Shooting in HD on Canon XHA1 w/ Focus Firestore FS-100 Hard Drive

I recently got a couple of hard drives to extend the life of my Canon XHA1. I just got a Focus Firestore FS-100 Hard Drive. Whenever I try to record in standard definition (DV) the hard drive records perfectly, however whenever I try to record in HDV mode I cannot get the hard drive to work.

How can I make this hard drive record in HD?

Thanks :)

Make sure you have the latest firmware installed (if you can find it). I last used mine nearly 10 years ago, but had no problems recording HD (1440/1080/60i) from an XHA1. Settings in the camera and FS-100 must agree. Here is a copy of the manual.

Focus Firestore FS-100 Software Manual (Page 5 of 8)

There may be a compatibility issue between the FS-100 and Canon XH-A1. I have the Firestore FS-CF-Pro, which has an interface specifically for Canon XH cameras. The company, Focus Enhancements, has changed ownership, and the last reference I can find dates to 2008. The FS-100 was compatible with Panasonic and/or JVC HDV cameras.

The XH-A1 is not a true HD camera, rather 1080x1440, interpolated to 1080x1920. Unlike newer cameras, it does not have an HDMI output. The SD/HDV output is FireWire 400. You must have a tape in the recorder in order to record on an FS (assuming compatibility), even if you don't record to the tape.

I switched to cameras recording to CF cards about that time, and recently to Atomos Ninja recorder/monitors via HDMI. The Atomos recorders work with any HDMI camera, including Canon XF cameras. More important, they can record from DSLR and MILC cameras which have video and an HDMI output, without an arbitrary time limit on clip length, and at much higher quality than internal recordings (ProRes 4,2,2 vs HD.264 4,2,0).