External HD Recommendations?

*anyone have any suggestions?

I know lots of people who edit with portable HDs. Shouldn't be a problem if you have a decent RPM speed and a good hookup (Firewire 400, Firewire 800, USB 2).

Lacie is good. Go with them. If you're using FW you should have no problems.

Yeah, that Lacie in question is 7200 RPM Rotational Speed. I don't believe I've seen one higher? I'm sure that must be wrong, but I'd assume that that is decent.

I'm just cautious because I don't want to try rendering 80 minutes of high res and have it die out on me.

What exact standard are you talking about when you mean "high res"?

Apple Firewire NTSC 720 x 480 setting - full frame TV quality video, from DV.

Then you'll definitely be fine. I mean, that'd only be about 16 or so GB. 7200 RPMs is good, and if you're using one of those standards I mentioned above (FW400, FW800, USB2), you'll be okay. I've worked with full DV quality video with far older and shoddier portable HDs and been just fine, so don't worry.

When did external HDs get so big?

>>>When did external HDs get so big?

I would assume it had to do mostly with the ability to capture and edit audio and (mainly) high-quality video on a personal computer. Until that point, I can't really see any reason for a home user to need so much space. Also, it is unfortunate but 200 GB can often be barely enough space for someone who like to have enough coverage on shoots / more than project going at once.

>>>7200 RPMs is good, and if you're using one of those standards I mentioned above (FW400, FW800, USB2), you'll be okay.

Is the difference between FW400 and FW800 just the cable used? Are all firewire capable devices able to deliver that speed?

No, FW800 is a different standard, and the plugs are different, so you'll need both a proper FW800 i/o on both the HD and the computer, as well as a FW800 cable. It's twice the speed of 400 obviously, so I doubt that miniDV based compression will ever use it in the near future, as FW400 is more than enough to handle realtime data. But obviously double the transfer speed will always be import for just raw data period (ie HDs).

There are drives out now that actually have all three transfer standards on one HD, and they usually cost a little bit more, but it's purely a consideration of being able to. I'd say if you don't have the ability to go FW800 to your computer, don't worry about it, because probably by the time you get FW800, you'll need/want a new HD anyway. And I'm assuming FW400 is going to be pretty standard on most new machines for quite some time. USB2, of course, has the advantage of being even more ubiquitous than FW400.

Thanks. I've ended up buying the LaCie 200. Amazon has a deal where if you buy $250 in Electronics by 10/19, you get a $50 gift certificate and I shop with them a lot, so I figured it was worth it. Maybe I'll post back to ILF about my findings with the drive.

Anyways, thanks to all.

good luck with it!