require you to actually read the instructions. In addition to the included booklet, Datavideo has a nifty little Quick Setup Guide available online at.
Both of the aforementioned cameras had reached that point in their lives where some sort of crutch was needed. The DN-60 proved to be such a crutch. Once set up the unit was mounted on the camcorder and connected to its FireWire port. With a DV tape in place the DN-60 can be set to Sync To Tape and recording operations will be controlled by the camera. We chose to go tapeless, switched the unit on and let 'er run. The result was beautifully captured footage.
There is one last step to be aware of before you pop the CF card out and into your computer's card reader. Once you've finished recording you'll need to navigate to Tools then Make Media Files to finalize your footage and make it readable to your computer. Without this step the computer will think the card is empty.
Tapeless digital capture is a wonderful thing. It solves the worn out heads problem and makes for a faster, more efficient workflow, and now, with the DN-60, it can be affordable too.
Audio/Video In/Out: IEEE-1394 Firewire, 6-pin
Compatible CF Cards: SanDisk Extreme, Extreme Pro, Extreme III, Ultra; 2GB - 64GB
Approximate CF Card Record Times: 8GB - 37min; 16GB - 1hr 14min; 32GB - 2hr 28min
Digital Input Formats: DV25, DVC Pro-25, DVC Pro-50, HDV
Video File Support: AVI, MOV, MXF-OP1A, M2T (HDV format); QuickTime HDV and MXF-OP1A through conversion program
Operating File System Compatibility: FAT32, NTFS
Power: 4 - AA batteries; external power adapter
Size (H x W x D): 4.4" (112mm) x 2.9" (74mm) x 1.1" (28mm)
Weight: 5.7oz (160g)
Lacking some of the bells and whistles of its pricier competitors, but Datavideo's DN-60 compact flash card recorder gets the job done at a fraction of the cost.
A graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology, Doug has been in the Technology industry since 1976 and actively oversees Fearing’s daily operations. Along with his wife, Lois, and three others, Doug started Fearing’s in a 600 square-foot facility in Portage, Wisconsin. In the 25 years since, the company has grown to over 30 employees with offices in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Doug likes to say he’s a “TV Technician with a dream� going back to his history with the family’s original business-Fearing’s TV and Appliance.
Doug values time with family, watersports, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing. In addition to being a devoted member of his church, Doug serves as Board President for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County, Board member of Schools for Haiti and Scripture Chair of the Gideons-Portage camp.
A graduate of MATC, Lois oversees Fearing’s daily book keeping along with various HR responsibilities.
Along with Doug, Lois is deeply connected to community outreach, serving as a Board member and Fundraising Committee Chairperson for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County. She also serves on the Schools for Haiti Fundraising committee. In addition, Lois’ ongoing passion and commitment to provide care for the elderly comes from her 10-year history of working in a Reedsburg, Wisconsin Nursing home.
Lois enjoys singing, hiking, sunny days on the pontoon, and spending time with her 4 grandchildren.
Ehren drives Fearing’s technology by continually seeking out trends to enhance capabilities while supporting Sales, Engineering and Installation teams. Throughout his years with Fearing’s, Ehren’s talent and vision have joined forces to create a wide variety of projects and strategic solutions that exceed expectation.
Ehren loves music, family time, movies, nature, sustainability efforts and electric vehicles.
With 10 years with Fearing’s and over twice that long in the industry, Ben continues to lead, coordinate, and develop the Commercial AV team.
By consistently delivering an outstanding experience and outcome, Ben contributes to the Fearing’s legacy of long-lasting partnerships that truly make a difference. Whatever the Commercial AV need may be, Ben and team deliver at the highest level.
Ben is an avid fisherman and photographer. He enjoys coaching his sons and other youth.
Chris has been with Fearing’s for 20 years and in the industry for over 2 decades. As a Certified leader in Sales Acceleration and trained in EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating Systems), Chris successfully utilizes his skills to lead the Fearing’s Salesforce. Chris and team are motivated and driven to develop new client partnerships while continuing to reinforce loyal long-term relationships with ongoing Service excellence.
Married for 19 years with 3 children, Chris enjoys skiing, hiking, fishing, boating, hunting, camping and golf. He’s also been actively involved as a Youth Football and Softball coach for his family and others.
