Question about external hard drives

[Scott09]

Hello Kind People,

I would like to ask a question I'm sure has been discussed many times before. Unfortunately, performing a search has not served me well.

I’m just starting to learn the “ins & outs” of Final Cut Express. And of course, I have lots of video I would like to store on an external hard drive. I’ve started pricing 1 terabyte drives and I’ve found them costing as low as $180 and as high as too much for my wallet. My question is, will any external hard drive serve me well or are there certain things I should be on the lookout for? Please keep in mind; I’m not doing “Ben Hur Productions.” I’m simply making some videos of my family along with some group outings.

Thank you very much kind people,

Scott

 

[NRose8989]

Any drive with at least FireWire 400 would fit your needs.

I currently use a WD Mybook that i got from Costco for $120 which has USB,FW400< and eSata.

Though you do get what you pay for, my WD drive works fine but it's a bit noisy.

 

[ChrisA]

Any drive with at least FireWire 400 would fit your needs.

The above is likely true but it really depends on how much data you have and what kind of video. Is this miniDV or uncompressed HD?

I hate to say "RTFM". but if you do look in the back of the final cut user manual it has a good section on how to select a storage subsystem to meet you needs based of a bunch of criteria. It gives yu enough info to figure how big and how fast the drive(s) need to be.

 

[Scott09]

Canon Vixia HF10

The above is likely true but it really depends on how much data you have and what kind of video. Is this miniDV or uncompressed HD?

I hate to say "RTFM". but if you do look in the back of the final cut user manual it has a good section on how to select a storage subsystem to meet you needs based of a bunch of criteria. It gives yu enough info to figure how big and how fast the drive(s) need to be.

Oh man, don't tell me to read the manual. I'm a guy. That's like telling me to ask for directions. But if I have to I will, grudgingly

I'm using a Canon Vixia HF 10, so I'm dealing with AVCHD. So far it's been a dream to work with.

 

[HunterGather]

I got a question too to add to this.

I read that it's best to have footage you are editing on an external hard drive, rather than the mac itself.

Why is that so?
Safety precaution?
Would it still be as fast, or faster?
I have been using my hard drive on the mac to store the files I'm editing. Should I move them over to my WD Mybook?
It has firewire, but still.

 

[Courtaj]

I read that it's best to have footage you are editing on an external hard drive, rather than the mac itself. Why is that so?

Because the constant reading-writing of media will kill (eventually) knacker your drive. You don't really want the drive with your OS and applications to die, do you?

 

[HunterGather]

No, of course not mother.
*walks away with head down*


Anyway, I figured that, but is there a noticeable speed difference?
That is, running the video from the external WD Mybook through firewire 400.

I can't be bothered to test that out this very second.

 

[NRose8989]

Because the constant reading-writing of media will kill (eventually) knacker your drive. You don't really want the drive with your OS and applications to die, do you?

Isn't it also because the OS needs to get small data pieces off of the hard disk and with the constant read/write of video editing, It will slow down because it has to do two operations at once? (constant read/write while trying to pull other OS related data off of the disk)

 

[bigbossbmb]

it's both of those reasons....

it's faster to put it on an external (than the system drive) and it's about protection. there really isn't any reason to edit from the system drive (besides laziness).

 

[Courtaj]

there really isn't any reason to edit from the system drive (besides laziness).

A perfectly valid, if not admirable, reason in my experience I mean speculative opinion.