Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Shuttle 2 SSD Video Recorder

Comments about Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Shuttle 2 SSD Video Recorder:

I love this product. The only thing I would change is to make the display button function. Black magic has already confirmed that a firmware update will be on the way but we need it so we can see how much we have remaining and what we have recorded. Other than that it's a bargain for what it does at this price point.

Comments about Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Shuttle 2 SSD Video Recorder:

If your are thinking about buying a Hyperdeck Shuttle to get a better image out of your 5D Mark iii, don't.
I bought this and tested it side by side with recording uncompressed QT and H264 straight to the card. And found there is a significant loss of information in the highlights with The Black Magic. And while it records 10 bit color the 5d is only capable of outputting 8 bit color, even with the new firmware update (1.2.1) which was made to address just these problems.

The bottom line. You get more latitude without this device.

Comments about Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Shuttle 2 SSD Video Recorder:

I use it with my DSLR, to capture Raw. It's a small, durable little tank, inputs sdi and hdmi for extreme affordable flexibility.
Unfortunately it only records up to 2K, which is great, but does not allow updating to capture a 4K output in the future.

Comments about Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Shuttle 2 SSD Video Recorder:

I had used my friend's original Shuttle [1] and being that we have been a FCP house since 2001 found that it was impractical to use only uncompressed video with the cost of SDDs still in the astronomical range a year ago. Now that BM has finally added the Pro Res CODEC to the Shuttle 2, this opens up a whole new world! SSD prices have fallen nicely to the point that we can have a couple of 240GB SSDs giving us about 5 hours of record time and the Shuttle 2 with the plate and special DIN cables for under [$]! We plan to add at least 2 more Shuttles for direct recording of our cameras now.Having both HD-SDI & HDMI I/O pretty much sets us up to use nearly any camera we could conceivably need. Now, when I do jib shoots, I can record my own footage to make a great reel! No more chasing Producers for footage!!!!!!! I recommend the plate, no matter how heavy to help wick away the tremendous heat generated while recording.

Comments about Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Shuttle 2 SSD Video Recorder:

I would pay this price just to play out!We can kick out ProRes and play out with embedded audio & ANC LTC.Those that complain of poor design or ruggedness need to reevaluate how rugged their [$]+ deck is or how fun it is to lug around.Buy a good SSD & get the din adapter and don't throw it in your bag of junk. Protect the thing, it isn't rocket science, don't expect to be spoon fed for this value.

Comments about Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Shuttle 2 SSD Video Recorder:

Very useful thing to get maximum from your camcorder by SDI or HDMI outputs. I'm use it with my Sony HVR-Z7E - from HDV it turns to Apple ProRes HQ 422 camcorder. I can even use chromakey with that video now!

Comments about Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Shuttle 2 SSD Video Recorder:

The HyperDeck is user friendly and easy to set up but the mini SDI input on the back broke first time out. I was shooting a green screen TVC so I had to use the compressed footage from the cards on the camera to key. B&H are replacing the unit but it doesn't leave me with much confidence that the unit can stand the rigours of professional use. Only time will tell if I simply got a bad unit the first time.

Comments about Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Shuttle 2 SSD Video Recorder:

I opened the box and tried the HyperDeck Shuttle 2 with my old Canon HV20. Minutes later I was viewing the test footage in Avid Media Composer. I am awaiting the release of the Canon 5D Mark III firmware update (April 2013) so I can capture clean HDMI into uncompressed 4:2:2 or to DNxHD format depending on my needs. I do green screen special effects for fun on low budget films and can't wait. The ONLY thing I haven't loved about the Shuttle 2 is that the SDI connectors protrude slightly from the side from the otherwise sleek design. I'll just be careful not to let them snag on anything.

Comments about Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Shuttle 2 SSD Video Recorder:

My producer requested I use this unit for a 2 camera shoot and since I've been wanting an external, backup recorder I thought it was a good opportunity to buy. However, a number of design flaws make this less than professional gear. The input DIN connector came loose the first time out - no rough use. I had to tape the cable in place to stabilize so I could complete the (2day) shoot. The 2nd unit camera had the very same problem.No cables, mount or hard drive come with the unit, only a DC power supply.There's no way to know how full the drive is without connecting to a computer. The 2nd unit camera lost some shots, not knowing his (240 GB) drive was full & had stopped recording. Also, changing format requires connecting to a computer, there's no lcd built in, no independant way to access a menu.The record light (led) is behind a rubber button making it difficult to see outdoors. This light is the only confidence indication short of playback -- see above. There is no alarm that drive is full. Blackmagic support is essentially non-existent -- If you have a question, type a note onto the forum and wait for another user to reply, or search Creative Cow. Documentation is very minimal. Formatting the hard drives & getting them to be recognized with Windows took some time & testing.SDI in/out requires a DIN to BNC adapter cable -- another type of cable to buy and keep in your kit -- why not just use a common, sturdy BNC? Mounting is an issue without the ($xx) BM mounting plate. I mounted that to a Redrock Micro DSLR baseplate ($xxx) and it worked great. However, it was mounted with the (delicate) DIN connectors perpendicular to the back of the (EX3)camera adding a little stress from the DIN cable on the connector, probably why the connector failed. (Although the 2nd unit had a different type of mount and his connector failed, too.) The power connector does not lock in -- though the unit does have a built-in battery -- good for about an hour, in case the cable comes loose. Their D-tap connector cable costs over $xxx. (I found the connector parts a built a D-tap cable for $0)Files recorded fine. Played back fine Our client requested QT pro-res in PAL. I liked being able to input SDI and monitor HDMI if needed. conversion worked well.I returned this unit after this shoot. It's a false economy of price. After buying all the pieces to make it work, including a USB HDD dock, the price is up around a grand. cheaper than other digital recorders, but not as functional, rugged or reliable.

Comments about Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Shuttle 2 SSD Video Recorder:

I purchased this product as part of testing a DNxHD production workflow for an upcoming project. I used a HDMI cable, A to C type connector, to record the signal from a Sony NEX-VG20 onto a 256 GB SSD via the Hyperdeck Shuttle 2.First off, let me say that the quality is wonderful. The uncompressed 4:2:2, and the more economical DNxHD codec, are both fantastic in terms of quality and work natively in Davinci Resolve, which is what I intend to use for color grading.One minor con related to this is the fact that the codec can only be changed by connecting the Hyperdeck via USB and using the included software to change the record codec. While this isn't something that typically needs to be changed particularly quickly, it would have been nice to have some sort of dial to change the record format.Space, of course, is a problem when recording (for example), uncompressed 4:2:2 video in a Quicktime container. Performance in this regard was dramatically improved when I switched to DNxHD Quicktime -- although a 1:24 video still took up 1.74 GB. Clearly, these kind of formats are not for those with little storage space; however, that's not the Hyperdeck's fault. What could be improved, however, is the choice of recording media.The Hyperdeck Shuttle 2 records only to solid state drives. And while everything the company says about SSDs is true -- they are indeed faster and more durable than traditional spinning-disk hard drives -- the increased space requirements for the Hyperdeck make it difficult to buy enough SSD space for large projects. Perhaps in a world where a 512 GB SSD cost less then it does now, the Hyperdeck would be cost-effective. But the Atomos Ninja, its primary competition, ends up being cheaper in the long run when considering storage costs.This isn't to say that the Hyperdeck doesn't have its niche. For smaller projects that can use two 128 GB SSDs, swapping them out as they fill up and transferring them to a hard drive for editing, it would serve its purpose very well, and deliver reliability and excellent quality. However, I don't think the few cases in which SSDs will be required justifies the complete rejection of HDDs by Blackmagic.I also believe that the Hyperdeck is trying to force my footage to be 10-bit when my camera only records in 8-bit color depth. While I have no way of proving this, the Hyperdeck gives me no apparent method for finding out.Back to workflow, the files were recorded in 29.97 fps mov files, with pulldown. Having found no other way to do this, I used the Interpret Footage dialogue in Adobe After Effects to guess 3:2 pulldown to convert to 23.976, then rendered the files out again to a footage folder by adding each one to a composition. Those files were then graded in Resolve, from which I rendered proxies to edit with in Premiere, and then used a roundtrip workflow using XML files. Your workflow may be different, but this is what worked for me.As for physical notes about the product, mounting options were difficult (I did not purchase the mounting plate, and I wish a cold shoe mount was available -- although that would probably require a smaller product), and the glow of the buttons was difficult to see in broad daylight. I experienced no issues with the HDMI cable connection, but the internal battery had a very short lifespan. Some other reviews have claimed 1-2 hours, I doubt I even got that out of a single charge.Overall, in a short film production where small storage space can be used, in a place where AC power is readily available, and with mounting options sorted out, the Hyperdeck shuttle is incredibly useful. From my experimentation with it, I found no huge problems, but in a production environment, I would expect it to be something of a hassle. The video quality it produces is fantastic, but some of the logistics of its operation could stand to be ironed out better. Even so, it's a recommendable product, and if it turns out to be cheaper than the Ninja in the long run for your particular project, it's a good buy. It's also notable that it supports SDI, whereas the Ninja does not; the more expensive Atomos Samurai does. However, I did not get a chance to use the Hyperdeck's SDI inputs or outputs. I think another reviewer said that they're mini-SDI and require adapters, but I'm not familiar enough with the interface to know. If you use SDI, make sure this is what you want. And have fun color grading that 4:2:2 footage.

Comments about Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Shuttle 2 SSD Video Recorder:

Purchased this to use with my D800. Intially had problems with Samsung 840 pro series SSD not being recognized by the Shuttle 2. I double checked the recommended SSDs and purchased one from Blackmagic Design's list. Shuttle 2 works wonderfully allowing me to capture uncompressed video and only time constraints being the battery life and SSD capacity. Battery life is not great but met my expectation given the size of the recorder. Great purchase.

Comments about Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Shuttle 2 SSD Video Recorder:

So far this recorder has worked great for me. It is simple to use, easy to take with you and is built very well.

Comments about Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Shuttle 2 SSD Video Recorder:

Really like these. I have four of them and they all work great. Only reason I don't give them 5 stars is that when connected to an HDMI port on a computer the only color that comes through is green. They said they are working on a patch for that. When they do I'll give it 5 stars.

Comments about Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Shuttle 2 SSD Video Recorder:

I use this with my Hpx500 and the 170. Functions perfectly, control buttons are easy to access-I record in Prores 422 -switching from uncompressed factory default using software utility is quick and easy to navigate.

Comments about Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Shuttle 2 SSD Video Recorder:

This purchase completes the update of my JVC GY-HD200 camera, enabling it to record 720p59.94 and 1080i59.94 video signal from its own Y/UV output in compressed or 10-bit uncompressed formats after the addition of an analog-to-SDI converter.

The Shuttle's internal battery recharges quickly, but you may not have time for that: then just connect the Shuttle with your 12 V camera battery.

Comments about Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Shuttle 2 SSD Video Recorder:

Use this for backups for live recording (with a BlackMagic TV Studio), high-res recording with my Lumix GH2 (clean HDMI out). Easiest recording format for pro format or uncompressed w/o tape. Drives are expensive, but lightweight, "infinitely" reusable.

Comments about Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Shuttle 2 SSD Video Recorder:

You can't record from your TV recorder high definition, with a message that protocol HDCP not supported. The .MOV file can be read only by Adobe Premiere Pro CS6, QuickTime is unable to read the file.

Comments about Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Shuttle 2 SSD Video Recorder:

We use this to record signals from TV trucks, and this definitely does the trick. We don't have an Avid system, so we have to use the uncompressed Quicktime videos. They are huge, so we trim very small segments with Quicktime, and then use the trimmed videos. The replay function is super helpful, and that allows us to que up a video and capture it with our Tricaster video switch.

Comments about Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Shuttle 2 SSD Video Recorder:

This purchase completes the update options of my JVC HD-GY200 camera, enabling it to record 720p59.94 and 1080i59.94 video signal from its own Y/UV output in compressed or 10-bit uncompressed formats after the addition of an analog-to-SDI converter.

Comments about Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Shuttle 2 SSD Video Recorder:

This device does everything Blackmagic says it will do. Top notch. Great quality. Super deal!