#Good Exabyte prices
20 messages in this thread
All:
I was just browsing through a parts newspaper I get (it's a freebie, and pretty
good, called "PROCESSOR". Call 800-334-7443 for subscription info), and I came
across a place w/ some really good (new & used) Exabyte prices, including some
used 8500 units. I have NO experience w/ this company, but if you're in the
market for an Exabyte, you might want to check these guys out. They're DIGITAPE
SYSTMES. Outside California, call 800-545-5100, and in California, they're at
8827 Shirley Ave, Northridge, CA 91324 @ voice: (818)349-1865, fax:349-1877.
Dave
>> DIGITAPE systems… <<
Thanks David, for anyone interested I'd make sure they're under warranty of
some sort… they can get expensive to fix… heck of a tape drive though, I
may get another just as a backup… (they have been discontinued for those that
don't know… but I expect they'll be around for a good long time… really
dependable and sturdy..)
John
John;
>> (they have been discontinued for those that don't know…
Have they been replaced by a newer version, or what. I was considering getting
one of these probably within a year. Mostly because they are compatible with
the Abecus. Is there something better? Would a 4MM DAT drive do as well?
Thanks,
Dennis
Hi Dennis,
The 8500 series has been discontinued but there are still alot of them out
there "new" for sale. The newer version is the 8505 which has actually been
around awhile, it just hasn't really caught on for a variety of reasons. It
holds twice as much and supposedly runs faster although my Exabyte is a DFSCSI
so unless there's a newer version of the 8505 that is a WSCSI I rather doubt
there is much difference in speed… definitely no difference over a network.
The 8505 will provide twice the capacity with Compression which is
theoretically one of its big features… but that really depends on how tightly
the files are packed to begin with.
Regardless, you have the choice at the present with some very good pricing on
the 8500 which _is_ the industry standard. Still. With all the options
available it is doubtful the 8505 will take its place… So whenever you are
ready the 8505 will be an option. Maybe in a year or so, the 8505 will be more
prevalent and more video / print places will also have drivers for it. As far
as I know 4mm DAT is not supported on the Abacus except over a network. If you
can convince someplace to hook it up and provided you have the right software
etc. yes that is an option. But its not as simple as putting an 8mm tape in the
mail, not to mention as reliable or inexpensive. The 8mm format is still the
most reliable… as far as I know.
When it comes time, there are several people here who have 8505 and I'm sure
would be happy to discuss it with you. Exabyte people are like 3DS people, die
hards. <G>
John
John;
>> 500 series has been discontinued
>> The 8mm format is still the most reliable… as far as I know.
Thanks for your help on this. I will look into this further. Maybe prices
will go down also.
Thanks,
Dennis
Hi Dennis,
>> Maybe prices will go down also… <<
That's kinda why I've been plugging the 8500's. There've been several places
selling rebuilts, and one place I get HD's from has new ones for about a grand
less than the 8505's… you mentioned a year… alot can happen… <g>
John
John;
>> you mentioned a year… alot can happen… <g>
I was wondering, if the new replacement for the PAR will make the Exabyte's
non-essential. If that were the case, then any tape backup would work fine to
be just a tape backup.
I'm just thinking out loud, wondering if others had pondered this.
Dennis
Dennis,
>> I was wondering, if the new replacement for the PAR will make the Exabyte's
non-essential… <<
That's a very good point… I wouldn't say non-essential but I would say you
could get by with other alternatives… I have yet to see D1 quality out of
this box so I'm very skeptical… like when the PAR came out and they said its
Broadcast quality…. someplace for somethings maybe, but nothing like even a
BVW doing frame by frame…
The PVR I except to be up there in quality… significantly… its not going to
drive Abacus out of business however… at least I doubt it. <g> But I expect
that it will look so good that you won't know its compressed, unless you do an
A/B comparison with an Abecus… Let's put it this way, its going to be more in
how you present yourself and the quality of your work, at issue…
I backup all my TGA's and YUV's 5 gigs for around $8 a shot… to me its worth
it… FWIW I use the Exabtye more because its convienent and cost effective and
I can count on the results, more than that clients demand it (it almost always
ends up on Beta Sp anyway) I know I couldn't get away with just using the PAR
for instance… you can definitely see the difference. To give you an idea of
where I think the PAR is at… I used to record to CRV 5000, Sony Laser Disk…
the Laser Disk is definitely better quality, maybe not much but visibly… in
terms of its resolution its comperable to Beta…. Beta, not Beta SP.. and not
that Beta Sp is all that great either but its used alot and the results are
predictable and it holds up quite well under a number of generations…
So if the PVR is better than Laser Disk quality… you're pretty much in, in
_most_ cases, which will probably mean all cases for a long time to come,
unless the market radically goes all digital and then who knows… there's
bound be something new and better coming down the pike… FWIW I'm expecting
the PVR to look as good as the Max, at least, and possibly better, in which
case you've not only got a great deal but will have exceptionally good output
as well… provided you output to a decent Beta deck to begin with…
Hope this answer's your question… I think you're right you may not need an
Exabyte, and you could get by without one, but you'll need some kind of high
capacity backup… (and btw this is my opinion… other's will express the
opposite view… but I've never regreted backing things up… never.)
John
John;
>> but I've never regreted backing things up… never.)
That is why I am looking at either the Exabyte, or something else. I just
finished a 2400 frame animation. (So far, I have only been doing about one
animation per year for hire. Hopefully that will change, and I can begin to
get jobs outside of the company where I work.) I was using a "spare" 2217A
drive as a backup device for my targa's just in case something happened and I
lost anything. Even at that, I was very nervious until it was delivered to the
video house on BetaCam SP.
I thought Exabyte was coming out with (or maybe that is the 8505) a system that
would back up 10 Gigs. Is that what is replacing the 8505? Will that system
(unit) not function with the Abecus?
Dennis
Hi Dennis,
>> I thought Exabyte was coming out with (or maybe that is the 8505)… <<
With compression the 8505 can deliver up to 10 gigabytes… though with
compressed images its pretty rare to get that much on a tape. Alot of people
like the 8505, is half height as opposed to full height amoung other things.
And the 8505 does replace the 8500 though as I said the 8505 has been around
for awhile, I think about as long as the PAR.
I'd look around for some other options just to convince yourself that the
Exabyte in the long run is the way to go. Just in tape stock I think it pays
for itself… mind you I use standard 8mm video tape for backup, and no
compression. With compression theoretically you should use Data Grade tape
which runs from between $15 – $25. On average the 8500 will go for 3 years
without a service which is pretty good… I'm not sure about the 8505. James
Coulter's got one, as do a few other people, you might ask… I think they're
as happy with those units as I am with mine. <g> So even amoung Exabyte owners
there's a little bit of a bias. 🙂
Hope this has helped…
John
John;
>> I think they're as happy with those units as I am with mine. <g>
Thanks for all your help.
Dennis
Dennis,
As far as I can tell, most post houses here in L.A. still have the 8500 which
is directly supported by Abekas. The Abekas DDR's don't know diddly about
compression, so if your material is destined for videotape, you would be better
off with the 8500. Especially since the 8500 won't play an 8505 tape, if I
remember correctly. However, that could be due to the compression aspect of the
8505. You might try calling Exabyte, they're in Colorado somewhere, and ask
them about using a non-compressed 8505 tape on an 8500 drive.
mdawson
Michael;
>> most post houses here in L.A. still have the 8500 which is directly
>> supported by Abekas.
Thanks for the info. I will keep this is mind as I look into a purchase later.
Dennis
John & Dennis:
I've been reading your threads, and have a few comments.
1) I have an Exabyte 8505XL. I tell it through software which drive to
emulate, the 8505 series or the 8500.
2) There is a software tape provided free from Exabyte which will change the
firmware on the drive from 8500 to 8505 and back if you need it, simply by
throwing it in the drive and letting it spin! Same as their cleaning
tapes, there must be some sort of sensor to determine what to do when
a tape is loaded in the drive.
3) Both are supported directly on my Accom, I assume the Abekas is the same,
as long as the post house has one!
Since I have the 8505, we could read and write either format, which I feel
gives me more flexibility, either in accepting files from clients, or
rotoscoping and sending them files. FWIW.
See ya'all at Siggraph!
Greg Pyros
Greg;
Thanks for your input. I just sent you a mail message for an order for the
Sunpath IPAS.
Dennis
Dennis:
>> Thanks for your input. I just sent you a mail message for an order for
>> the Sunpath IPAS.
Thanks for _your_ input! :^) Check your e-mail!
Greg Pyros
Greg;
>> 1) I have an Exabyte 8505XL. I tell it through software which drive
>> to emulate, the 8505 series or the 8500.
Does this software come with the drive, or is it special, or extra cost, or ???
>> 3) Both are supported directly on my Accom, I assume the Abekas is
>> the same, as long as the post house has one!
Is an Accom a type of DDR like an Abekus?
Thanks,
Dennis
Dennis:
>> Is an Accom a type of DDR like an Abekas?
Identical for all practical purposes for this type of work. Uncompressed D-1
video in and out, 24 bit color (8 bits per channel), 60 fields per second.
>> Does this software come with the drive, or is it special, or
>> extra cost, or ???
Actually, it came with the Sun UNIX operating system. I don't use the Exabyte
on a PC too often, either on the Sun or the Accom directly. I have tested it
with the ASDG drivers, works great.
You can get the Exabyte firmware on tape to switch it also, don't know if they
charge for it or not!
Greg Pyros
David I think you may want to verify whether or not these are "rebuilt" units.
Murph'