Any firmware needed for 16gig P2 card

M

Media Productions Canada

Active member
Finally picking up my 16 gig P2 cards this Friday for a shoot on the weekend.
Is there any Firmwear I need or anything else I need to install for it work?
or will it just be the same as a 4gig or 8gig?
Thanks
 
It's a little different, you'll need to update everything.
I have a link to the firmware stuff for the camera in my sig.
 
You won't mess anything up if you try to update it. You can check the firmware version in the menu if you're not sure.
 
You have to update every piece of equipment to work with 16GB cards. That means your computer's PCMCIA driver, your computer's USB or firewire driver, your P2 Store, your camera, your PCD20, everything that touches a card needs to be updated.
 
I'm trying to update my links on that page, but I couldn't find firmware for anything other than the cameras. Does someone have a link to firmware for the p2 store or other p2 stuff?
 
Hmmmm it says it's "driver software" which makes sense, since there is a PC and Mac version.
Maybe Barry has a link?
 
I'm still not finding anything. Does the application/driver update the firmware automatically? I don't have a P2 store so I can't check. There sure is a lot of mistranslated cruft to wade through to find this stuff.
 
To update the p2 store:
First under the unified driver link in panasonic's website, the same link for camera firmware, at the very bottom is the link for the ag-pcs060g which is the p2store.

You must be in a PC, you must have the p2 store manager installed, and you MUST flip the small switch on the p2store forward to set it into update mode. (this switch is the small switch found on the left side towards the front of the p2 store).

You know when the p2store is in software update mode because when you launch the p2 store manager it will tell you this via a pop up.

You use then navigate to the Update tab in the p2 Store manager, point the software to where you downloaded the driver file and hit update.

Not horribly complicated, but with the panny website it can be a nightmare.
 
This sounds scary...

This sounds scary...

so I must be misunderstanding something.

Firmware upgrades always make me nervous, especially after trying some for a CitiDisk loaner I had a while back.

I haven't done the HVX update yet, but I find this...
Barry_Green said:
You have to update every piece of equipment to work with 16GB cards. That means your computer's PCMCIA driver, your computer's USB or firewire driver ...everything that touches a card needs to be updated."
Click to expand...
...very confusing.

Aren't drivers written/distributed by the manufacturers? It's hard to believe that Panasonic could coerce or even enlist every FW or USB manufacturer to provide new drivers for their hardware based on Panasonic's unique needs.

I can understand having to change firmware in the HVX for the larger P2 cards, but change the drivers for my computer? I mean, we're still dealing with 1394 and USB, right? Was Panasonic able to cause changes to the industry-wide specs for 1394 and USB simply to accommodate a handful of P2 devices? That's hard to believe (and VERY impressive, if Panasonic pulled it off).

Does that mean I have to search the WD or Maxtor sites for any HDD's I might offload to? Or is that handled by the P2 firmware update and restricted to the camera and how it controls the external HDD I offload to?

What if I transfer or copy .mxf files from a P2 card to an external HDD on my computer before I convert via Cineform or Raylight? Do I have to update some 1394 or USB drivers for the external HDDs? Does the Pana web site include all the drivers I might need, including the ones for my computer? This could be a real pita for someone with multiple external drives, whether they're USB or firewire, or for someone with a custom-built editing station.

It's hard to believe I must change firewire and USB drivers on my computer to accommodate an external device like a camera, even if it is as sophisticated as a P2.

Help me understand this, please. I'm getting grayer by the minute just thinking about it.

x
 
You can overthink it, or you can just do what was recommended.

There is Panasonic driver software on the computer that recognizes P2 devices through the firewire or USB port. If you don't have that driver installed, your computer won't see or work with any P2 device.

If you intend to plug in an HVX200 through firewire or USB, or a PCD20 through firewire or USB, or a P2 Store through USB, or a P2 Gear through firewire or USB, or an HPX500 through USB or firewire, then you *have* to update the driver on your computer in order to recognize those devices. If you're using 16GB cards, your computer and all of those devices must have the latest drivers and firmware, or they won't recognize the cards.

It's not hard, it's not complicated, but it is necessary.

You're not changing the actual USB driver of your system, you're changing the Panasonic driver that recognizes P2 devices attached through USB. You're not changing the firewire driver, you're changing the Panasonic driver that recognizes P2 devices attached via firewire.

If you intend to use a computer with P2 equipment, you *must* update that computer with the latest P2 drivers. For firewire, USB, and PCMCIA. No two ways about it.
 
Thank you, Barry.

Thank you, Barry.

This paragraph...

Barry_Green said:
You're not changing the actual USB driver of your system, you're changing the Panasonic driver that recognizes P2 devices attached through USB. You're not changing the firewire driver, you're changing the Panasonic driver that recognizes P2 devices attached via firewire.

If you intend to use a computer with P2 equipment, you *must* update that computer with the latest P2 drivers. For firewire, USB, and PCMCIA. No two ways about it.
Click to expand...

cleared it up in my mind.

I appreciate the added clarity.

x
 
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