Intense HVX Documentary Overseas, Capturing solutions?

[DP StrangeLove]

I will be going overseas in about a month to produce a Documentary, and I am still trying to work out the best capturing on a budget solution. The documentary will consists of a lot of interviews, lots of stedicam shooting of high action and some spontaneous shooting. The area I will be going to is a bit risky and dangerous, so I am trying to find a solution that requires the least amount of expensive gear to be exposed or noticable (i.e. laptop) I would like to find a solution for around $1k, but if I need to spend more for my needs, I would like to know what the best options are. It would be great to capture at least 30 minutes at a time, and I would like to shoot 720/24 pn, 1080 would be optimal if I am able to have the storage capacity
.
Would the best options be shooting on 2 4gig P2 cards, downloading those to the P2 store, then transferring to Firewire dirves? That solution seems a bit too time intensive, and it is already over-budget, and I don't want to have to lug around the laptop The thing is that I want continous shooting, and not have to stop shooting to transfer the Files from the HVX to the Firewire drives. Any other recommendations?

 

[Geno]

Your options would be few and far with your requirements. The optimal would be to have an intelligent capture device like the Firestore but I don't think that will be available. If you can swing the 8gig P2's then go with that and download onto firewire (your just gonna have to deal with the transfer times without a laptop) Using the HVX as a "Host" to a firewire device gives a 15 partition limit so with 2 8gig cards you would get @120 gig drives, with 4gig cards you would need 60 gig drives. We found that downloading 720/24p took about the same amount of time (20 minutes) than it took to shoot, we had a firewire 400 drive) You would also need a battery solution for the drives. I read in a thread here somewhere that somebody rigged an HVX AC adapter to run off the HVX batteried to power the fiwewire drives, note the firewire drive batteries won't survive the 15 transfers, or even 6 for that matter. If you have the P2 store then that would solve the continuos shooting requirement without a laptop. I'm not sure what you are expecting for 1k. If you already have the P2 store and the P2 cards, then I would spend the 1k on drives to archive the material.

 

[booth]

The Firestore should be out within the next 2 weeks. I emphasise the word 'should'. Apparently Focus delayed the FS-100 to do more tests before releasing it, so if they find no faults then I reckon it'll be released mid-April.

 

[reinholdus]

May I draw all your attention back on the ipod discussion.

On dvinfo.net Kau Ito was suggesting and successfully probing the use of an ipod (60GB). You have to format its disk, which will delete all software too stored there, but i can be fixed again. It will be even be additional powered by the HVX.

I am just trying to find a less expensive device like the ipod. Keeping in mind the 15 download limit (Dos inflicted) from the HVX to any hd, a 60 GB would be perfect.

Just shoot 12 of your card a day or half day or so, and then find a notebook or a internetcafe, where you can download the 10 download from the ipod or likewise device and the two left in the hvx, on a cheap portable, say 3,5" USB 300 GB Hd. Say an used ipod or a cheaper player with 60 gig, cost 250+, and the 150+ for the hd, means you are getting 360 GB for 400- 500 (€ or $ is probably the same).

The nice thing about the ipod or likewise is, it small form factor, and its dual use!

I see myself already biting my *** off in a year or so having spend 2500 on a firestore and 1000 on two 4 GB cards.

Please let me know if anyone can elaborate or correct me on this idea.