Datavideo DN-400 DV/HDV Recorder/Player
The Datavideo DN-400 is a digital video recorder and player designed to record in DV and HDV. The unit can record up to 18 hours of continuous footage without a hitch, saving both time and money. Gone are the days of a costly tape-based workflow, which usually wastes hours of valuable time logging and capturing. Simply hook the DN-400 to your non-linear editing workstation and voila, ready-to-edit footage at your fingertips.
- Interchangeable Drives
- The deck uses a specially designed 250GB interchangeable drive, making it easier to capture large volumes of footage without having to dump to an external storage device before reusing. Simply pop out the full disc and throw in another!
- Native DV and HDV Support
- The DN-400 has been built to meet the growing demand of high definition videography. The unit has complete native support for the HDV format as well as being capable of legacy recording of standard DV.
- Loop Playback
- The DN-400 can be used in promotion applications by using loop playback. The feature allows users to loop video clips seamlessly, making it ideal for commercial environments.
- NLE Support
- The recorder supports most non-linear editors, including Apple Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro and Avid. Dragging footage onto your timeline couldn't be easier! Just drag and drop files from the drive to your computer (PC or Mac) in seconds. 1
| Video Format | HDV, DV |
| Hard Disk Capacity | 250GB (Interchangeable) |
| File Format | AVI, M2T (HDV) |
| Inputs/Outputs |
FireWire: 6-Pin Standard (x2 Input/Output) Component: VGA (x1 Input, x1 Output with Loop Through) Composite: RCA (x1 Input, x1 Output with Loop Through) Analog Audio: RCA (x1 Input Per Composite Channel) S-Video: 4-Pin Mini DIN (x1 Input, x1 Output with Loop Through) Remote RS-422: 9-Pin (x1 Input, x1 Output with Loop Through) Remote RS-232 Mini XLR Input/Output |
| Power Requirements |
100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz 12VDC |
| Power Consumption | Not Specified By Manufacturer |
| Dimensions (WxHxD) | 8.3 x 3.9 x 11.3" (21 x 9.9 x 28.6cm) |
| Weight | 11.5 lb (5.2kg) |
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviews(based on 10 reviews)
Ratings Distribution
100%
of respondents would recommend this to a friend.
Pros
- Easy to use (7)
- Compact (5)
- Highly compatible (5)
- Professional quality (4)
- Reliable (4)
Cons
Best Uses
- In the studio (3)
- Reviewer Profile:
- Business owner (3)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (5)
Reviewed by 10 customers
Sort by
Displaying reviews 1-10
Pros
- Easy To Setup
- Easy To Use
- High Capacity
- Reliable
- Sleek Design
Cons
Best Uses
- Television
Comments about Datavideo DN-400 DV/HDV Recorder/Player:
Used to record public access programmin in the field and studio. Simple to use with existing digital and analogue gear.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Easy To Use
- Reliable
- Removable hard drive
Cons
- Analogue picture quality
Best Uses
- Movies
- Video Production
Comments about Datavideo DN-400 DV/HDV Recorder/Player:
We are using the DN-400 as a tapeless capture device during live sports coverage. The unit has made post production for DVD creation much less time consuming. I specifically like the removable hard drive bay so you can continue recording while editing captured footage.
The chief complaint I have is that the video quality of the non-HD component capture is somewhat disappointing. Footage is captured as an analogue "dv" format, but the picture quality is definitely inferior to capturing directly from miniDV tape using a firewire cable. On the positive side, the quality using the component inputs is far superior again to the composite picture quality on the same unit. While it is obvious that these formats are by definition different in quality, the difference using this unit is much greater and more noticeable than usual.
Overall, this unit seems sturdy and reliable, although I have found that it sometimes needs to be reset when hooking up to a firewire device in order for the unit to detect the device. Controls are large and easy to use. Menu is fairly self-explanatory. While I haven't yet used them, the mini XLR jacks give power and flexibility to sound recording.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Easy To Setup
- Easy To Use
- Reliable
Cons
Best Uses
- Movies
- Television
Comments about Datavideo DN-400 DV/HDV Recorder/Player:
follow the instruction in the manuel is easy to use
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Compact Design
- Easy To Use
- Professional Quality
Cons
Best Uses
- In The Studio
Comments about Datavideo DN-400 DV/HDV Recorder/Player:
It is used to record the video and audio of our church services.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Easy To Use
- Professional Quality
Cons
Best Uses
- Complex Projects
- In The Studio
Comments about Datavideo DN-400 DV/HDV Recorder/Player:
It allow me to capture video to hard drive to faster editing.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Compact Design
- Easy To Use
- Highly Compatible
Cons
Best Uses
- Recording broadcasts
Comments about Datavideo DN-400 DV/HDV Recorder/Player:
This hard drive recorder replaced my tape VCR for recording sports broadcasts for later analysis. The recording time is unlimited, so I can just set it and forget it. Very easy to import into Final Cut Pro. Manual could be a little clearer, but everything is there.
Pros
- Compact Design
- Highly Compatible
- Long recording time
- Professional Quality
Cons
- Manual not too clear
Best Uses
- Record broadcasts
Comments about Datavideo DN-400 DV/HDV Recorder/Player:
I use this to record golf tournament broadcasts, and then analyze the swings of the top pro golfers. Before I would have to change tapes in my VCR every 90 minutes. Now I can set it and forget it.
The quality is good, but there is some noise on the video. The good part is that you can remove the hard drive and hook it up to your computer and put the files into FCP.
The manual is not that clear, even though you can find directions for everything. You should know that it is ready to go when you get it to record analogue broadcasts in SD.
I will be looking into getting a remote so I can review the files after recording.
Pros
- Compact Design
- Highly Compatible
- Improves Performance
- User upgradable HDD
Cons
- HDD not hot swappable
- No anamorphic flag
Best Uses
- Independent Films
- Live productions
- Short turn-around post
Comments about Datavideo DN-400 DV/HDV Recorder/Player:
Our production outfit added one of these to our road show and it has really cut time out of post production. The files recorded on the hard drive can be directly imported into Final Cut with no problem. It has all the inputs and outputs you would reasonably need (but no SDI).
The two biggest complaints I would have are that the hard drive is not hot-swappable, so you'll have to power down the unit to switch drives. This will cause any downstream devices to loose their feed - so don't daisy chain recorders! Second, there isn't a menu option to set an anamorphic flag on the DV files it creates. If your content is anamorphic, you'll have to manually set the aspect ratio in your favorite NLE.
I wish we had gone for the DN-500, though, witch is rack-mountable!
Pros
- Compact Design
- Easy To Use
- Highly Compatible
- Improves Performance
- Professional Quality
Cons
Best Uses
- Complex Projects
- Home Movies
- Independent Films
- In The Studio
Comments about Datavideo DN-400 DV/HDV Recorder/Player:
We record SD using this recorder. It can be used in nthe home or one the road. The hard drive is removable so the recorder itself can stay packed up until the next gig. Would certainly purchase again!
Pros
- Easy To Install
- Fast
- Highly Compatible
- Quiet
- Reliable
Cons
Best Uses
- High-End Multimedia
Comments about Datavideo DN-400 DV/HDV Recorder/Player:
Very simple product, easy to use, very stable. Love it.
- Primary use:
- Business
Displaying reviews 1-10
Drives & Storage
- Price: $181.00
- GBP 114.41
This is a special order item. Est. arrival at B&H is 7-14 days (subject to availability). Your order will be charged at the time of shipment.
Video Cables
- Price: $9.95
- GBP 6.29
- Price: $29.95
- GBP 18.93
Audio Cables
- Price: $11.95
- GBP 7.55
Remote Controllers
- Price: $31.20
- GBP 19.72
What's in the Box
- Power Supply and Cord
- DN-400 HDV/DV Hard Disk Recorder
- File Converter Software CD
- 5.9' (1.8 m) 6-Pin to 6-Pin FireWire Cable
- 4' (1.2 m) S-Video Cable
- 4.8' (1.5 m) Stereo RCA Cable
- 1.5' (0.4 m) Y-Type USB Cable
- 2' (0.6 m) 3-Pin Mini Female to Standard Male XLR Cable
- 2' (0.6 m) 3-Pin Mini Male to Standard Female XLR Cable
- DV File Conversion Software (CD-ROM/Windows)
- DV Cable
- 6' 6-Pin to 6-Pin FireWire Cable
- 1-Year Warranty
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