Video Devices Secures Video and Audio Files With the Latest FileSafe

Video Devices, a brand of video products developed by Sound Devices, has expanded its FileSafe feature with software update 1.4.4 to ensure that its customers’ files are secure. Video Devices newest PIX-E Series of recording field monitors are now equipped with FileSafe in its firmware. If drives are unintentionally removed or power is lost during recording, FileSafe recovers the video and audio files.

Video DevicesFileSafe version 1.4.4 functions as a Mac/Windows utility, enabling users to recover files through a computer-based application regardless if the recording equipment is readily available. FileSafe is also available on the Video Devices PIX 270i and PIX 250i rack-mount recorders, and comes embedded into the firmware of the Sound Devices’ 970 rack-mount audio recorder.

“We have received excellent feedback from our customers about FileSafe, as it is another way for us to provide the highest reliability into our products,” says Paul Isaacs, Director of Product Management and Design. “We understand how important our customers’ content is, and we are continually looking at ways to improve and expand our products’ dependability.”

During recording, data is written to a proprietary Sound Devices file format optimized for high-data rate, real-time video and audio recording. Video files have an .SDV file extension and audio files have an .SDA file extension. When a recording ends, files are automatically finalized by converting the .SDV files to QuickTime movie files, and the .SDA files become .WAV files. This process only takes a couple of seconds, but in the event that files cannot be finalized, whether due to power loss or inadvertent drive disconnection, they still remain intact on the drive. These files are recovered by inserting the drive back into the recorder or monitor. Each time a drive is mounted, the recorder automatically scans for unfinalized files and completes the progression. Without FileSafe, those files could have become corrupted.

In the absence of the hardware, the FileSafe MAC or Windows utility can be used to recover unfinalized files. Users connect the PIX drive caddy or SpeedDrive to the computer, open the utility and point it to the drive’s directory path containing the unfinalized files.

Password must contain the following:

A lowercase letter

A capital (uppercase) letter

A number

Minimum 8 characters