Fast Forward Video SideKick HD User Manual

User Manual

Version 1.0

1151 Duryea Avenue Irvine, CA 92614, USA

Phone [phone] Fax [phone]

www.ffv.com

The design of the sideKick HD and the sideKick HD manual is proprietary.

No part of the sideKick HD Manual may be copied or modied without the written consent of Fast Forward Video, Inc.

Printed in the U.S.A.

June 2011

Table of Contents

Blank

Important Notice .....................................................................................................4

Overview..................................................................................................................5

Quick Start Guide ...................................................................................................6

Drive Installation.....................................................................................................7

Connections ............................................................................................................8

Front Panel Controls ..............................................................................................9

The Screen Scheme .............................................................................................10

The Menu Button

The Monitor Screen ..............................................................................................11

Live View / Live Button

Record Mode

Playback Mode

Jog

Scrub

The CLIP Menu ......................................................................................................12

Clip List / Clip Window

Re-Name Clip

Name Next Clip

Delete Clip

Formatting the Drive ............................................................................................13

2 sideKick HD Manual, Fast Forward Video, Inc

The SET-UP Menu .................................................................................................14

Video Standard

Codec

The SET-UP Menu (continued) ............................................................................15

Loop Playback

Video Input

Auto Record

Audio Input

Audio Output

Record Format

Date / Time

Factory Defaults

Firmware Version

Serial Number

Updating Firmware ...............................................................................................16

Post Production ....................................................................................................17

Specications .......................................................................................................18

Limited Warranty ..................................................................................................19

3sideKick HD Manual, Fast Forward Video, Inc

Important Notice

STATIC PRECAUTIONS:
The sideKick HD has been built to meet the demands of a video production environment. However,
the hardware is subject to the same dangers from static as any other electronic device. Use care
when connecting or disconnecting cables.

IMPORTANT:
Take care not to introduce any moisture into the unit.

CLEANING AND HANDLING:
The unit should only require dusting with a soft cloth. Solvents may harm the painted surface and
leak to the inside causing severe damage.

PACKAGE CONTENTS:

1 – sideKick HD unit
1 - 128GB SSD Drive
1 – AC Adapter
1 – USB Drive Cable

PLEASE RETAIN THE ORIGINAL SHIPPING CARTON:
If you need to return the unit for service or upgrade it is STRONGLY recommended that you use the
original packaging, which was specically designed to protect it from damage while in transit. IF RE­TURNED IN SOMETHING OTHER THAN ORIGINAL PACKAGING, A FEE WILL BE ASSESSED
FOR THE USE OF NEW SHIPPING MATERIALS WHEN THE UNIT IS RETURNED BACK TO
YOU (a protective metal shipping case is acceptable).

TECH SUPPORT:
If you experience any problems with the unit, please visit Fast Forward Video’s techncial support
page - http://www.ffv.com/tech-support. DO NOT ATTEMPT to repair or modify the unit as this
might cause further damage, which could void your warranty. A technician will determine whether
your problem is caused by a faulty component, and decide whether you need to return it for evalua­tion and/or repair.

FCC Information to the user:

This device complies with part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device

may not cause harmful interference, and (2). This device must accept any interference received, including interference

that may cause undesired operation. This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A

digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against

harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and

can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause

harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful

interference, in which case, the user will be required to correct the interference at his/her own expense.

4 sideKick HD Manual, Fast Forward Video, Inc

Overview

Ease your production workow with a versatile recording solution that the whole production team
can agree on. sideKick HD is a camera-mountable High Denition digital video recorder that gives
you the freedom and exibility to:

• Capture high quality video from your HD-SDI or HDMI capable camera.

- up to 220 Mbit/s (codec dependent)

- 4:2:2 sampling

- 10-bit quantization

• Record directly to high quality NLE formats, eliminating timely capturing, rendering and extra
transcoding which may degrade image quality.

• Be sure you've got the shot with the 4.3” on-board condence monitor, which provides simple
playback options including clip selection, scrub and jog.

• sideKick HD comes with a 128GB Solid State Drive (SSD) but you can easily increase record
times with larger capacity non-proprietary 2.5” solid state drives.

• Mount the sideKick HD anywhere with the standard 1/4" 20 mount and ample power options
including varible voltage battery input from 7-16 volts DC or from AC line voltage using the
included power adapter.

• Recording can commence by pressing the big red Record button, or sideKick HD can be set
to sense incoming time code from the camera and automatically start/stop recording when the
time code starts and stops. Frame Rate and Video Resolution can also be set automatically with
sideKick HD's sensing capabilities.

• sideKick HD allows for a variety of preferred recording codecs. Authors of popular codecs re­quire license fees per distributed copy, so with FFV's Codec Download Program you only
purchase the codecs you need for your own indivdual workow.

- Apple ProRes 422 (this codec ships with the product)

- Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) (available now via purchase from ffv.com)

More codec options will become available via purchase from FFV, including:

- Avid DNx HD (available in the future via purchase from ffv.com)

- AVC Intra (available in the future via purchase from ffv.com)

5sideKick HD Manual, Fast Forward Video, Inc

Quick Start Guide

1. Apply Power – Either plug the AC power adapter (transformer) into a 110 VAC wall socket and
connect the locking connector (mini XLR) to the POWER port located on the bottom of the unit,
or connect a battery power cable (not included) to an acceptable 7-16VDC battery system and
its locking connector (mini XLR) to the POWER port located on the bottom of the unit.
(Please note special battery mount cables are available as an accessory from www.ffv.com.)

2. Turn On sideKick HD - Turn POWER on by sliding down the recessed switch located on the
right of the unit.

3. Install Drive – Slide the 2.5” solid-state drive into the drive slot located on the back of the unit.
You will feel the drive secure to the connection within the unit and the disk icon located on the
MONITOR SCREEN will turn white. Wait a moment while the recorder reads the drive, this
will take a few seconds, perhaps longer if there is a lot of video on the drive. If the drive icon
remains red or a DRIVE REMOVED warning message appears see DRIVE INSTALLATION for
additional details.
*Please note it is normal for the drive enclosure to get warm; it quickly reaches a maximum
temperature and will not exceed recommended temperature throughout use.

4. Connect source – Connect to camera or another source using either HD-SDI (bottom) or
HDMI (left side) inputs and analog audio (left side) inputs if needed.

5. Set-Up Menu Setting – Press the MENU button twice to enter the SET-UP menu which allows
you to set the Video Standard, Codec, Video and Audio Input, Auto Record, and Audio Output.
Use the scroll wheel to move through the menu options and the wheel's center black button to
select your settings. See SET-UP Menu for addtional details.

6. Format Drive - If the drive is new, it should be formatted. From the MONITOR SCREEN, press
the MENU button once to access the CLIP Menu and using the scroll wheel, scroll to FORMAT
DISK. Press the black center button on the wheel once, highlight FORMAT, select by pressing
the black center button. A warning message will appear, highlight OK, select by pressing the
black center button. A "Formatting Disk" pop-up message will be displayed during the format­ting process. When formatting is complete, you're ready to record.

7. Record – Press the RED Record button to start recording and press STOP ( ■) to stop record-
ing. Each REC and STOP will create a separate clip. Please note: if the Auto Record feature
is set to FOLLOW CAMERA TIME CODE the unit will start and stop recording based on the
rolling time code from the camera. See SET-UP Menu for additional details.

8. CLIP Menu – Press the MENU button once to enter the CLIP Menu. Use the scroll wheel
to move through the clips and select clip by pressing the scroll wheel's black center button.
Press the control buttons to play a clip within the clip window. Other menu options include the
ability to rename and delete clips as well as format the drive. Of course, clips can be played
from the MONITOR SCREEN as well.

9. Remove Drive - Drives can be removed or inserted with the unit's power on or off. Hold the
securing tab on back of the unit while sliding the drive out. You can now connect the drive us­ing the provided SATA to USB cable to download les to a NLE system.

10. Turn Off sideKick HD - POWER off sideKick by sliding down the recessed switch on the right
side of the unit and holding for ve seconds.

6 sideKick HD Manual, Fast Forward Video, Inc