MicroP2 on HVX200/202?

S

sridama

Member
So we see the arrival of MicroP2 and an adapter to boot. I'm not sure if the HVX200 or 202 will even be compatible with this. But I do hope someone comes up with a hack - or even a firmware upgrade!
 
What I recall reading from the press release was that older P2 gear might be upgradeable, but at a monetary cost.
 
I wonder if the microP2 cards will be readable in the SD slots of current MacBooks, that would sure be convenient...
 
Why do I get this feeling that Panasonic will shun the HVX200/202 users and say " They already have P2 cards, anyway" and retain the Micro P2 only for newer cameras :-(
 
dcloud said:
based on barry
its not. the form factor is, but not the content
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The form factor they use is UHS-II SDXC. But the interior contents have the same microprocessor, error correction/detection, wear-leveling, and high-speed raiding of a P2 card.

I do agree that Panasonic has really opened themselves up to some market confusion with this move.
 
sridama said:
Why do I get this feeling that Panasonic will shun the HVX200/202 users and say " They already have P2 cards, anyway" and retain the Micro P2 only for newer cameras :-(
Click to expand...
MicroP2 won't work with the DVCPRO-HD-only cameras (meaning the HPX170, HVX200, and HPX500). It will work on any camera that has AVC-Intra capability. The hardware in those cameras is different. Note, it doesn't have to have AVC-Intra installed (think about an HPX2000) but it has to be capable of having AVC-Intra installed, in order to support MicroP2. So the HPX250, HPX2000, HPX2100, HPX2700, HPX3000, HPX3100, HPX3700, and new HPX600 will all be MicroP2-compatible, although obviously they'll have to use the full card adapter to fit the smaller cards.
 
Any way you spin it, it's just going to be a glorified SDXC card. Perhaps it'll be built to higher manufacturer's tolerances and perhaps the body will be made of metal, but at the end of the day it's going to be a SDXC card, similar to how a current P2 card is a glorified PCMCIA card.

Having said that, if the reliability of the micro P2 remains on par with that of the full sized P2 cards, I guess it will be worth it for mission critical recordings. I'm curious as to the prices, and I'm also curious as to the compatibility with regular SDHC cameras since the cards themselves should be compatible.
 
Any way you spin it, it's just going to be a glorified SDXC card
Click to expand...
Well, you could also say that "any way you spin it, an Audi S8 is just a glorified Volkswagen." You could argue that's true, but I'd argue that it's highly misleading. Volkswagen does own the Audi brand, but there's a night and day difference between an S8 and a Jetta!

A MicroP2 card can act like a top-of-the-line UHS-II SDXC card, when used in an SD device. But when put in a P2 device, it acts exactly like any other P2 card, including the microcontroller, error correction, wear leveling, and writing and rewriting of data to cells until it receives a guaranteed verification that data was properly recorded, as well as being able to support the data rates of 4:4:4 AVC-Ultra, over 440mbps sustained write speed. Even Panasonic's best SDXC card only guarantees 25mbps of sustained write speed.
 
Well, carp. I was hoping for a nice little SD adapter for the HVX for those long-toothed event shoot days.

Upgrade time approacheth. Or passeth, far offeth in the past. eth.
 
Thanks Barry. Looks like it's time to move on to the next camera, though I must say my HVX202 was (is) much loved.
 
Big mistake on Panasonic's part IMO. Micro p2 cards not working on the HPX170 does little to promote P2 brand loyalty and cross-camera usability.
 
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