HVX200 Configuration

[mochouinard]

Please keep your post informative only, because it get hard to track.

I got a bonus this year to get a my HVX200, I am very excited except for the wait time to get one, and also what I will need around the camera to make it work.

I wonder what configuration I should choice. I want at less 60 minutes of recording outside of my home. Now I wonder how I should work. My price tag is 10k$ so I can't really go higher than that rightnow. So I was thinking of the 2x8gig + USB HD or 2x4gig + P2 Store.

I wouldnt to remove the P2 Card all the time, especially if I record on the 2 card, I would need to empty one, wait 4 minutes then empty the other, wait another 4 minutes. Having a USB Drive, I can just connect it and empty both probably in 1 operation, might still take 8 minutes, but wouldnt have to do the switch. Also doing live hotswap removal of the P2 Card will create motion and is nearly imposible to do like recording handheld.

Interesting point for the P2 Store can be battery powered, and design to be used handheld for durability. Now it sad that the information about the P2 Store is limited. For example, does it come with a battery and charger, or just AC adaptor or nothing ? One very interesting feature might be to beable to DUMP to another USB Harddisk like the camera does, so you can empty your 60gig P2 Store to a 500gig USB HardDrive. Does the P2 Drive come with straps so you can keep it on you all time ?

So I guess my question is for any P2 Store User... is it worth it ?

 

[izoneguy]

I think the general consenses on the P2 store is this....
If you are a one-man band shooting in the boonies with limited
power then yes the P2 store will probably be what you need.
However, at $2,000 you could buy a very capable laptop to
off-load the P2 cards to. I hope Apple comes out with some other new Intel laptops that have a PCMCIA slot. Otherwise I guess you could get a current Powerbook model. I have many requests for Greenscreen work on location, so the P2-laptop loaded with FCP will make the most sense for me....your mileage may vary.

 

[izoneguy]

Here is the P2 info from Panasonic.

The AJ-PCS060G is a ruggedized, portable hard disk unit with a P2 card slot that quickly transfers the content of P2 cards to an internal hard disk drive.

The 2.5" 60GB hard disk drive can hold the contents of up to 15 4GB P2 cards, and the entire contents of a 4GB P2 card can be transferred to the internal hard disk drive in about four minutes (in the non-verify mode). After the P2 content has been transferred, the AJ-PCS060G can connect to a nonlinear editing system or server ingests PC via a USB 2.0 interface and appears as an external disk drive. The AJ-PCS060G has a shock-resistant magnesium alloy body and is equipped with special impact-absorbing materials to cushion the hard disk against shock and vibration.

In the field, the less than 1.5 pound AJ-PCS060G serves as an aggregation and transport device, storing the contents of P2 cards and minimizing the number of P2 cards needed. Back at the studio, it serves as a high-speed drive for transferring video into a station's local area network (LAN) or nonlinear editing system to speed access to the recorded content.

For quick and easy operation, the AJ-PCS060G simply has a large start button. The drive also includes LED indicators for copy status, drive capacity, and battery life remaining. The drive supports Windows 2000, Windows XP and Apple operating systems. Drivers for all operating systems are included. It runs on DC power, so you can use a 7.2V DC battery or a 7.9V AC adaptor to power it.

 

[mochouinard]

I saw the info on P2 Store, but that information tell limited information. I want to know does it come with battery or/and AC power adaptor/charger, or it extra $ I need to put out. Also if we can offload it to another bigger USB Drive.

Btw I do have a Laptop, Dell Latitude D610, so I could use that. But I had in mind that a P2 Store with strap on shoulder, you can on the move offload your P2 card by just putting it in there and copy it while moving to another location. But I might be wrong in the way I want to use it. Maybe you have to keep it stable on a Desk or something.

 

[Justyn]

I do think it's a cool item, just really pricey. From what I heard, you could actually put it through a loop and wear it on your belt. I'm sure the AC and battery and belt clip are extra cash.


I'd probably buy one if had a larger HD or even better, a hot swappable drive. That would be cool so drives could be inserted when they are filled up.