HD-P2 Vs R4

G

ggrantly

Veteran
Could anyone give me a comparison of these two portable recoerders. Is one superior in the field or is one more reliable? Is the CF system better than the Roland harddrive? The Roland does not have firewire only USB, but it does have 4 tracks, Is there a easy way to link TC between a P2 and a DVX100A? Is it realistic to try to patch the audio to video in post....and what is the best way to do it? Please forgive the shotgun questions.
Thanks in advance.
 
IMHO the R4 is designed for live music recording and not so well designed for location audio work. The one guy I know who has one can't wait to sell it to get a SD 7xx recorder.

I believe Jay Rose has reviewed both these recorders over at DV.com. Check over there.

Cheers
 
ggrantly,

I've been using the P2 pretty much since it came out, and it is doing the job for me. There are a couple of limitations that can be a bit frustrating, but overall it is working well.

The two real limitations I've hit are:

1. Line in only seems to work with RCA inputs, not balanced XLR.
2. While it can generate TC, it has no TC out option, so realistically you can only jam it from another source (I use a Denecke TS2-SB TC slate).

There is no way to jam a DVX100 (a or b) or an HVX right now from an external TC source. I've heard rumors that someone is working on a way to do it via firewire, but that is just a rumor (and yes, you can synch two cameras via firewire, but not jam TC from an external source).

For me, using TC with the DVX/HVX is mostly about providing another way to identify which file goes with which take.

Check the archives...there have been quite a few posts on the P2 that cover more details than I'm hitting here.

Phil
 
Thanks for the info. Is the build quality OK? Dumb question: How do you sync the audio in post? Assuming that once running, both cam and P2 have adequate clocks for a reasonable amount of time, can you sync them "by eye" in your NLE?
 
Boy somehow someone started saying that the build quality of the P2 isn't up to snuff. I'm not sure why that is said, but it is holding its own with me just fine. Yes, it's plastic, but guess what, so are all of the Fostex recorders, and even the venerable Tascam D series DATs are plastic. Probably my only complaint build-wise is that it is a bit heavier than the Marantz 670.

As far as synching audio, same way as has been done for many years...match the slate in the NLE. It really isn't that hard to do.

I've heard people say that they try to set the clock on the DVX and the slate as close together as possible, but I'm not sure it's worth the effort. If you're really concerned, as a sound person, note the delta on your sound log and move forward.

Phil
 
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