fool proof field offloading and transfer

V

vscomm

Member
Hey Everyone.
Just thought I would ask how other people are offloading p2 footage in the field. (sorry if this is long winded)
I've been doing this for two years and still do not like my workflow.
I've had problems with corrupt footag in the past and need to check my offload in the field before i delete the p2 card and shoot more.

I have a Mac edit system at the office and a pc field laptop (with no edit software - too slow). I use USB between my external drive and laptop - slow - that's all my laptop has.
Here are some issues: 1) I would like a new laptop with fw800; 2) I want to view the footage residing on the external drive (not from p2 before it's transferred); 3) don't know if i should go with a new PC laptop or Mac.

The reason I question mac or pc field laptop is becuase of the external drive formatting issue and cost. I know I can use fat32 for communication betwee mac and pc but i hear there are draw backs to partioning and fragmentation. if I use a mac laptop then I can just have a mac formatted external drive and eliminate that question. But do I need to spend the extra money on the Mac laptop? PCs are less expensive. And Macs have no pcmcia slots!

How do people check their work in the field? I want to check it on the external drive I offload to. Not from just the p2 card. I also need a laptop fast enough to play the footage from the fw drive, i suppose with p2 viewer or premeir or final cut.

Anyway, what works for you guys out there?
thanks a lot
vscomm -chase
 
I would go for a mac laptop. Either get the new models which require the duel adapter or a used G4 model which has the old PCMCIA slot.
 
thanks, timbook2.
You mean a PCMCIA adapter that hooks into the ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot?
Is there a good one you recommend? I've heard about problems with corrupted footage with those.
 
There's no problem using a FAT32 hard drive between Macs and PCs; the P2 card itself is FAT32, so whatever is on any P2 card will transfer to a FAT32 hard drive with no problems whatsoever.
 
We use a PC in the field. For some reason it sounds like there have been fewer issues transferring to PC's.
We use the Dual Adapter and ALWAYS slide the "Write Protect" tab on the card before inserting it. (Just a precaution).

We have SpeedEDIT installed on the laptop and we play the video and audio on the laptop before formatting the card.

You'll get all sorts of "best way" answers. Ultimately it's about what works best for you. I wish you all the best in whatever you decide.
 
I use a cheap PC laptop and transfer to in the internal drive, then backup to external between dumps. I currently have a 320gig internal in my laptop. It's plenty for at least a day of shooting if not more.
 
I use a Lenovo laptop with a dedicated internal drive (2nd drive, ultrabay). If necessary I can change this drive within less than 30s.
 
I pretty much do what TedRR does, and I have not had any problems (knock on wood :) ). I have an XP laptop with duel adaptor, and I use USB externals that come FAT32 out of the box. I always write protect immediately after removing from the camera.

I have P2 Viewer installed as well as Premier Pro on the laptop. I use one or the other to check the footage from the external hdd before I put the card back in the camera.

and I would add - nothing is "foolproof". ;)
 
hi, i was wondering: can you play p2 footage from your usb drive? i thought it was too slow. mine wont' do it at all and it's a high quality drive. i would use firwire but my laptop doesn't have it.
 
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