Data Video DN-300 User manual

DN-300 HDV / DV Hard Disk Recorder
Instruction Manual
www.datavideo-tek.com
Rev 040909

2
Contents
Warnings and Precautions................................................................................................................................. 3
Warranty ............................................................................................................................................................ 4
Disposal ............................................................................................................................................................. 4
Packing List ....................................................................................................................................................... 5
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 5
Features ......................................................................................................................................................... 5
Connections & Controls ..................................................................................................................................... 6
Front Panel..................................................................................................................................................... 6
Rear Panel ..................................................................................................................................................... 7
Powering On ...................................................................................................................................................... 8
Menu Options .................................................................................................................................................... 8
HDD Mode Menu ........................................................................................................................................... 9
Record Formats Menu ................................................................................................................................. 10
Input Video Standard Menu.......................................................................................................................... 10
NTSC Setup Level Menu ..............................................................................................................................11
Video Input Source Menu............................................................................................................................. 12
GPI Mode & Functions Menu....................................................................................................................... 12
Set Date & Time Menu................................................................................................................................. 13
Set Full Syt Menu......................................................................................................................................... 14
Format Hard Disk Menu............................................................................................................................... 15
Erase Track Menu ........................................................................................................................................ 15
Convert DV to AVI Menu .............................................................................................................................. 16
Set Output Channel Menu ........................................................................................................................... 17
Scan HDD Surface Menu............................................................................................................................. 17
Operation with a DV Camcorder / Deck / Vision Mixer.................................................................................... 18
Recording a DV track ................................................................................................................................... 18
Playing back a DV Track.............................................................................................................................. 19
Operation with a HDV Camcorder / Deck........................................................................................................ 20
Recording a HDV (.M2T) track..................................................................................................................... 20
Playing back an M2T (HDV) Track............................................................................................................... 21
Operation with an Analogue Video Source...................................................................................................... 21
Recording a (.DV) track from an Analogue input ......................................................................................... 21
Connecting to a Computer............................................................................................................................... 22
Connecting to a PC ...................................................................................................................................... 23
Connecting to a MAC ................................................................................................................................... 25
DV File Converter Software............................................................................................................................. 26
Installation .................................................................................................................................................... 26
Registration .................................................................................................................................................. 27
Operation ..................................................................................................................................................... 28
RS 422 Command Set / Protocol .................................................................................................................... 31
Interface Overview ....................................................................................................................................... 31
Command Block Format .............................................................................................................................. 31
Connector Pin Assignment........................................................................................................................... 32
Communication Protocol.............................................................................................................................. 32
Command Table (without Checksum byte) .................................................................................................. 33
Detailed Description of Commands (without Checksum byte)..................................................................... 33
Return Data (without Checksum byte) ......................................................................................................... 34
Status Return Data....................................................................................................................................... 34
RS 422 Version History................................................................................................................................ 34
DN-300 Firmware Version............................................................................................................................ 34
Specifications................................................................................................................................................... 35
Supported Video Formats:........................................................................................................................ 35
Supported File Formats:........................................................................................................................... 35
Service and Support ........................................................................................................................................ 36

3
Warnings and Precautions
1. Read all of these warnings and save them for later reference.
2. Follow all warnings and instructions marked on this unit.
3. Unplug this unit from the wall outlet before cleaning. Do not use liquid or aerosol cleaners. Use a
damp cloth for cleaning.
4. Do not use this unit in or near water.
5. Do not place this unit on an unstable cart, stand, or table. The unit may fall, causing serious damage.
6. Slots and openings on the cabinet top, back, and bottom are provided for ventilation. To ensure safe
and reliable operation of this unit, and to protect it from overheating, do not block or cover these
openings. Do not place this unit on a bed, sofa, rug, or similar surface, as the ventilation openings on
the bottom of the cabinet will be blocked. This unit should never be placed near or over a heat
register or radiator. This unit should not be placed in a built-in installation unless proper ventilation is
provided.
7. This product should only be operated from the type of power source indicated on the marking label
of the AC adapter. If you are not sure of the type of power available, consult your Datavideo dealer or
your local power company.
8. Do not allow anything to rest on the power cord. Do not locate this unit where the power cord will be
walked on, rolled over, or otherwise stressed.
9. If an extension cord must be used with this unit, make sure that the total of the ampere ratings on the
products plugged into the extension cord do not exceed the extension cord’s rating.
10. Make sure that the total amperes of all the units that are plugged into a single wall outlet do not
exceed 15 amperes.
11. Never push objects of any kind into this unit through the cabinet ventilation slots, as they may touch
dangerous voltage points or short out parts that could result in risk of fire or electric shock. Never
spill liquid of any kind onto or into this unit.
12. Except as specifically explained elsewhere in this manual, do not attempt to service this product
yourself. Opening or removing covers that are marked “Do Not Remove” may expose you to
dangerous voltage points or other risks, and will void your warranty. Refer all service issues to
qualified service personnel.
13. Unplug this product from the wall outlet and refer to qualified service personnel under the following
conditions:
a. When the power cord is damaged or frayed;
b. When liquid has spilled into the unit;
c. When the product has been exposed to rain or water;
d. When the product does not operate normally under normal operating conditions. Adjust only
those controls that are covered by the operating instructions in this manual; improper
adjustment of other controls may result in damage to the unit and may often require
extensive work by a qualified technician to restore the unit to normal operation;
e. When the product has been dropped or the cabinet has been damaged;
f. When the product exhibits a distinct change in performance, indicating a need for service.
To avoid any possible static damage to your equipment please ensure your camcorder / deck is switched off
when connecting or disconnecting the IEEE-1394 cable.

4
Warranty
Datavideo warrants that the equipment it manufactures shall be free from defects in material and
workmanship for a period of 12 months from the date of product purchased. If equipment fails due to such
defects, Datavideo will, at its option, repair or provide a replacement for the defective part or product.
Equipment that fails after the warranty period, has been operated or installed in a manner other than that
specified by Datavideo, or has been subjected to abuse or modification, will be repaired for time and material
charges at the Buyer’s expense.
This warranty does not affect your statutory rights within the Country of purchase.
Disposal
For EU Customers only - WEEE Marking.
This symbol on the product indicates that it will not be treated as household waste. It must be handed over to
the applicable take-back scheme for the recycling of electrical and electronic equipment. For more detailed
information about the recycling of this product, please contact your local Datavideo office.

5
Packing List
The following items should be included in the box. If any items are missing please contact your supplier.
1 x DN-300 HDV / DV Hard Disk Recorder
1 x File Converter Software CD
1 x 6 Pin to 6 Pin DV Cable 2m
1 x 6 Pin to 4 Pin DV Cable 2m
1 x YUV Component I/O Cable Sub D 15 Pin Socket to 7 x BNC Socket 30cm
2 x BNC to BNC Cable 1.2m
1 x 2 Phono Plug to 2 Phono Plug Audio Cable 1.2m
1 x S-Video Plug to Plug Cable 1.2m
1 x Mains Cable
1 x Power Supply (12V 4.2A)
1 x Instruction Manual
Introduction
The Datavideo DN-300 is a HDV / DV Hard Drive Recorder. It can record HDV via the IEEE-1394 (iLink,
FireWire) output from HDV Camcorders (.m2t), or DV25 from DV or Analogue video sources (.dv). The DN-
300 can be used as an external firewire drive from which files can be dragged and dropped to a PC or MAC.
The DN-300 has a built in utility to convert .dv files to .avi files, and is also supplied with DV file converter
software to create other file formats such Quicktime.
Features
Stand Alone DV / HDV Hard Drive Recorder / Player.
Records DV from Digital or Analogue Video Inputs (DV25 via IEEE-1394 (iLink FireWire) or Component
(YPbPr) / S-Video (Y/C) / Composite (CVBS) analogue video inputs).
Records HDV (.m2t) via IEEE-1394 (iLink, FireWire).
Full VTR playback functionality, including loop playback.
RS-422 control
GPI input
Drag and Drop file transfer to PC or MAC via IEEE-1394.
N.B. The DN-300 cannot be operated as a DV Device from a PC - The AVC Command set is not
supported.

6
Connections & Controls
Front Panel
Power On / Off Button. This is a soft power on / off button which
powers the unit on from a state of standby; the main power on / off
switch is on the rear panel
Menu Button. This calls up the menu display which is navigated using
the Fwd / Rew Buttons and Previous / Next Buttons
Display Panel. Displays the status of the DN-300. The display will
show Track Number, Timecode, or if the Menu Button is pressed the
Menu Display
Fwd / Rew Buttons. In playback mode these buttons will operate as
Fast Forward and Rewind Buttons. If the Menu Button is pressed these
buttons will navigate backwards and forwards between the various
menu options
Stop Button. Stops playback or record.
Play / Pause Button. Starts playback of a track, or pauses playback of
a track- status will be displayed on the Display Panel. Also Starts /
Pauses a recording when unit is in Record mode
Analog Input Button. Switches the DN-300 to Analog Input
(Component YUV / S-Video Y/C / Composite CVBS) - Analog Inputs
can only be recorded in DV formats. See Operation with an analogue
video source for more details
Record Button. Puts the DN-300 into Record Mode. To start recording
press the Record Button and Play Button simultaneously.
N.B. Unit will not record if no video signal is present.
Previous / Next Buttons. These buttons navigate up and down
between recorded tracks and menu options.
4 Pin DV In/Out Port. This is a convenient front mounted DV / IEEE-
1394 Port for connection to a DV / HDV camcorder, or to a PC for file
transfer.

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Rear Panel
6 Pin DV In/Out Ports. Ports for connecting to a DV / HDV camcorder, or
to a PC for file transfer.
YUV In/Out Port. If you intend to run a YUV Component signal in or out
of the DN-300 connect the special YUV breakout cable to this port. See
Video Input Source Menu for more details.
N.B. YUV In/Out is only suitable for RAW DV (DV) operation - It is
not possible to record or playback M2T (HDV) files via the YUV
In/Out
RS-422 Port. The DN-300 can be controlled via RS-422 from external
devices. The DN-300 uses standard Sony protocol. Connect the RS-422
control cable to this port.
S-Video / Composite Video and Stereo Audio In / Out. These are the
standard connections for analogue video and audio signals. You can
connect standard analogue video signals to the inputs and record them
in DV format. A standard analogue video monitor could be connected to
the output for simple record / playback monitoring of DV recordings.
See Video Input Source Menu for more details.
N.B. Analogue Inputs & Outputs are only suitable for RAW DV (DV)
operation - It is not possible to record or playback M2T (HDV) files
via the Analogue Inputs / Outputs
The GPI socket can be used for simple external control. The DN-300 can
accept pulse or level trigger inputs, which can trigger record or playback
and pause commands See GPI Mode & Function Menus for more
details.
RS-232 Socket. May be used for some firmware updates, or other future
uses.
DC In Socket. Connect the supplied 12V 4.2A PSU to this socket. The
connection can be secured by screwing the outer fastening ring of the
DC In plug to the socket
Power On/Off Switch. Switches the power On / Off
Grounding Terminal. When connecting this unit to any other component,
make sure that it is properly grounded by connecting this terminal to an
appropriate point. When connecting, use the socket and be sure to use
wire with a cross-sectional area of at least 1.0 mm2.

8
Powering On
Connect the DN-300 power supply to the DC In socket. Ensure the power cable is connected to a suitable
mains socket.
Switch the power On/Off
switch to the ON position Press the Power Button until it lights up
The LCD display panel should show DN-300 and after a few seconds the track display should appear and
the DN-300 is ready to go
Menu Options
The DN-300 is a menu driven unit; there are 18 menus which are used to initially set up the unit. The menu
settings are non-volatile (they are stored even when the unit is switched off), so many of the settings, such
as date and time, you will only need to set once. We will look at each individual menu in more detail, but here
is a quick overview of them. N.B. Not all menus appear when the Analog Input Button is illuminated.
The 18 Menus are:
HDD MODE - This sets the DN-300 to HDD mode for drag and drop
file transfers to a PC or MAC. See HDD Mode Menu for more details.
SETUP LOOP PLAY - Sets the DN-300 to loop play a track, the track
will continuously loop until stopped.
RECORD FORMATS - Sets the DN-300 record format to .dv file for
DV25 and Analogue input recordings or .m2t for HDV recording. See
Record Formats Menu for more details.
FREE SPACE - Displays how much HDD space is available on the
DN-300.
TOTAL SPACE - Displays the total available HDD storage on the DN-
300.
INPUT VIDEO STANDARD - Sets the DN-300 video input to NTSC to
PAL. See Input Video Standard Menu for more details.
NTSC SETUP LEVEL - Sets the ire to 0 or 7.5 for NTSC. 7.5 ire is
most commonly used in the U.S.A. and Canada and 0 ire in far eastern
countries such as Japan. See NTSC Setup Level Menu for more
details.
VIDEO INPUT SOURCE - The DN-300 has three types of Analogue
Input - select between CVBS (Composite), Component (YPbPr) or S-
Video (Y/C). See Video Input Source Menu for more details.
SET GPI TRIGGER MODE - The DN-300 has two GPI trigger modes,
Pulse or Level trigger can be set. See GPI Mode & Function Menus
for more details.
SELECT GPI FUNCTION - The GPI function can be set to either Play /
Play Pause or Record / Record Pause. See GPI Mode & Function
Menus for more details.

9
SET DATE & TIME -Sets the date and time on the DN-300; the
setting is non-volatile so it is stored when the unit is powered off. See
Set Date & Time Menu for more details.
SET FULL SYT - Occasionally DV devices can suffer from conflicts. In
the event of the DN-300 conflicting with another device Set Full Syt is
enabled to overcome the conflict.
FORMAT HARD DISK - Formats the HDD and removes all files and
tracks from the DN-300. See Format Hard Disk Menu for more
details.
ERASE TRACK - Erases individual tracks from the DN-300.
See Erase Track Menu for more details.
CONVERT DV TO AVI - Converts DV files to .AVI files for greater NLE
compatibility.
See Convert DV to AVI Menu for more details.
SET OUTPUT CHANNEL - Allows the output channel of the DN-300 to
be switched to a different I.D. number. This is important if there are
any conflicts between DV Devices. See Set Output Channel Menu
for more details.
HDD SURFACE SCAN - Checks the HDD for errors / bad sectors.
This is only necessary if your DN-300 is not performing correctly, or
you install a new HDD. A result.txt file is created in the root directory of
the HDD, this can be viewed from a PC.
FIRMWARE VERSION - Display the Rev No. and Firmware Version of
the DN-300
HDD Mode Menu
NB: Although your PC / MAC may see the DN-300 as an AVC compliant DV Device it is not intended
to be operated as such.
Connect the DN-300 IEEE-1394 output to a PC or MAC.
To set the DN-300 into HDD Mode firstly press the Menu button so that it is illuminated.
You will see the display change to the HDD Mode Menu
Press the Next (▲) Button to select ENTER and the display will show the HDD Enable Confirmation Screen
Press the Next (▲) Button again to confirm, after a few seconds HDD Mode will be enabled
The PC / MAC should recognise that an external IEEE-1394 (Firewire)HDD has been connected.
The DN-300 can then be used just like any external drive.
See Connecting to a PC / Connecting to a MAC for more details.
To return the DN-300 to Deck Mode either use “Safely Remove Hardware” with a PC, or with a MAC use
“Eject” or Drag the DN-300 Drive to “Trash”. Once un-mounted the DN-300 display will return to Track
Display.

10
Record Formats Menu
The Record Formats Menu sets the file format for any DN-300 recordings. You can choose to record
Standard Definition inputs to RAW DV (.DV) files and HDV recordings to M2T files.
Raw DV files can be recorded from a DV deck, camcorder, vision mixer with IEEE-1394 (iLink, FireWire,
DV25) output, or from an analogue video source using the DN-300 Composite (CVBS), S-Video (Y/C) or
Component (YUV) inputs.
M2T (HDV) files can only be recorded from a HDV camcorder or HDV deck which has an .m2t output on
IEEE-1394 (iLink, FireWire, HDV out).
NB: It is not possible to record/play HDV M2T from the Standard Definition (SD) connections on the
DN-300. To view DN-300 recorded M2T files set your HDV Camcorder / Deck to Recorder Mode then
the DN-300 files can then be played back to the HDV Camcorder viewfinder / monitor via an IEEE-
1394 connection.
To select the Record Format:
Press the Menu Button, to enter menu mode
Press the FWD (►►) Button to navigate the menus until RECORD FORMATS is displayed
Press the Next (▲) Button to enter the RECORD FORMAT set up menu
Press the FWD (►►) Button to select either RAW DV (DV) or M2T (HDV)
To confirm your selection and exit the menu press the Next (▲) button.
Then press the Menu Button to leave menu mode
Input Video Standard Menu
The Input Video Standard Menu sets the DN-300 to receive either NTSC or PAL video signals.
To select the Input Video Standard:
Press the Menu Button, to enter menu mode
Press the FWD (►►) Button to navigate the menus until INPUT VIDEO STANDARD is displayed
Press the Next (▲) Button to enter the INPUT VIDEO STANARD set up menu