S4000 FAQ

S4000 Range FAQ

Will the new machines be compatible with the new generation of flash drive camcorders?

I have several additional software packages on my current Casablanca, will they work on the S4000?

Can I continue to use my Firewire hard drive?

Will I be able to use other external hard drives?

Can I burn Blu-ray DVD’s in the same way as I burn DVD’s now?

What difference is there in handling HDV between these and previous machines?

Can I upload video to a web site?

How much HD footage can I store?

What will play back my Blu-ray DVD’s?

Can I mix DV with HDV footage.

With the extra speed and power of these machines, how noisy are they?

I understand the new machines have a choice of up to 700 output formats, can you explain these?

I cannot decide if I should keep my existing machine or trade it in against an S4000. I have a considerable amount of additional software, what would you advise?

Will the new machines be compatible with the new generation of flash drive camcorders?

Yes, Linux/Bogart is compatible with USB2 and AVCHD video files making it an ideal companion for the new generation of Camcorders.

I have several additional software packages on my current Casablanca, will they work on the S4000?

Currently 80% of existing software has been tested and is working fine with Bogart. Currently Quadcam is being re-written as it was designed to work with the C-Cube processor which is no longer required.

Can I continue to use my Firewire hard drive?

Yes

Will I be able to use other external hard drives?

Yes you can use almost any USB storage device including Stick drives for storing or transferring data.

Can I burn Blu-ray DVD’s in the same way as I burn DVD’s now?

Not exactly. Once again the developers and film industry have joined forces to make as much money for themselves as possible. Initially domestic Blu-ray players are designed to play back commercial DVD’s. No thought or consideration was given to home producers. So far there is no protocol or any rules laid down for reading menu or chapter files produced by computer systems. Consequently the DVD’s produced by these means will consist of a simple single file. Any menu will be that produced by the Blu-ray player. It is hoped that firmware updates will be available for “older” Blu-ray players

What difference is there in handling HDV between these and previous machines?

On current machines using SmartEdit/VSWorks HDV must first be downloaded then downscaled to DV for editing then upscaled again for outputting. With Bogart/Linux this is no longer necessary. HD editing can be carried out in real time in exactly the same way as DV. Not only that but an HD monitor can be used for viewing.

Can I upload video to a web site?

Not exactly as the S4000 does not allow file transfer directly to the Internet for security reasons. However, projects can be saved to many video formats including those required for Web sites and YouTube etc.

How much HDV can I store on a drive?

Approximately 22gb per hour. So a 500gb drive should hold around 22 hours and 1000gb around 45 hours.

What will play back my Blu-ray DVD’s?

As previously mentioned the developing industries have given little consideration to home producers. However Sony have included a Blu-ray player in every Sony Playstation 3 and most PC’s with Blu-ray player should have no problem. The question mark is over currently available domestic Blu-ray players. Before purchase it would be wise to take a home produced Blu-ray DVD to the retailer and ask to test it first.

Can I mix DV with HDV footage.

Yes if the DV footage is in 16:9 format.

With the extra speed and power of these machines, how noisy are they?

The S4000 range use a different cooling method called Passive Cooling. This makes them virtually noisless.

I understand the new machines have a choice of up to 700 output formats, can you explain these?

Video has now become a very diverse medium. People not only wish to produce DVD’s but also want to upload video to the Internet, view it on iPods or similar devices and also on mobile phones. Macrosystem have researched as many of these devices as they can find and produced the appropriate criteria for successful playback. For instance in addition to different media file types there are different screen sizes and resolutions.

I cannot decide if I should keep my existing machine or trade it in against an S4000. I have a considerable amount of additional software, what would you advise?

There are basically two options. If we trade in your exiting Casablanca we will automatically transfer the software to the new machine. If you keep the machine we cannot do this. However the second option is to become registered as a Multi device user. You can keep all the software on the old machine and re-purchase those titles for the new machine at 50% discount.

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S4000 Overview