If Panasonic Offered A $500 USB2/FW p2 Reader Would You Buy It?

If Panasonic Offered A $500 USB2/FW p2 Reader Would You Buy It?

  • Yes

    Votes: 44 62.0%

  • No

    Votes: 20 28.2%

  • Don't Know

    Votes: 7 9.9%
  • Total voters
    71
David Saraceno

David Saraceno

Moderator
Staff member
If Panasonic Offered A $500 USB2/FW p2 Reader Would You Buy It?

I am suggesting a bare bones, single card reader that would do nothing else but transfer p2 cards in the field via USB2 or Firewire to laptop or desktop. No frills, but just mount the card and transfer quickly and provide a format option.

I tried to create a poll here, but it would work.

If a mod can modify to a YES - NO - Don't Know

it would be great.

But I vote YES
 
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I also would not, simply b/c I don't have need for one. I don't discount the validity or need for such a product though... particularly with mac users. But, on the PC side, I much prefer the benefits of the p2 card directly inserted into my computer and instant access and editing ability, even while transferring footage. As well as the speed advantage of transferring directly vs. using USB for example.

Later,
Jason
 
Yes!!!

Yes!!!

I would. My brand new laptop doesnt have the slot. I am tired of having to plug the camera in to offload p2. I think it sounds like a great idea.
 
I would definitely buy it if it had at least 2 slots. Per comments above, I think that would strongly widen such a device's appeal... even people with cardbus laptops who might want to do editing direct from the cards would find benefit in a multi-card interface. The 5-card device is too pricey! A 2 or 3 card device for under $750 would, I think, be a great and popular addition...
 
Given the move away from card slots I'd say heck yeah. However, USB2.0 is not enough. Firewire 400/800 optional would be ideal. The price is a bit steep considering an actual PCI-E P2 slot would probably cost 100.00 - 150.00. Adding bus and external powering options for an additional 350 or so? Somewhere along the lines of 250.00 for a mass produced peripheral that MANY people would buy sounds more reasonable for a product that Panasonic plans to keep around for a while.

At that price it's pretty much keen to buy a pair of em: one for the office, one for the field.
 
Yeah I'll have to add that if you could get me a multi card interface (at least 3) for less than 1000 I'd buy it.
 
Indeed. And I can foresee the P2 Store argument, however the p2 store meets a completely different need than something like this. This is for people whom already have laptops and have no need for an extra device with an internal hard drive.

Just as well, a device with two P2 Card slots would be even more ideal.
 
Keep em coming.

A two card slot would be great with an adapter to add HVX/DVX battery compatibility.

Like inkjet, make money on the cards, and make the reader like the printer or a loss leader. Sell it at cost or lose a little on it.

I know others have said that this isn't economically feasible. For the life of me, Panasonic's existing USB and Firewire readers can be considered a prime candidates for a stripped down device just designed to mount a card and transfer it.

I'm not an engineer, so I can't say with any certainty about component, R&D and assembly cost, but the framework is already there. (but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night).

:)
 
The Dual Adapter with the MBP would kick that thing to the street with it's head hung in shame. USB 2.0 is so damned slow.

Don't almost all PCs and Macs read P2 cards in the field and if you are editing, why not use a slot reader card in your PC or Mac? All of these solutions are MUCH cheaper than $500.00.

Don't see a "viable market" as they say.

Dan
 
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well. NONE the new mac portables have a full size PCMCIA slot. and if the expresscard slot is in use for say an esata interface - whats a guy to do?

personally, i think a firewire800 or usb2.0 p2 interface product is way, WAY the hell overdue. p2 stores are WAY too small for their price and thats about the only other option aside from a cheap old laptop (which only adds a step to the process)
 
The PCD20 has FW800, and has had for a year or so. Doesn't fit the price point we're talking about, but I'm just pointing out that FW800's already here and has been for quite a while.
 
I really like the idea of a FW800 P2 adapter, but I don't know if I would part with $500 for one. For a three slot adapter, maybe. As Barry said, the technology already exists, so how hard can it be to make a smaller version of the PCD20? I argue it would be in Panasonic's best interest to produce a cost effective adapter. We definitely need some cost effective option to what already exists.
 
David S. said:
Quick question: what will you do when that laptop bites the dust?

And there aren't any type II laptops available anymore?
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When will that day be? Right now on a reasonably quick search I found about two dozen manufacturers and models that are available today. And it's probably a safe bet that there will always be PCMCIA laptops from Panasonic.

And, for those who are worried about 20 years in the future, well -- as long as USB or firewire exists, your camera itself will always be a slot reader too.
 
Barry_Green said:
When will that day be? Right now on a reasonably quick search I found about two dozen manufacturers and models that are available today.
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I have to say that I really am not trying to be contentious.

What I am representing is that there appears to be market for a low cost, FW/USB2 or better card reader for those of us who don't want to buy a laptop to transfer p2 volumes.

For many Mac users, spending $200-400 on a FW400/800 reader for transferring footage makes a whole bunch of sense.

But there's more.

A reader also would work with desktops as well.

Give us FW800 or faster transfers to a desktop, and it lessens issues with attaching a $5300 camera via Firewire and risking a blown port. Or using a slow USB2 transfer on a PC.

That my point. I think Panasonic is missing the market here.

If it is correct, as Barry advances, that p2 cards aren't going away, then it might be economically wise for Panasonic or a 3rd party to meet a market segment that would like a reader based on FW800, will transfer to laptop and/or desktop and price sell.

Laptops that are merely conduits for transferring p2 volumes are overkill for my purposes.
 
Everybody wants that. But it's not a reality. If it was easy to do, someone would have stepped in and done it.

Panasonic's made three separate slot readers: the PCD10, PCD20, and PCD35. Each of 'em offers different connectivity (USB only, USB+FW800, and ExpressCard), and each of 'em costs about the same: $2,000.

Cutting out slots but providing the same functionality might save you about 50 cents, but that's about it. The slots aren't the expensive part.

If you think we haven't been hammering on them to produce a low-cost slot reader, you'd be quite wrong -- I've seen the heads of various Panasonic divisions try to impress upon the factory how big a market there would be. But the fact appears to be that they can't do it.

So then it becomes a business opportunity for someone else -- if it's really that simple, why don't some of our enterprising DIY folks come up with something? I asked one company in particular to do it. They said they could, but the pricing would have to be about $2,000 each for it to make sense for them to go into production. Sigh.

So nobody, anywhere, is saying we don't want it. But the companies that make the products are saying "we can't do it, not at that price point." So the pragmatist in me says "if it isn't gonna happen, it isn't gonna happen, so let's explore what the alternatives are." And there are plenty.

It seems reasonable to me that if you can offer an entire laptop with screen, hard drive, USB ports and PCMCIA slots for $500, then it should be possible to offer just a slot and a USB port for $500. But then we get into arguments of economies of scale; it's easy to get that price point when you're going to produce 30 million laptops, it's not so easy to hit that price point when your production run is going to be 10,000 at a time.

That my point. I think Panasonic is missing the market here.
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Yes, there's obviously a market here. And there'd also be a *huge* market for $12,000 Corvettes too. Heck, I'd buy two tomorrow if they existed. But that won't happen. And if it can't happen, it won't happen, and it doesn't really matter how big the potential market would be, right?

Again, I say lobby Panasonic all you want, but don't be surprised if they don't make the product -- they say they can't do it at the price point. So let's ask if some other company like Addonics or Duel can do it. Maybe they can. And let's not forget that cheap PCMCIA to ExpressCard adapters do exist, the Addonics is $69. It seems a more productive use of time to lobby them to fix their mac driver, than it does to ask Panasonic for the third year in a row to produce a $500 PCMCIA->USB adapter.

Laptops that are merely conduits for transferring p2 volumes are overkill for my purposes.
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Overkill, yes. Like swatting a fly with a sheet of drywall. But it also remains the only affordable (i.e., sub-$500) way to do it, other than the $119 Duel or the $69 Addonics. So I continue to recommend it.
 
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