P2 Pricing Speculation

[reservoir]

So the information I've read seems to suggest that when the camera is released the price for an 8GB care will be roughly $2,000. (Of course we all would like to see this number fall given the current trend of media getting cheaper by the month!!)

So I'm speculating the P2 cards would break down like this:

8GB = $2,000
4GB = $1,000
2GB = $500

If this is correct, you could mix and match different sizes to fit your needs / budget. For example:

4GB + 2GB = 6GB for $1,500 or

8GB + 2GB = 10GB for $2,500 or

8GB + 4GB = 12GB for $3,000

I'm just looking at ways to cut costs but at the same time provide enough P2 recording time that would be good for several takes before having to offload the data.

What do you all think? :huh:

....and yes, yes....I know...."Just get a firewire HD and save *X* amount of dollars on P2 cards".......

But I'm thinking for those who WANT to use the P2 either by itself or in conjunction with firewire drives. :)

~reservoir~

[Sumfun]

You forgot to mention 4GB + 4GB. That may be the most cost efficient way of filming. There's enough memory so that you don't have to stop too often (~4 minutes of HD for each 4GB card), and you can continuously shoot all day if you have an assistant to offload the data.

Now that just got me thinking. If you do a hot swap of the P2 cards - that is pop out 1 card while the camera is recording (but there's another card still in the camera) - I wonder if you would lose any data. Or maybe there's some way that you can tell the camera to stop recording to 1 card before removing it.

[insanityfw]

I think Panasonic announced that the cost of the 8gig P2's is dropping to $1700, which means a $600 instant savings over what everybody has been talking about.

let's hope Panasonic sets up a bundle that will include the cards at an even cheaper rate.

I'm in. :)

[Aaron Koolen]

I think the bigger concern about hot swapping cards, is the fact that you will inevitably bang the camera. I don't consider hot swap to be that much of a big deal. Having 2 slots where it auto records onto the other when the first is full, is a definate plus! I think this thread just went OT.

Aaron

[Barry_Green]

You can definitely hot-swap the cards and lose nothing. It's an intelligent system, it won't let you eject a card until it's closed all files associated with that card. P2 is designed for hot-swap. If you had three cards, and a laptop or desktop or P2 Store to offload them onto, you could theoretically do a continuous take that lasts as long as you have storage space for (certainly much longer than the 1-hr limit imposed by tape).

Also, it's confirmed that the P2 cards store only active frames, so a 4gb card will indeed get you somewhere around 13 minutes of 720/24p recording, and two 8gb cards would give you nearly an hour of 720/24p.

[lacuna]

Also, it's confirmed that the P2 cards store only active frames, so a 4gb card will indeed get you somewhere around 13 minutes of 720/24p recording, and two 8gb cards would give you nearly an hour of 720/24p.

Hi Barry, it seems a 4gb card will only get you ten minutes at 720/24p, while two 8gb cards = 40 minutes

and just 32 minutes at 720/25p...

See:
https://eww.pavc.panasonic.co.jp/pro-av/sales_o/p2/p2card/index.html

Perhaps you could speculate as to why there is a 20% disparity when shooting Pal

[Barry_Green]

I have no idea as to why the pal specs would be different...

[Aaron Koolen]

Those numbers are intruiging. If you look at the PAL 1080/50i it's running time is the same as the NTSC one, which I'd think is either wrong, or they still use 100Mbs regardless of frame rate in the interlaced modes, which I thought was not the case.

Aaron

[delaro]

do u think it will be sold with the mic or will it be optional?

[Gary_McClurg]

Looking at the PDF file on the last page on the flip out screen I'm wondering if every time you start and stop the camera it makes it a file so if I'm guessing right. Each take would be its on little file.

So can someone find out if it'll do the same to the hard drive as well as the P2. Also I wish we could lock down the release date. It makes a difference on how you can plan out the next few months.

[Sumfun]

Those numbers are intruiging. If you look at the PAL 1080/50i it's running time is the same as the NTSC one, which I'd think is either wrong, or they still use 100Mbs regardless of frame rate in the interlaced modes, which I thought was not the case.

Aaron

In another thread, Jan mentioned that the 1080/24p is saved the same way as the DVX100 does - that is using 60i with pulldown. So it takes up the same amount of storage as 1080/60i. But still, PAL storage size should be smaller than NTSC, so I don't know how they do it.

[Laffen]

This is just one h**l of a piece!! But I'll guess the whole thing is in i'ts starting pitch. The cam seems to be priced quite fairly, but MAN the P2 cards!!! 8GB equals 8 mins and out in the field one need at least 8-16 of those to be covered compare to DV tapes. So that would be something like 8-16 * $1,500-2,000!?!?
Maybe in a "few" years the price will drop and the storage density of the P2 cards will increase.

[J.D.]

Ok I'm sure its here somewhere, so perhaps you could direct me. What is the advantage of using the P2 vs tape vs firewire drive?

[Phooey]

2GB P2 cards won't record HD, but it will record all other DVCPRO

8GB cards will be $1700 and the 4GB will go down in price.

I'm pretty sure I read that Pana will be selling an HVX kit with (2) 8GB P2 cards for $7995, which I think makes TONS of sense, not to mentiion very tempting. It'd be really nice to get 40 minutes of 720/24p.

[lebroz]

HVX $6000

1 8GB P2 $1700

1 8GB P2 $1700

( $9400 Total Separate)

HVX + 2 P2 8GB $ 10,000

( Special Panasonic Package)

Can I get a Leather Special Panasonic Edition Kata case with that?

[Barry_Green]

do u think it will be sold with the mic or will it be optional?
That mic is optional. It has a built-in stereo mic like the DVX does.

[princigalli]

All those numbers are just a waste of time. You all know how quickly the prices will drop. Remember how expensice CF cards for digital cameras were? I remember in 2001 I got myself 2 cards, 256 Mb each, and it was expensive. Then I went for a 1Gb card a year later, and people asked me if it was wise to use all that money. Now for a fraction of that price I can get 4Gb cards. I don't think people were talking too much about CF prices when digital cameras came out.

[soarprod]

thats because when I had a 3.1MP digital still camera, ($60) 128MB recorded 128 photos. Not 15 photos

[reservoir]

2GB P2 cards won't record HD, but it will record all other DVCPRO

I'm getting *conflicting* information here. I've heard several times from different people that the 2GB P2 won't record HD. But this Panasonic "roadmap" clearly states that it will in the graph. http://www.dvxuser.com/articles/P2/

Is this a typo? Who is right and Who is wrong? I'm just trying to get my information straight, because honestly, I'd just get a 2GB card for narrative HD work and dump it to a laptop or HD when needed (At least until P2 costs come down). Every two minutes if necessary. I don't plan on doing 5 minute *Tarantino* takes.

Help!!

~reservoir~

[johnc]

Go here

https://eww.pavc.panasonic.co.jp/pro-av/sales_o/p2/p2card/index.html

johnc

[jonahlee]

I forget where I read this first, but here it is at the MacObserver (http://www.macobserver.com/article/2004/09/15.4.shtml).


Because of the rapid achievement of ever-higher storage capacities, the amount of data that can be stored will soon increase to many times present levels. P2 Cards with up to 128 GB storage capacity are no longer considered just a dream for the future. Soon such a card will enable 144 minutes of DVCPROHD signals (100 Mbps) to be recorded uninterrupted on a single P2 Card. At a data rate of 25 Mbps (DVCPRO), the recording time will total 576 minutes or almost 10 hours!
And this is supposedly information from Panasonic. I wonder how quickly, and how expensive these solutions will be though.

I have also seen mention of 16GB and 32GB cards in the "near" future.

[reservoir]

According to this graph:

http://www.dvxuser.com/articles/P2/img03.jpg

Around 2007 OR LATER for 128GB!! Hopefully alot sooner for the 16 and 32's.

:)

~reservoir~

[Dmitry Kichenko]

The factor leading to the price dropdown will be P2 becoming the consumer card format. If it does get accepted by masses, then we'll get our price drop.