Capture direct to Avid Xpress HD/laptop?

[Barry A]

I've been lurking here for the past couple of months, but this is my first post. As a way on introduction, I am a video artist and art professor and have been using a DVX100a for my own work and in the class room for the past couple of years. I recently got a smallish grant from my university to move into HD and naturally looked to the HVX200 first. Like most of you here, I am eagerly awaiting my HVX200 (#2 on the list from a local vendor). While I'm waiting, I'm trying to decide what my immediate solution to the P2 pricing problem is going to be. I can't bring myself to buy more than one 4GB card because they seem like such an absurd price for the quantity of video they can hold. I'm sure that when all of the numbers are crunched, the price isn't too out of line, but still...

Anyway, like some of you, I will probably be going the straight-to-laptop route, at least until the FireStore or CinePorter come out (and I can get some more funding). I've read a lot of helpful tips about shooting straight to a PowerBook and FCP 5, but is this also possible on the Windows side using Avid Xpress HD?

I work on both Macs and PCs equally. I love editing in FCP and burning DVDs in DVD Studio, but tend to do most of my After Effects work in Windows for the speed increase. Although I would love to go with a PowerBook or MacBook Pro (once FCP Universal is released) but don't know if my budget can handle it right now. I'm considering getting a relatively inexpensive Windows laptop (>$1400) along with an academic license of Avid Xpress HD ($300) primarily just for shooting. This would still be $700-800 less than a Mac laptop alone.

Any help or experience with the Avid/laptop combo would be greatly appreciated.

BTW, are there any other video artists here? Now, before I get flamed, I'm using the term video artist to mean someone whose work is primarily for galleries/museums. I don't want anyone to think I'm suggesting that people working in the commercial/filmmaking/event side of things are not making art. Frankly, a lot of "video art" that I see in galleries and museums is rubbish. The whole term "art" is incredibly subjective.

Oh...and sorry about the potental "Barry" confusion.

[bmillen]

Hello:

>> Anyway, like some of you, I will probably be
>> going the straight-to-laptop route, at least
>> until the FireStore or CinePorter come out (and I
>> can get some more funding).

My son plans to buy an HVX200. He is interested
in the CinePorter primarily because it is the only
P2 hard drive approach of which he is aware.

My son is hoping to get an HVX200 and some kind of P2
hard drive storage solution prior to an April start
date for a movie project. It doesn't seem likely that
the CinePorter product will be ready by then.

[ Possibly a beta test unit might happen by then, but
my son isn't interested in the risk associated with
a beta test. ]


I'm afraid I'm not very "up" on all of this video stuff.
I have some questions. At least a few of them may be
"dumb".

* The above quote from "Barry A" implies that some new
relevant FireStore product is "on it's way". Will that
product use the P2 interface or firewire? When is this
new product expected to be available? What is the
name of the product?

* Does FireStore have a current firewire product that will
handle direct HD recording? Is that even possible? Is
firewire fast enough for direct HD recording?

* Apparently CitiDISK also has a product competitive with
FireStore's existing firewire product. Does CitiDISK have
now, or will they offer, a product capable of direct HD
recording? If so, are CitiDISK products as highly regarded
as FireStore's?


I guess that's it for now. I would appreciate any education
and counsel you can provide.

Thanks.

--Bob