The micro digital recorder PDR from Lectrosonics introduced a little over a year ago receives a new firmware update, V2.0, with new features and enhanced functionality requested by users.
The highly compact size of the Lectrosonics PDR (Portable Digital Recorder) has made it a popular choice for a wide range of productions where the word “tiny” is seen as an important asset. The small micro recorder is ideal to use when space is scarce for sound recorders. With 2.3×2.1x.7 inches (60x54x17 mm), and a weight of 2.5 oz (71 grams) with battery, the PDR records in 24 bit, 48 kHz digital onto a Micro SD card (HC type) in the industry-standard .wav (Broadcast Wave Format) format. The PDR can be jammed to external time code via the standard 5-pin Lemo connector. A headphone output jack allows for monitoring the signal input or listening to previously recorded files.
The PDR (Portable Digital Recorder) is designed for HD quality professional use. For situations in which the distance is extreme or where using a wireless microphone is not practical, the PDR recorder can travel with your subject and capture professional quality audio, synchronized with timecode. The tiny size and rounded shape make the PDR unobtrusive and easy to place in garments and costumes, and easy to conceal when used as a “plant” microphone to capture environmental or location sound.
These features have made the PDR the “star” in everything from feature films to extreme sports and professional videography. The new Version 2.0 Firmware Update incorporates a number of user suggestions, including the addition of iXML file header support, Filesystem protection, and an improved menu structure.
The new Update offers iXML Header Support, which allows for recordings to contain industry-standard iXML data in the file headers, enabling easy handling in typical editing software. And Filesystem Protection adds provisions to protect recorded data on the Micro SD card when users mount the card onto a computer. The menu structure has also been updated with some items moved to submenus, including “Timecode…”, “SD Card…” and “Settings…”, which is designed to allow for quicker and easier navigation for users.
Additional functional enhancements provided by the Firmware Update include:
- Timecode can now be copied from the internal real time clock. Scene and take numbers can now be manually entered, and are embedded in the filenames and iXML headers of recordings. Take number automatically increments each time the record button is pressed.
- File browsing and playback can now be organized by file or by scene and take. And the PDR now understands recordings made in SMWB Series transmitter/recorders and can list their format, length, timestamp information, etc. (Note that the PDR cannot play SMWB recordings because of the sample rate mismatch.) For greater convenience, recording segment size has been increased from approx. 200 MB to 4 GB. On the largest SD card size supported (32 GB), the maximum number of segments a single recording can have is 8. And finally, the two original file naming templates (“Clock Time” and “Sequence”) have been enhanced.
“Lectrosonics has been very proud to offer the PDR, which gives professionals a highly compact, professional grade sound recorder at a very attractive price point. In a little over a year since its introduction, we’ve been amazed by the variety of uses that our customers have found for it,” says Karl Winkler, VP of sales for Lectrosonics. “And users have given us valuable feedback, so we are pleased to incorporate some of their suggestions in the new Version 2.0 Firmware Update for the PDR. We’re always grateful for input which helps improve our products!”
The new PDR v.2.0 Update is downloadable free from the PDR – Firmware page.