SD as SxS (XxS)
FAQ
(Created 24 November 2008: Updated 12 April 2009)
By Guy Barwood - Glass Eye View
www.xdcamexinfo.com
If you have a question not covered by this FAQ please feel free to email it to info@xdcamexinfo.com.
1: What is XxS?
XxS is a generic term used to describe the use of a combination of an Express
Card Memory Adaptor and a SDHC card combination together as an alternative media
solution to official SxS media offered by Sony, Sandisk and JVC.
2: What does XxS stand for?
In general the the following format is used XxX where the leading X
represents the brand of the adaptor, the middle lower case x represents a union
(by) and the final X represents the brand of SDHC card used (or
just the SDHC itself acronym). For example,
the original KxS was was coined from Kensington by Sandisk with
the use of the Kensington K33407US adaptor with the Sandisk Ultra II 15MBps SDHC
card. Other options commonly used are KxT (Transcend SDHC card), DxS
(Delkin eFilm adaptor) and MxS (MxR or MxM adaptor with Sandisk card) & HxS (Hoodman
SxSxSDHC adaptor).
3: Does Sony support XxS?
Absolutely not, the use of these combinations are always at your own risk.
It is up to you alone if you want to use it.
4: What recording modes does XxS support?
XxS has been shown to work for users in ALL standard shooting modes of the
current XDCAM EX codec. That includes:
1080i SP 50/60i (25Mbps)
1080i HQ 50/60i (35Mbps)
1080p HQ 24/25/30P (35Mbps)
720p HQ 24/25/30/50/60 (35Mbps)
5: Does XxS support over cranking (fast motion)?
XxS has been shown to work for users with over cranking up to a certain limit.
This limit is approximately 65-70% over cranked. Use these figures as a
guide for the typically safe limit (you may be able to go further, many
have, but test for yourself, it is recommended by most to use official SxS for
over cranking beyond these guidelines):
24p @ 40fps
25p @ 42fps
30p @ 50fps
6: Which SDHC (SD High Capacity) cards work?
Most tested are the Sandisk Ultra II 15MBps SDHC cards. There are also
many reports of the Sandisk Extreme III 16GB 30MBps, Transcend 16GB & 32GB Class 6, Sandisk Video HD SDHC (Class 4) and most recently the Sandisk 32GB Ultra II 15MBps
Class 2 SDHC cards, however the more recent Class 4 version of the Sandisk 32GB
Ultra II card does not work. See the compatibility list here.
7: Can I use XxS like SxS?
Pretty much, yes. You can allocate an adaptor to every SD card you have
and just swap combos, never removing an SD card from an adaptor during your
shoot. It all depends on how many adaptors you want and can afford to buy.
8: Can I read XxS in the Sony SBAC-US10 SxS USB Card
reader?
No, only official SxS media is compatible with this adaptor. Use a
standard SDHC card reader or laptop with Express Card support to read off the
contents of your SDHC card.
9: Is the quality of the video reduced recording to
XxS?
No, the recorded video is identical recording to XxS as SxS.
10: Can I just remove the SD card from the
reader, leaving the reader in the camera?
Only under certain conditions can this be done therefore it is recommended you
never adopt this practice.
11: When I insert Delkin eFilm adaptor the SD
card is ejected, how do I stop this?
Simply insert the combo pushing on the upper side edge of the combo, do not
apply any pressure to the SDHC card itself. Avoid the lower edge as you
might also press the eject level of the camera which won't stop anything
working, but will be a pain as the only way to put it back in is to eject the
combo again.
12: Does XxS switch slots like SxS?
Yes, recording with 2 XxS modules rolls over between cards
just as well as with SxS. You can also mix SxS and XxS without any
specific issues.
13: When I stop recording it takes longer be able to
start recording again, why?
When you stop recording, there is a moment while the camera closes the
recording and possibly flush's a record cache. With SxS media this process
takes about one second less than with XxS as the write speed for SxS is much
higher.
14: Can I close the media door?
Some adaptors allow you to close the media door, some don't. With the EX1 you will
only be able to close the media door with the Delkin eFilm and MxR/MxM adaptors.
With the EX3 you can close the media door with the Kensington, Delkin eFilm and
MxR/MxM adaptors.
15: Are there any work arounds so I can close
the media door with the KxS?
Yes, if you are game, and you have the newer version of the Sandisk Ultra II
16GB 15MBps cards you may be able to 'shave'
it to reduce the length of the card allowing the door to close . More
details here. This will not work with the
32GB card!
16: Does XxS work with all EX3?
Yes, at the time of writing all EX3 work with XxS.
17: Does XxS work with all EX1?
No, at the time of writing any EX1 without firmware 1.11 or 1.12 will not recognise XxS.
18: Does XxS work with the EX30 (the Sony SxS
deck)?
A few unconfirmed report indicated that the EX30 SxS deck works with XxS.
19: Can I upgrade my EX1 firmware to 1.11 myself?
While not supported by Sony, many people have upgraded their own EX1 to firmware
version 1.11 using this upgrade
software. This process required a Windows XP or Vista PC with at least
.NET 2 installed. It is a two step process of upgrading to 1.10 then 1.11
(1.11._0531).You can also watch this video sample of an EX1 being upgraded (watch it here).
20: How can I tell which firmware my EX1 has?
Press the three buttons at the top back left of the camera (MENU+SEL/SET+CANCEL)
to open the Maintenance menu, then browse down to the bottom menu item (IF)
and read the firmware on the right. Then turn the camera off to disable the
maintenance menu again. Do not change anything while in the maintenance
menu, just look at the firmware and exit!
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Compatibility Test List
(results from
public uncertified tests & reports)
Please email me with your tested products to add to the list
Compatible Products
Adaptors
Delkin ExpressCard 34 eFilm 6 In 1 (only the eFilm one, but some of these also have a different controller which does not work).
SDHC Cards
Other potentially compatible options
(seem to work but not extensively tested). These might get you
going until something more available and reliable come out.
Generic 18 In 1 Express Card Reader (off eBay): I purchased some of these off eBay to test as they had been reported to work however I have mixed success with them. With one of my units it was hit and miss if the camera recognised the combo (with an Ultra II) resulting in the combo being just ignored to throwing an unrecognised media error. Sometimes it did appear. The second card seems to work much better, reliably being recognised on insertion. Disk benchmarks put the performance at a very similar level as the Kensington and Delkin. The SD cards sticks a long way out of it however so it is not an option I would recommend if others are available to you. As they are a generic card, there are no guarantees that the card you get will be the same as the ones I got.
Mine came with a green/teal printed label, not yellow.
UNITEK Express Card 34: A card very similar to the Generic 18-In-1 and also found on eBay. Recognition tests and benchmarks have promise for this adaptor however the card sticks out a lot as well (see below). No recording tests yet. Same potential problems as the 18-In-1 apply, the cards internals change there will be no knowing until you get an incompatible one.
UNITEK Generic reader (with SDHC card inserted)
Delkin
16GB Class 6 150x SDHC: There has been at least a single report of
this card working without issues so far.
Non Compatible SSDs
A-DATA 16GB SSD
Delkin 32GB SSD
Non Compatible Readers
AFT Express Card Reader
Based on very limited test results I have moved this adaptor into the non
compatible list. There have been a small number of reports of this
adaptor not being recognised when first inserted and may need to be
ejected/re-inserted a few times to work (from there it works just fine).
Unfortunately that is something SxS doesn't normally do (although it can
happen to SxS on an odd occasion as well) so I have put it in this list.
Use with this warning in mind.
Cables Unlimited IOC-9750 Express Card Reader: This reader actually works some times but many times it take multiple re-insertions to get the camera to recognise the media so it is far from an ideal choice.
Belkin Express Card Reader
APIOTEK 24-In-1 Express Card Adaptor (EC-CR24)
Sonnet Multimedia Memory Card Reader (MMRW-E34)
Sonnet Firewire/USB Express Card/34 (FWUSB2-E34)
Non Compatible SD Cards
32GB Sandisk Ultra II Class 4 SDHC Card
32GB Panasonic Class 6 SDHC Card
32GB Delkin Class 4 SDHC Card
Patriot 16GB SDHC Class 6
Pretty much all other SDHC cards (i.e. just buy the Ultra II, Extreme III or Transcend Class 6)
(c) 2009 Guy Barwood
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