P2 Genie for Windows is out!

tlorenzo

tlorenzo

Well-known member
Hi everyone,

Today I'm announcing the final version of the P2 Genie for Windows.

The Macintosh version of the P2 Genie was developed by Anders Holck and after some talks with Anders I decided to go ahead with the development of the P2 Genie for Windows. Now it's here - and the price for the Windows version is the same as the Macintosh version. Anders and I will continue to develop the P2 Genie on each our platform.

To get more information about the features and requirements of the program, please go to www.p2genie.com - and click the Windows icon at the bottom of the page to get further information on how to buy.

Within a couple of days I'll put up a trial version on the website so everyone can try it out before buying.

A big thanks to the beta-testers that have helped me improve the P2 Genie - and ofcourse Anders Holck for his help and trust in my skills.

Tony
 
Great, Tony. I would love to see the trial version, but for the money, if it works, it looks like a no-brainer.

Good work, and thanks!

Oh, question, does it format the cards, or does it erase? I assume the former.
 
Looks nice. I am a bit curious, however, about the serial number requirement. It sounds a bit different than regular Product Activation. Could you explain how this works? I downloaded the "P2 Genie Serial Utility", but the field that I assume is supposed to display my system's serial number is blank. I have a custom built PC (rather than a brand name one), so I'm not sure how it would derive the serial number anyway...
 
Me too....no serial number here...custom built.
multi processors on one machine, so it has more than one serial on the cpu's as well.
 
Well - the thing is, that there's no other way to lock the application to the machine than to use the processor's serial number. Another way would be to build in a serial number algorithm and some kind of online product activation but that would mean another 1-2 weeks of development.
 
Guys - I'm reprogramming the P2 Genie to work with serial numbers instead. It seems like too many of you guys can't get the serial number thing working. I tested it with 8-10 computers without any problems so I thought this licensing method would be the most secure... I guess I was wrong.
 
Sounds promising!
But could you update your website, with eg some screenshots or ideally a short workflow tutorial video - I guess you guys have a camera handy, don´t you ;o]
 
I've updated P2 Genie now so that it won't use the machine's serial number after all. Instead I'm using a custom built serial number engine. The serial number will be sent along with the application.

Spartacus: I'll look into posting some more screenshots or a video tutorial soon. I don't own an HVX yet so I'll see if Anders is up for a small shoot :-) Hopefully the P2 Genie will help me afford an HVX some time soon.

You're welcome to look through the User's manual for the Windows version. It has a few screenshots and explains all of the functionality: http://www.p2genie.com/P2GenieV1UsersManual.pdf

Tony
 
How exactly is P2 Genie licensed? Can it be transfered to a different machine if removed from the original one, or is it locked to the original unit forever? I assume your serial # generator will use the computer's hardware to generate the number, correct?

For the record, I oppose Product Activation in any incarnation, but I would not have a problem with someone developing a copy protection method that does not hinder the customer's experience (and rights). If you do that, hopefully other software developers will follow and activation will become extinct. Whatever system you develop, I urge you to do it in a way that allows the end user to reinstall the product on their system (or on a replacement system) without requiring them to "ask permission" first via internet or phone...


On an unrelated note: a neat feature you could add to this would be the ability to manage the P2 cards while still in the camera. That way if you're dumping to a desktop, you could automate the offloading process while using your HVX as a Cardbus deck.
 
The P2 Genie (Windows edition) is activated with a name and a serial number, that are linked together. It is no longer locked to the hardware (as initially stated) and I've decided to say that it's okay to have the program installed on 2 different computers as long as it's not in use at the same time. This means that you can install the program onto a new computer without having to report or activate again.

I'm not quite sure I understand what the feature you're suggesting is about. The P2 Genie already supports offloading directly from the HVX?
 
Nice job Tony of meeting the needs of your customers!!! That says a lot about you.
I'll be buying it soon. I hope you make bank and can join us in the HVX fun!
 
You should get some kind of award for this. If this works as good as it seems like it does, you have just eliminated the need of a "smart" * "computer savvy" P.A. to do the offloading job. With P2genie, you can now hire your little cousin to do this for you while shooting your movie and not worry about him screwing something up. *smile*

Plus, the price is right. Not worth pirating or bootleging for some people who love to do that.

good job!
 
I thank you for your help, and your decision not to lock the software to hardware. Much appreciated.

To explain my suggestion: I was under the impression that the P2 Genie worked for offloading when you insert your P2 card into the Notebook or PC's PCMCIA slot. You're saying that the same offloading automation features can be used when you're just using the camera in USB Device mode? If so, that's fantastic!
 
P2 Genie (Win) should work with every device that mounts with the standard P2 directory structure (Contents, lastclip.txt, etc.)
So P2 cards mounted in the HVX slots with the camera set as USB device works as well. And I believe the firestore works as well.

One difference is that (at least on Mac Os X) P2 cards mounted in the HVX are read only, so it's not possible to empty the cards, you'll have to manually format them in the camera afterwards.
 
Thanks for the kind words, guys. Much appreciated! :-D

As Anders has stated - the P2 Genie should work fine with the following:

- HVX in USB Device-mode
- P2 Cards inserted into the PCMCIA (Cardbus) slot
- P2 Stores
- Firestores (although not tested!)

Support for the Cineporter is also something we're looking into as we're in contact with Spec Comm about this at the moment.
 
Tony is there a way to modify the date field to yymmdd## ##= reelnumber.
Our current archive workflow is structured this way.
Here’s an example of our folder name 06071201.
The folder is then placed in the Avid MXF directory and the clips are loaded through Avids media tool.

Thanks
 
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Sorry, but right now it's not possible to use both reelnumbers and name&date since one excludes the other. The Windows application builds on the same naming schemes as the Mac-version. I will - however - be glad to look into a custom naming scheme in a future update.
 
Someone named Steven G******an has placed an order with an e-mail on the "socal.rr.com" domain that's not working address. It's bouncing. Please send PM me or send me an e-mail and give me a working e-mail address. Thanks.
 
Hi darmbr.
While writing the original P2 Genie appliation, I fuzzed with different naming schemes.
The current name & date is the one that makes most sense as the date and time info is taken from the last file writen to the P2 card.
This makes it so much easier to sort the cards in the right shooting order regardless of offload order. And it assures you that all cards are indeed unique.
Especially when you want to go back and find a backup folder it so nice with the date/timestamp....
 
Hi Tony ! Just recieved my copy of P2 Genie, Great piece of software; support for the Cineporter is something I am really interested in as I have one on order; just wondering if you will provide a free update as soon as you have it finalised.
 
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