Install and format an SD card for the Pearl Mini

To record video on the Pearl Mini, you must install and format a storage medium, such as an SD card. One easy way to do that is using the touch screen of the Pearl Mini. The Pearl Mini has a standard SD card slot on the front panel. If you want to format the SD card using the Admin panel, you need the IP address of your Pearl Mini and an admin computer connected to the same network. See: Install and format an SD card for the Pearl Mini.

If you're only using the device for switching video or live streaming, then you don't need to install an SD card.

If you install a SATA M.2 2280 SSD in the Pearl Mini, the device no longer detects the SD card. See: Install and format a SATA M.2 2280 SSD for Pearl Mini.

If you're using a Pearl Mini with a Content Management System (CMS), we recommend using large capacity SD cards such as 256 GB or more. See: CMS recording and webcasting control.

We recommend using at least a class 10 (C10) SD card that's 64 GB capacity but does not exceed 512 GB; however, most SD cards that are at minimum a C10, a UHS class 1 (U1), or a video speed class 10 (V10) should work. The SD card must be EXT4 formatted, this can be done by the Pearl Mini. After the SD card is installed and formatted for the EXT4 format, you are ready to record.

Any content that's contained on the SD card is lost when the SD card is formatted. The EXT4 formatted SD card cannot be used to transfer files to iOS or Windows systems. Use a USB memory device to manually transfer files instead.

Ejecting the SD card while recording is in progress may corrupt the SD card and cause loss of data.

Format the SD card using the Admin panel

  1. Insert the SD card into the SD card slot on the front panel.
  2. Log in to the Admin panel as admin. See: Connect to the Admin panel.
  3. From the Configuration menu, select SD Card. The SD Card configuration page opens.

  4. Select either quick disk format or the full disk format, then click Format card. A full disk format checks for bad blocks on the SD card and marks any that are found on the EXT4 partition.

You must wait for the formatting to finish before removing or recording to the SD card. The amount of time it takes to format depends on the capacity of the SD card and if you select quick disk format or the full disk format.

Do not remove the SD card while it is being formatted. Very large SD cards can take a while to format. Please be patient and wait for the formatting message to disappear.

You can check if the SD card is formatting using Pearl Mini's touch screen when you select the Settings gear icon and tap System Status.

Format an SD card using the touch screen

  1. Power on the Pearl Mini.
  2. Insert the SD card into the SD card slot.
  3. From Pearl Mini's touch screen, tap the gear icon to open the System settings screen. If the control icons aren't showing, tap anywhere on the touch screen.
  4. Tap the arrow icon in the lower-right corner of the screen to get to the third Settings page, and then tap SD card.

  5. Select either quick disk format or the full disk format, then tap Format Card. Do not eject the SD card while it is formatting. A full disk format checks for bad blocks on the SD card and marks any that are found on the EXT4 partition.