OTHER: PX270 - Simul Recording Mode - Your Thoughts?

B

Bassman2003

Veteran
Hello,

Exploring my PX270 and I am reconsidering my initial thought of simul-recording all the time. The more I test this feature, the more I am shying away from using it. My plan was to have a Micro P2 card and an SD card in the slots. Sounds great but it looks like the two cards act as one. Which means your entire recording is only a safe a the weakest card. I am concerned if the SD card has an issue, the P2 card will stop recording.

Two tests I have run:

1) If the SD card runs out of space and the P2 card has more room, the recording will STOP anyway. - Not Good. P2 should carry on recording...

2) If you pull the SD card out of its slot while both are recording, the P2 card will stop recording. Yes extreme, but demonstrates the two slots do not have any independence.

Good concept, poor implementation for pro video work imho.

Thoughts?
 
I thought it could be an inexpensive safety measure for live events. But the lack of independence is not so safe imho.
 
Looks like the simul record feature in the PX 270 is different from what we have in the AG-AC130A.

According to Barry's book (page 135) if one card is full the recording continues to the other. Not sure what happens if one card has a failure.
 
Are there more settings that you can select?

The little I've used a AC130, I was annoyed that the camera stopped recording if you opened the card door. I understand that this is to project against ejecting a card while it is recording, but I've done it alot with a EX1. Card 1 is full, card 2 starts recording, eject card 1, replace with new card in slot 1, continue to record forever (or until the power goes out).

It'd be nice to hear if someone knows more & has a solution.
 
I can't find anything beyond turning simulrec on or off. BTW, the manual states that if a recording malfunction occurs, recording will be carried on by the remaining card. This would be hard to test and you would need to have faith the first card would not be affected.

The manual also states that hot swapping is allowed in normal recording. The recording continues if you open the card door as well.
 
They originally designed simultaneous record in such a way that if one card malfunctioned, both cards stopped recording. I complained bitterly, explaining that they'd got it exactly backwards. I think they changed it on the AC90, and hopefully they have it working the right way in the 270.
 
Gosh Barry, you are on the right side of all of Panasonic's woes. They must be in a world if financial hurt to not be working as close with you as they used to...

The manual states on card will continue on if the other falters, but to be honest, this is too big of a deal to just trust on one sentence. I would have more confidence if they had included you in the process. The fact that recording STOPS at the size of the smaller card shows the safety concept is not truly understood.
 
The AG-AC160A manual on page 32 states that

"
When the memory card with lower remaining memory (say SLOT 1) becomes full, SIMUL REC WILL STOP.
To resume SIMUL REC, replace the Slot 1 memory card with a new memory card and press the <START/STOP> button.
If you press the <START/STOP> button without replacing the Slot 1 memory card, video will be recorded normally on the memory card in SLOT 2
(i.e. you continue on one card only)"

I take this to mean there is . . . . .

1) no auto-switch away from SIMUL REC to single card recording when one of the two cards reaches full;
2) the camera WILL stop;
3) you need to immediately press START/STOP, as this is faster than taking out a card and inserting another;
4) you are going to lose footage !

How much? Depends on when you notice that recording has stopped. The chances of seeing the red light step at the exact time it stops are very slim.

5) the partial fix is to only use 64GB SDs and hope for a break as you get close to the end of capacity so you can switch out both cards to two other 64GB cards.

You need 2 sets of 64GB cards and one spare in your kit and if there is a failure at any card, you lose footage.

I have had footage rejected because of a 1/2 minute break in a musical production.

Now, regarding faults on one card, the manual has this to say . . .

"During SIMUL REC, if recording has stopped because a recording error has occurred on one of the memory cards, the other memory card will continue to record".

This is somewhat comforting, in theory, except that the chances of "card full "are greater than "card error" so Panasonic, it seems, has the priorities backwards.
 
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Reading this over

"During SIMUL REC, if recording has stopped because a recording error has occurred on one of the memory cards, the other memory card will continue to record".

Interpretation:

It will "continue to record" PROVIDING you press <START/STOP>.

So my conclusion should have been "not comforting at all" - looks like SIMUL REC recording stops when one of the cards is full and it stops when one of the cards has a card error.

So you lose footage when either of these events occurs.
 
Wow. They got it backwards on the 130/160/250. But then they got it right on the 90, right ? And now on the 270 which is the best and newest of them all, they still get it wrong?
i guess you just have to use micro p2 cards and trust in their extra reliability and forget the simul rec function and SD cards. Perhaps that's the reason ;)
 
I don't know if they got it wrong or not. That is kind of my problem. The manual does say recording will continue if there is an issue on the second card. I just don't want to trust that it works given they stop the recording when one card runs out of space. Hard to test for a one time occurance.
 
The phraseology on Simulltaneous Recording on page 70 of the PX270P manual reads about the same as in the AG-AC-160A manual.

My impression is whether SR quits because of one card reaching full status or one card having a card error, recording stops. You have to at least press Rec to get single card recording going.

Thie card failure is difficult to test - you have to start with two good cards and then one has to fail. You might never experience such an event but unless/until we hear from Panasonic that one -card recording will continue uninterrupted, it is best to assume that you have to press REC to continue with one card.

Seems to me this totally offsets any possible benefit of SUMUL REC.

I think we need to get to the bottom of this, otherwise the feature becomes totally useless, unless, as one person pointed out you, need to hand over an SD card to a client at the end of a session.

I figure the residual options are a) record in parallel to a monitor/recorder or external recorder. b) simultaneously broadcast the video signal to a remote recording device.
 
I agree, but from my recent interactions with tech support, I do not think you will have a complete answer or confidence after that call! :) I sensed they guys ere just reading the manual without a lot or any experience with the camera.
 
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