what is the fastest download for the field with P2

R

ryaninoz

Well-known member
In the past I have used a g4 powerbook (mac) which has a built in p2 slot and connected a firewire drive to it. It takes about 1 minute per gig. I shoot with 64 gig cards so the end of the day on a doco shoot means 2 hours of downloading and then checking before reformatting.

Is there a quicker option ? I looked at the new p2 slot reader from Panasonic but I don't know if it is faster.

I'd like to start shooting in AVC Intra but the g4 powerbook won't play back avc to do a check and I like to check my footage after I download. The new macpro's don't have a p2 slot which means I need to get a new usb reader but if that is slower then that seems a step backward.

What is the absolute fastest download option in the field?
 
That seems a little slow. I use a Macbook Pro with a Duel adapter going
to a FW800 drive. I'm getting a little better than 2 gig per minute.

For budgeting we divide the card size by 2 and that's our ingest time
(in minutes).

In my experience, that's as fast as it goes .. and is more limited
by the PCMCIA bit-width and clock than the chips.

jeff
 
so is the duel faster than the new Panasonic single slot reader ?, it is usb 2 I think. I'm trying to decide whether to buy a pc laptop with a p2 slot like the Panasonic tough book and just use it as a reader or buy the p2 slot reader either a duel or the Panasonic which ever is fastest. I love P2 but download times are a pain on long shoots.
 
I would think that the new panny reader and a macpro would be the best option.

I have the duel reader but have not been able to get it to work so it is not the most reliable as I have heard that other people have had problems too.

I also have a G4 but as you say this is not fully AVC friendly and only has firewire 400.

So a panny card reader hooked up to my macbook pro and a firewire 800 drive is my workflow for the future, it seems to be the most reliable option and will be reasonably fast.

I dont think absolute speed is everything but a robust and working system is a definite must for me, that is why I chose P2 in the first place.

Have a look at this review:http://www.varicaminla.com/blog/2010/4/11/panasonic-aj-pcd2-benchmarks-not-too-shabby.html
 
Thanks for the link, those transfer times look to be pretty
quick. I think panasonic will sell a few of these.
 
ryaninoz said:
Thanks for the link, those transfer times look to be pretty
quick. I think panasonic will sell a few of these.
Click to expand...

IMHO, it's only slightly faster than the Duel / ExpressBus variety. ..
but given the choice between the two, the new Panny adapter
wins.

The Duels are flakey and break easily.

jeff
 
I have a question about the new PCD2. I have a macbook, which only has 2 usb ports and no firewire. Since the PCD2 requires 2 usb connections to work, I guess this means I won't be able to transfer the files to an external hard drive at the same time.

Could I use a usb hub to get more usb inputs and run both required usb connections from the PCD2 into the hub and then my hard drive into my other usb port?
 
Not likely, because the point of having the two USB connectors is to get additional power to the device. Routing them into a hub would defeat that -- unless it was a powered hub that provides its own power, which would probably mean it needs to plug in or have batteries in it.
 
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