Tim,
[Timothy Taylor] " Can we record HDCAM directly to the FireStore? Is there another Hardware solution besides "FireStore?""
Firestore will get you nothing but HDV files like you would get on tape. It's advantages are recording length, faster than real-time input to your NLE, and no possibility of tape dropout.
If you really want to considerably up the recording quality ante and remain as portable, the only option that I'm aware of is the Convergent Design Flash XDR, that I believe is just starting to ship:
http://www.convergent-design.com/
This would allow you to record directly to Compact Flash cards off the camera head with HDSDI to a Sony MXF wrapped MPEG2 4:2:2 codec that is better than HDCAM. You could also simultaneously record HDV to tape for a lower quality backup. With a Flash card reader you would then import the files to you Apple laptop, back them up to an external hard drive and recycle the cards. Enterprise quality compact flash cards are around $200/16GB (32GB cards may be in the offing soon). Flash XDR will take up to 4 of 'em, giving you about 70 minutes recording time with the 100 mbps long GOP codec on 4 16GB cards. You could record with the XDCAM HD codec, still considerably better than HDV, and get 3 times the recording time or with the new 50 mbps 4:2:2 XDCAM HD codec and get 2 times the recording time.
As far as FCP working with these files, I know nothing. Not a Mac guy. But I suspect they would work, because they are essentially higher quality versions of XDCAM HD files. Of course in FCP you'd have to transcode the files to MOV preferably high data rate ProRes, I'd think.
Ron Shook
Shoulder-High Eye Productions
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