Sony DSC-V1 - USB2 transfer rate

[GK]

I have a Sony DSC-V1 digital camera (prescribed as "USB-2 high speed")
with a Sandisk 256MB memory stick pro-duo that I have hooked up to
several different USB-2 capable PCs, some Intel, some nVidia chipsets
(all of which have been Win2k-SP4) and am only seeing download transfer
rates of around 12Mbps.

After a lengthy dialogue over several months with Sony support that
involved verifying my PC hardware, software and drivers, they have
finally come back with the explanation that the camera itself only
supports discrete transfer rates, fixed at 3, 5, 12 and 480Mbps!!
Therefore any memory stick media with read/write speeds unable to
support in excess of 480Mbps will cause the camara to throttle the rate
back to a maximum of 12Mbps (USB-1 spec)!!

The upshot of this undocumented feature of course would be that there is
absolutely no benefit in purchasing any of the faster (and more
expensive) memory stick media such as pro and pro-duo (apart from using
a USB2 card reader of course). I also am a bit wary of their
explanation due to the fact that they spent so long emailing back and
forth and getting me to verify my setup before finally resorting to that
explanation.

My question to the collective is - have any of you with similar
equipment, perhaps with a different OS, seen transfer rates in excess of
12Mbps that suggest USB-2 compliance? (I'd have expected at least
50Mbps, with a theoretical limit at 160Mbps), or do you have any other
reasons to believe that their explanation is in fact nonsense?

Cheers,
Graeme.

 

[John Inzer]

Have you tried using a USB Memory Stick reader?

http://www.sandisk.com/retail/im-usb2.asp

--

John Inzer
Picture It! MVP
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Picture It! Support Center
http://tinyurl.com/2po2o

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http://tinyurl.com/3xxqg

 

[GK]

No, I haven't. But thanks for the link, it may be what I end up doing if
the slow transfer rate proves too much of a nuisance in the long run.

I was really hoping for some feedback from folks with similar kit who
could prove the response I received from Sony to be garbage or otherwise.

I still don't really know whether my camera is faulty, or if its design
just isn't really "USB2 high speed" compliant and Sony won't fully admit
it.

I know that W2K and XP didn't fully support USB-2 at the higher transfer
rates until the recent SP4 and SP2 patches. Feedback from anyone with an
alternative OS to mine would be useful. e.g. XP-SP2.

 

[Yves Alarie]

If you connect a camera designed for USB1 on a USB2 port, there is no way to
get USB2 speed, no matter the OS system and SP2 is irrelevant to this
problem. Sony gave you the correct answer.
I have both USB1 and USB2 ports and USB1 and USB2 devices. Cameras and other
devices (external hard drive, DVD burner etc). Some are old (USB1) and some
are newer (USB2), if I connect a USB2 device on a USB1 port I get a message
that slower transfer will take. If I connect a USB1 device on a USB2 port,
it simply transfers at the USB1 rate. You can't change this.

 

[GK]

Yves,

Both the camera and the computer are "USB2 high speed" as stated in the
original post.

Please read it again regarding my dubiety over Sony's answer.

P.S. - The camera can be observed connected to the EHCI (USB2) hub in
device manager. There definitely isn't an issue in this respect.

Rgds,
Graeme.

 

[yves alarie]

I certainly agree with you that this camera is sold as a USB2 compatible. No
problem here.
However, you are not using a Sony MS, but a Sandisk MS. I have no idea about
the Sandisk memory stick.

 

[GK]

The Sandisk site says it has a theoretical read/write max of 160Mbps,
and as I understand it, it would have to be compliant with the "memory
stick pro duo" spec. to allow them to use the registered trade mark.

I have also spoken to Sandisk tech. support who were quite helpful and
knowledgeable. They have assured me that the problem does not lie here.