P2 + Tape (New Poll!)

P2 + Tape (New Poll!)

  • No tape drive, just P2 (and maybe a HDD)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Definitely, P2 + tape (and maybe a HDD)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • I'm buying, but only if a tape drive is included for SD recording

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • I'm buying regardless of whether a tape drive is included.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • I'm not planning on buying an HVX200

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    0
  • Poll closed .
I just don't understand you guys who don't want this camera to have a tape drive. You don't have to use it, but I bet you would if it was there. Just think of the HVX as a DVX100a with native 16:9 and if you want to buy a P2 card you can go HD. What are you crying about???/

If tape is so bad please let me buy your piece of crap tape using DVX for $50.00.

But who really knows what the new camera will have.
 
Yeah, I think a tape drive would be excellent to have - in fact a necessity. Without it, no longform unless there is some sort of easy to attach HD item. I'd imagine that if I use the cam for stuff where HD isn't called for, SD to tape would be more than adequate - ****, it's adequate now on my XM2..

Aaron
 
Personally I can't help but think that there WILL be a tape drive.
I found this small article and although it's a week old the guy who wrote seems to have some inside info, especially the comment about "....think hybrid".

http://www.dvuser.co.uk/Main%20pages/what's%20new%20pages/panasonic%20AG-HVX200.html

Secondly, if there was no tape drive then perhaps the form factor of the camera would be different. With no tape mechanism there isn't much left other than circuitry, CCD block and the lens so theoretically it could have been a lot smaller/thinner (think Super8 mock-up).
 
HD Post Process

HD Post Process

OK let's say there'll be a tape drive, but most likely in DV25 form factor.
So what's gonna be the post process?

You shoot in HD (with P2 or whatever). Great!

When you edit, I guess you'll be able to preview the video from PC to camera via firewire,
then from camera to monitor via component or S-video.
That's important because nobody want to colour correct on a computer monitor like HDV.

Then what's next?
You gotta somehow master it, historically with the means of laying on a tape!
If HVX200 only has DV25 tape drive, what can you do?
A DVCPRO-HD deck must be ridiculously expensive, so we'll be in trouble.
Do we have to take HDD to transfer facility to master it on DVCPRO-HD tape?

Until Blu-ray or HD-DVD will be widely available, shoot & edit in HD seems to be really costly...
 
Stas_Tagios said:
Unless of course, Panasonic releases a revamped DVX as well.
Click to expand...

I agree, now THAT would be interesting. There seem to be an awful lot of people(myself included) that have legitimate concerns about the potential cost of capture, edit, authoring, etc. with the HVX.

Without a reasonably priced alternative to P2 card capture, for the near future, it would be great if Panasonic upgraded the DVX to native 16:9. That would be a great camera with the feature set of the DVX100A, and utilizing a current low-cost capture, edit, etc. process.

I would absolutely upgrade to that camera in a second, and then wait for the cost of the HVX work flow to come down.

Of course this all moot if Panasonic delivers the goods on the HVX...

T minus seven and counting...
 
That's what I really would like to have. But let's say this new HVX will record standard DV in a tape drive, we have it and a P2 back up. The HVX/DVX combo. Makes more sense to me than a $10,000 camera that can shoot for 8 minutes, longer if you have an assitant running back and forth to your laptop. ( new laptop since the hold one can't hold all the HD video),,,
 
Reading this thread has been interesting, because it's almost like running a focus group for the HVX. People are really split on the P2/tape issue and I think it falls in line with the transitional nature of capture at the moment. It seems likely that Panasonic would run some focus groups before or during the development of the HVX and I think they'd see similar comments popping up. If I were the chief product designer, I'd sure want to give users a smooth upgrade path. P2 sticker shock is a real barrier for some potential users and Panasonic needs to make the HVX a hit right out of the gate or risk losing market share. In no way can Panasonic afford to have this camera perceived as having a high barrier to ownership because of high storage costs. Product cycles are much shorter these days and they've got to fend off the newly arriving HDV camcorders. So I think there will definitely be an on-board HDD option available and *if* they did include a tape drive for SD capture (and I've thought this unlikely for some time), it seems like it would only expand the market. Considering projected Q4 2005 P2 costs, maybe a tape drive is even necessary to make the HVX a viable product in its price class. I've got to think that Panny is shooting to sell DVX type volumes of the HVX--so they need a cam with wide appeal to the low-end HD market.
 
Barry_S said:
Well, here's a confirmation from Pure,

"David from Panasonic said that SD would be recorded on DVC Pro tape".

So the question is how much you want to believe David from Panasonic Canada.
Click to expand...
This thread has grown fast, maybe someone has answered this already...

I was there, and I don't remember anything about a tape other than someone from the audience asking about miniDV tape, to which David responded "don't know yet". The DVCPro was referred to as a format (50Mbps 4:2:2), not as a tape.

David definitely knew what he was talking about, he was not a 'marketing guy who doesn't have a clue'. I found his presentation fascinating and very entertaining.

He also presented the new professional P2 camera (AJ-SPX800). I think that gives you pretty good idea of what will or will not be on HVX200.
 
XCheck said:
I was there, and I don't remember anything about a tape other than someone from the audience asking about miniDV tape, to which David responded "don't know yet". The DVCPro was referred to as a format (50Mbps 4:2:2), not as a tape..
Click to expand...

That's what I originally suspected, and it makes a lot more sense.
Thanks for clearing that up.

Although, by the way, DVCPro is 25Mbps 4:1:1, DVCPro50 is 50Mbps 4:2:2
 
That makes more sense to me as well. I can't see them putting a DVCPRO tape deck in it, that makes no sense to me. I can see miniDV in there, but the cost and expense for a DVCPRO mechanism makes no sense to me (sorry Panasonic, but DV's a lot more compatible, and a lot more appropriate for the intended market, than DVCPRO25 would be). And I can't imagine they'd wedge a $7,000 DVCPRO50 deck into a $10,000 camera, that makes no sense at all.

So, I still say that if there's tape at all, it's likely to be miniDV. And I hate tape fervently (more now than ever), but I'm hoping that it does have a miniDV tape drive, 'cause sometimes you just gotta have it.
 
He said "I don't know yet" That is what I was told by a rep too. Other reps have said the same thing. DVCPro was referred to as a format. That sure doesn't rule out a tape drive. It makes more sense to have one than not. The cost is to much without it.
Maybe Panasonic has a big surprise and they are just throwing everyone off course.

DVX100B with 16:9 and no lead. Then a HVX200 for people with extra money.

If that happened,,,,I wonder how many people would skip this new P2 camera? That's why they should just combine the two.
 
Barry,

Well said, I agree totally. It would be suicide for Panasonic to hobble this product from the get-go by not making the migration to the HVX as smooth and cost effective as possible. I think they're smart enough (let's hope) to figure it out. Going forward, it would be great to lose tape altogether and move to a new capture platform.

The DVX is remarkable, but to have the opportunity to create the best and most competitive HD/SD images possible at that price point, that is going to be truly remarkable...
 
Barry_S said:
Reading this thread has been interesting, because it's almost like running a focus group for the HVX. People are really split on the P2/tape issue and I think it falls in line with the transitional nature of capture at the moment. It seems likely that Panasonic would run some focus groups before or during the development of the HVX and I think they'd see similar comments popping up. If I were the chief product designer, I'd sure want to give users a smooth upgrade path. P2 sticker shock is a real barrier for some potential users and Panasonic needs to make the HVX a hit right out of the gate or risk losing market share. In no way can Panasonic afford to have this camera perceived as having a high barrier to ownership because of high storage costs. Product cycles are much shorter these days and they've got to fend off the newly arriving HDV camcorders. So I think there will definitely be an on-board HDD option available and *if* they did include a tape drive for SD capture (and I've thought this unlikely for some time), it seems like it would only expand the market. Considering projected Q4 2005 P2 costs, maybe a tape drive is even necessary to make the HVX a viable product in its price class. I've got to think that Panny is shooting to sell DVX type volumes of the HVX--so they need a cam with wide appeal to the low-end HD market.
Click to expand...
Interesting time, just before NAB with the new P2 cam the brilliant JVC and other new equipment. Sometime, if you wait long enough there is no need to express your opinion. Just reading and quoting a real statement is enough, so I do. The transfer negative to digital was going fast, and even now the memory cards are affordable and big enough for all your daily pictures. After a while people started to print them to paper. So they need to store and handle images in a analog traditional way. P2 is not. To small and to expensive to store right now. You need a comfortable system to transfer to the new digital media.
 
Don't be afraid. Make the jump. You'll never look back to tape. Unless you want to buy a dvcpro deck, you'll be using your cam as a deck for NLE editing...

That said, I'll bet there is a tape drive.
 
id still be happy with a DVX like EXT record control mode for DVCPRO25 so that i can just firewire my little PV-DV103 pany cam to the HVX and go to P2 AND out via firewire to record on tape if i need to hand one over.
 
Assuming that the physical form of the HVX is similar to the DVX, I don't see where they'd put a tape drive, and P2 drives. If the cam has no tape drive, I could just go out via FW to a palmcorder or something in my pocket - but do we know if this thing is even going to have a FW port. Tape drive, I can live without...no FW!?!?!

Without FW, then we would be forced to buy a P2 deck/drive to interface with a desktop. I think one of the beauties of not having tape, is not having a deck, among other benefits.
 
We don't yet know whether it has firewire or not, or USB2 or not, etc.

Again, we don't know anything about what the camera WON'T do. All we know is a few things that it WILL do. We don't know everything that it will do, and we certainly don't know anything that it won't do. They didn't announce firewire, but I think it'd be insane for it *not* to have firewire, so I think it'd be a safe assumption that it does. But until it's confirmed, that's just an assumption.
 
mjmcneese2 said:
Without FW, then we would be forced to buy a P2 deck/drive to interface with a desktop. I think one of the beauties of not having tape, is not having a deck, among other benefits.
Click to expand...

The P2 cards can be read by any PCMCIA card reader.
You can get one for your desktop for under $50.

That said, I'd be pretty suprised if this camera didn't have a firewire port on it.
But if it doesn't, I'm sure it will at the very least have a USB port.
 
Tape Module?

Tape Module?

Maybe both Jan and Dave on right - perhaps the P2 mechanism is modular and you can snap either the P2 mechanism or a tape drive in a modular bay.

stephen
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top