faster way to download video files?

[onboardcamera]

i have to download 36 videos from 36 CF cards each race, is there a faster way to do it?? I have a lot of USB2.0 card reader..but are too slowly!

[BroussalM]

Hi Onboardcamera,

To be the faster for your work, understand first that if you write on a HDD, it must to have its global power for the work you give to it.

To be the more faster in USB2 you must to have:

-1 HDD ( prefer SATA ) but this HDD must be a second or special HDD, not a part of your principal one. It must to be without Windows soft, must to be empty of softs which could work at the same time with your normal use of the PC and must to be install into the PC and not outside.

-1 USB2 card reader and only one. You'll be slower tryng to get 2 CF at the same time on your HDD.

- And of course, you need to have a fast PC, all the chain is important: Fast CPU on good quality motherboard + fast principal HDD + fast and important memory = Rapidity. If you only put an F1 engine on your owne car, sure you'll win no race !!

I used that way and it work fine.

The second solution is to use the IEE 1394 ( Firewire ).
What you need is :
-1 IEE 1394 connectic on you PC.
-1 cam which work with CF and have a IEE 1394 connectic.
-The same HDD that I call you in first
-1 soft ( Nero or other ) which can use IEE 1394 to get the video.

I didn't test that way, but it's working certainly more faster because the IEE 1394 is faster than USB2 in theory.

But realy, in any case, you need to be patient !

Hope it help you
Best regards
Michel Broussal

[onboardcamera]

Thanks!

but all the teams have a laptop, and we can't change the CPU or HDD.

A fotobank can be a faster way?? they can download the files into this HDD amd then can download into their laptop..

[BroussalM]

Hi,

Your first question wasn't enough precise.
My answer was only for doing this download at home, calmly on a PC tower and not on a track.

You could have some solutions to save time, but you must explain precisely and with details, how you work now.

If I "guess" your question :
You manage the video for 36 drivers, and after the race, all the teams want there footages, and it get too much time.

- Who think it get too much time, the teams or you ?
- Did they get the CF and download the video themselves, or are you running team after team to download the video on there owne laptop ?
- How many Mo have you to download from the CF ?
- Is it a professionnal championship or a cool amateur one ?
- have they data analyser, Motec or other ?
- Are you alone to do that ?
- How did you get their record CF ?
- All the teams are into the stands, or is there some team on the paddock far from you ?

I think that the solution to save time is certainly more in the way to work than in a special item, but mixing the both is purhaps THE solution.

The more you explain your work, the more we could help you. I or other.

Regards
Michel Broussal

[onboardcamera]

Well Michel,

first of all, thanks for your answer!

Ok, i'll explain better:

there are 12 teams, each team has 3 cameras+3 PDR100SC controlled from a single switch.

At the end of the race, or practice, the TV collect each cards (36) to download the videos on 2 laptops.
Then, when they had finished to download it (very long time!) the team manager will come into the TV office to take the cards for his download.
When they had finished to download it, they must to delete each files before put inside the recorders again..
In total, we need of many many hours!!! And it's very hard to give a faster service to teams and TV crew.

What do u think if we download the files into the TV's pc's, and burn some DVD's for the team?
But i would like to propose some new product for teams, to download quickly the files!!

[BroussalM]

Ok, now I understand better, perhaps not all, but realy better !!

First of all, the bad things is that TV get first the CF. They download with two poor Laptop, and of course the Teams get there CFs and videos after.
Not good for the PDR system ( that you sold I hope...), there is not a long way for them to think that it's the PDR which spend time and it's obliged, it's surely annoy them !
Beware, there is a lot of recorders, with bad quality, yes, but more rapid with there direct USB !

The only condition for the continuation is that TV didn't pay the PDR or other things that could give them the priority for the download.

Solution 1 :
Creat THE VIDEO TRACK DOWLOAD CENTER
You come on the track with minimum 2 Tower PC built specialy as I explain you in my first message. You can built them for less money, look at the cheaper price of "PC evolution" on the web. The sreens, mouse, etc... could be the one you use at the office.

- YOU get the CF of all the Teams.

- With your PCs you are going to download the CF realy more kickly. One after one, it get time, of course, but less than on a Laptop not built specialy for that.
The more you'll have PC tower the more you do that faster, of course.

DISPATCHING
- For the TV :
You get an external HDD and transfer all the video on it
When they come :
They have all what they want on one support.
They are quiet to get all the time they want to download on their laptop and that, without the Team managers asking for their CF "because the next race is now !"etc etc...
The dowload with an external HDD is going to be hardly faster than with all the CF ! ( Don't forget to get the HDD back !!! )

- For the Team Managers ( your custumers, I suppose... )
Making DVDs could be a solution, but not a save time one.
You could sold them some hight speed USB KEY, that you could personalize, and put on these key all their owne video, Team after Team. It's rapid, not a big price.
When they come:
They get their USB KEY full of videos and their CFs erase and ready* to put on the car. Even if the race or practice is just beguinning, their CFs are free! They can download the videos on their Laptop with the car doing an other race in the same time.

That's just an idea, but I see that very well.

* : When you get the file from the CF, you can "cut" instead of "copie". It's likely but you save time.


Solution 2:
The TV must to be the first.
None other solution than waiting for them.

After, with an external HDD you could get all the videos from their laptop, connect this HDD on a PC ( laptop or other ) for the dispatching.
The gain of time is only for the Team manager.
As you have a perfect copie of all the CFs on your external HDD, they could getting back their CFs erase and ready more quikly for the next race or practice.
In a second time you'll give them the videos on the USB key.

Well, the principal and unavoidable point which get time is the download from the CF. You can optimize it, with special built PCs, but you'll not compress it at 0, it's physicaly impossible.
You can only play with the "dead" time during a race.

With the first solution, you are becoming indispensable for the TV and the Team because you bring a save time and service solution. There are certainly some more trail to get money for you, services couln't absolutly not be free...
I think it's that kind of way where you must to have a reflection. Not realy easy, isn't it !

Hope it could help you, anyway it was amusing for me thinking about that !

Cheers
Michel Broussal

[onboardcamera]

Well,

i think i will follow the second solution. But maybe is much more faster to burn some dual layer DVD's for the team manager..maybe is much more fster than download files into a pendrive..

[BroussalM]

Hi,

My message was just some ideas to save time and simply for that.

Burning DVDs will absolutly not saving time, I'm sure you know that.

Your choice is more ecomical than an absolute question of saving time and thus my answer was "off topic".

Never mind, Have a good business with the boat Team managers.

Michel Broussal

[Sal Marciano]

In what format is the video recorded onto the CF card? Does it have to be converted first in order to view it? Does it require a codec download?

[BroussalM]

Hi,

In what format is the video recorded onto the CF card?
The format is " mpg "

Does it have to be converted first in order to view it?
Absolutly not need to be converted. You use, read, post work in that format. It's a very good quality standard video format.

Does it require a codec download?
It require a codec of course, but it's not a rare one. Try on your PC first, there's a lot of chance that you already have the good codec.
Otherwise, NERO ( for example ) good CD/DVD viewer-writer contain the good one but it's not the only one.

Hope it's help you
Regards
Michel Broussal

[Marcus]

There are other options to help the teams get their empty cards back, but it doesn't make the process of downloading the cards faster.

- Buy another set of CF cards, so there is always an empty set.
OK, it's not cheap but these days CF cards are not expensive.

- Portable data banks are not fast in my experience, but you could have 2 or 3 and walk around downloading 2 or 3 CF cards onto the banks at the same time. 2 banks make it twice as fast, 3 banks make it 3 times faster etc etc etc of course, banks are not cheap.

I would say you need to keep the process of downloading the CF cards to you alone, then you are in complete control of logging and keeping files organised. if you let some teams download their cards onto their Laptops etc you will fast become confused and the whole job will take much longer.....

[nickpoore]

You could clarify a few things in your posts.

How large are the CF cards that you are using.

I'm not sure if you are the TV that you refer to.

Simple stuff here...


Purchase a 2nd set of cards.
As the full cards are removed from the cars, they put in the blank cards.
The cars are now ready to go, and team managers are not banging on your door for blank cards.

If you are using laptops, then PCCARD or EXPRESSCARD are the fastest type of readers.
DELKIN make some great card readers.
DO NOT use PCMCIA card readers as they are slow.
You do NOT gain any advantage copying from multiple cards simultaneously, as you will overload the hard drive, so it takes the same amount of time.

If you have TWO laptops, then read the half the cards on each laptop - so the process is twice as quick.
You could setup a small Gigabit network on the laptops, and then run a small utility to sync the data on both laptops, so that they both have a fully copy.
(YOU need to erase the cards.)

For distribution, use portable hard drives.
They are cheap - $100 for 500GB.
DVD's take too long to burn, and there is too much to go wrong.

(Since you now have two laptops with full copies of data, producing data on demand for team managers is not hard.)

Team magangers will get given a HDD to take back to their PC.
They can copy the data off of it quickly, and do not have to worry about erasing the cards.
After the next session, they bring the HDD's back, and you add more data to them.