Red Media Formatting

There should be no difference in the formatting done between the two methods. In our testing, both in the real world and in controlled environments, there was no difference between formatting done in camera and formatting done by R3D Data Manager. In addition, looking at a binary level between the formatting, the only differences appear to be the new labels, digital.*.profile files and folder names.

After formatting, there is a possibility of recovering the R3D files using the R3D File Recovery tool from R3D Data Manager. However, the chances of a successful recovery depend on other external factors, including if the data has been overwritten. The best chances for recovery are right after being formatted without having written to the media.

We do that so to maintain compatibility with the digital.*.profile files and other items. As Red evolves their camera and workflow, so too have the details evolved. Therefore, by formatting on camera first, the program can then look at the correct settings for your build of software installed on the camera and replicate it during the reformat process.

Because there is a possibility that two different drives with different content have the same name, R3D Data Manager will only look to the latest copy operation to see if the media was successfully copied. Once you click on "reset" the information about the drive copy status is discarded. Therefore, it may be wise to reformat the Red Media after a successful verification, but before you reset the status. We always recommend a checksum verification and a visual verification before formatting.