Do you guys like the P2 store?

V

VR_Productions

Active member
Hi All,

I have 2 4GB P2 cards and I have been offloading them through a powerbook hooked up to a external firewire drive. I like the system but want something more reliable since anything that happens to the computer, drive or cords will ruin the shoot.

I am interested in the P2 store but want to make sure there are no problems with reliability. For example, if the hard drive went bad would it costs thousands to recover. Is there any real way to make sure my files are good before erasing the card? And can the P2 store format the card as well? Any new P2 store expected within the year?

Any of your experiences would be great! Sounds like people have 2 P2 stores just to make sure they have what they need but that seems kinda spendy and I would rather buy a new laptop or have more P2s.
 
-I have found it to be reliable.
-yes, you can verify the data before errasing
-yes, you can quickly format the p2 cards
-you should read Jarred's review of the P2 store


Right now I am debating buying another P2 card and a P2 store vs. buying the Cineporter.
 
Part of the "To P2 Store or not to P2 Store" question relates to your shooting style. I've used the P2 Store, but I strongly prefer capture to a Laptop. The Laptop route has several advantages, including being able to view the footage with P2 Viewer (on a PC) or P2 Log (on a Macintosh). There's also the issue of limited storage capacity with a P2 Store. On the other hand, if you don't want to lug the laptop around, the P2 Store is more portable and easier to use run-and-gun than a Laptop, but for me, seeing the footage and knowing everything is good to go, untethered from a camera, is a nice option that the Laptop route gives you. It's all about your specific needs and priorities.
 
I hate it... overpriced for what it does. You can buy a GREAT laptop with a larger HDD and a DVD burner for less than the cost of a P2 Store! There are some great apps now that basically turn your laptop into a P2 Store Emulator, I used P2 Genie this last weekend and it worked flawlessly. P2 Store is actually SLOWER than a laptop as well... at least in my experience.


ash =o)
 
I absolutely love it. The plusses:

Very reliable;
Very durable;
Very easy to use in the field--laptop workflow is cumbersome to me when you are needing thoughtless transfer;
Hard to do something dumb, like formatting (see Jarred's review);
Small footprint--I have stuffed it in my pants pocket;
Very easy re-format of P2 cards before stuffing them back into the camera;
Uses HVX batteries.



Minuses:

No review once it's on the drive, although if you have your laptop you can view it like any hard drive via USB 2.0;

The partitioning of the drive, while providing for some plusses, becomes a pain to transfer to laptop--at least I have not figured out a better way than to copy each "drive" manually, which means babysitting the process instead of batch processing;

Once it's full, it's full. No quick and easy way to get data off (see above). Having said that, I have never actually had that be a problem. [It was almost a problem--twice I have been recording something and went to exactly 15 4gb cards (plus the two in the camera). I was sweating, I don't mind telling you.] For controlled shoots in productions this should never be a problem, but I keep my laptop and external hard drive available when I do event/ENG stuff as a backup.
 
lpcvideo1 said:
I absolutely love it. The plusses:

The partitioning of the drive, while providing for some plusses, becomes a pain to transfer to laptop--at least I have not figured out a better way than to copy each "drive" manually, which means babysitting the process instead of batch processing;
Click to expand...

Have you looked at the P2 Genie SW for doing that?
 
P2 Genie is one click operation. I have my laptop set-up to launch P2 Genie when I insert a card. I simply click the back-up button and I am done. P2 Genie can also be set-up to dump to two sources AT ONCE. You can backup to your internal AND an external drive at the same time. Plus, you can watch footage right on your laptop... way cheaper and far more robust than the P2 Store which is DOOMED anyway... what good will it be when 16GB cards come out?


ash =o)
 
if you use a 8 Gb P2 card you are not able to use the full capcity of the P2 store .
7 off loads = 56 Gb what abot the 4 Gbleft???????
 
Last edited:
Thought I'd chime in for some views myself. Been having the camera for 2 months now and 1 P2 card for about 3 weeks I'll be getting another one when I can, working with external FW400 enclosure. I find the P2 store a quite useful and portable device, however I haven't yet found a justification for the price.

I mean we all know the price justification for the P2 Card (4 High Quality, High Speed ECC flash cards + controller+ whatever) and that's ok for someone who understands technology and the benefits from each choice. But really where is the reasoning behind P2 Store's pricing? If you compare a laptop at that price it has a)PCMCIA reader b)A laptop drive bigger than the P2 Store c) It's a computer!

A laptop is less portable and less practical of course and doesn't have an antishock protection for the drive, still it doesn't justify the price of the P2 Store. Someone logical could safely assume that a price of say 700$ max. could be reasonable. Maybe I fail to understand how these things work in the global market and in the broadcast arena, but really I will surely accept a solid reasoning behind this strategy on the P2 Store.

Cheers.
 
jazzx said:
I mean we all know the price justification for the P2 Card (4 High Quality, High Speed ECC flash cards + controller+ whatever)
Click to expand...

Whatever = big profit.
Nothing wrong with it, but its the way it is, P2 in its concept and everything connected with it is a 'Pana only' sytem without competition. You see that in pricing.
 
I'm still waiting for someone to chime in saying that they've successfully swapped out the 60GB P2 drive for a 100 or 120GB....
 
I'm not sure how the P2 Store is built, but there's some kind of operating system running on that sucker and I'm guessing that it's either running off some kind of ROM or on a seperate partition on the harddrive. I'm also guessing that it's fixed into that OS what size harddrive it's supposed to work with. Finding out which of the above it is would only be possible if someone was to disassemble their unit and hook up the drive in the P2 to a computer and look into it with something like partitionmagic. Not something every John Doe user would undertake - especially not with the P2 Store's hefty pricetag.

If someone is willing to offer their P2 Store I'd be happy to try and disassemble it ;-)
 
Using a P2 store seems easier than a lugging laptop in the filed and I like the idea of using it to offload into the desktop. I hate the idea of using the camera as a deck. And the P2 It doesn't cost any more than a mini dv deck.
 
For what its worth regarding P2 Store...

I am making a doc and don't have a lot of money but I bought the P2 Store and I am confident it was a good purchase. It seems to be durable and the battery power and small size means it is easy to use in the field where I need it most.

I have 2 4 GB cards. I dump them throughout the day to the P2 Store. In the evening I use my laptop to copy the cards to DVDs. I do this twice on different DVD brands.

The P2 is therefore an interim backup so I can free up my cards.

I can't think of another sensible way to work. I cannot carry around a power book and the idea of capture to disk just doesn't appeal to me.
 
I love my p2 Store. I just shot 34 hours of footage in extreme conditions for a surfing documentary on location in Mexico. I shot from Cars, Boats and in the water. I needed my workflow to be the same as tape... Just shoot and shoot and shoot. I can't imagine this camera without the P2 Store. I could only shoot in a studio using my laptop.
 
I shoot from boats alot as well. I keep the P2 STORE in my backpack and offload my 2 4gb cards as needed. Can't visualize using a laptop in that circumstance in any way shape or form.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top