Who wants a P2 FW800 Card Reader?

[zijital]

To me this seems simple: a P2 FW800 and/or USB card reader.

PCM-CIA is GONE in the mac world Apple has been pushing AVC-I w/ the new Final Cut Studio, while at the same time removing the Expresscard slot in the 13" & 15" MacBook Pros. So no more using the Dual adapter unless you purchase the 17".

I have one of these for CF cards & love it. http://www.lexar.com/readers/pro_udma_reader.html

Even Sony gets it w/ their $250 SBAC-US10 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/526430-REG/Sony_SBAC_US10_SBAC_US10_SxS_Memory_Card.html

Come on Panasonic, I think 2009 is the year for P2 to have a recession priced hat trick.

1. HPX300
2. E-forable P2 cards
3. Inexpensive card reader

Who is with me?

 

[Barry_Green]

Everyone wants it. It already exists - the PCD20. There is not and will not be a "cheap" reader.

If you want a cheap reader, you can have it. Read this article and see how it can be done for $350.
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=137738

 

[David Saraceno]

You are preaching to the choir here.

As Barry said, there isn't an economical way to do this.

I almost buy that statement, but then again, resistance is futile.

 

[Barry_Green]

There's a very economical way to do it. $300 gets you a Lenovo S10E, $50 gets you the Addonics adapter. Get a $40 USB->Gig-E adapter, and you've got a fully-configured portable offload station with 160GB of storage that plugs directly into your Mac and can be used as an external 160GB drive or as a direct pass-thru slot reader.

 

[zijital]

$300 gets you a Lenovo S10E, $50 gets you the Addonics adapter. Get a $40 USB->Gig-E adapter...

If we can do it for $400 w/ 3rd party equipment, why can't Panasonic make it for $300? I just can't believe that P2 & SxS is soooo different that it can't be done at the same price point as Sony's card reader. If it is the case, then hands down SxS is a better format than P2.

Think about this...

Two years ago who would have believed that we could purchase a 10-bit full-sized shoulder mounted camera for under $8k (w/ reabtes)?

Who would have believed that you could purchase a 64GB P2 card for under $1k?



To me it is loud & clear that Panasonic is working hard to make P2 ultra-competitive, but I think the lack of a cheap & easy card reader is holding P2 back. I just saw a HVX sell on ebay for less than the price AJ-PCS20! That is plain crazy.

Personally I would send Panasonic $200 today if they would promise to have a card reader ready in 6 months (and I currently don't own anything P2!).

My argument is that I think it is past due & we should push for it. But if the choir has a attitude of "meh," then there is no hope & little reason for Panasonic to deliver.

 

[Barry_Green]

I just can't believe that P2 & SxS is soooo different that it can't be done at the same price point as Sony's card reader

Then you don't understand the fundamental differences in the interfaces. ExpressCard supports two interfaces inherently, PCI-Express and USB. The Sony reader uses USB. It's a simple connection.

If it is the case, then hands down SxS is a better format than P2.

Forgive me if I think this is a laughable statement. SxS costs more, is slower, and can only record 35mbps of MPEG-2. It's flimsy, and the FAQ says that if you eject a card while reading from it or writing to it you risk corrupting all the data on the card. And, the manual says to turn off your cell phones, because a ringing cell phone might corrupt the data. No thanks, not a better format, hands down or up or sideways.

but I think the lack of a cheap & easy card reader is holding P2 back

Why is there a lack of a cheap and easy reader? For a desktop you can get a $79 reader. For a laptop, you can get the $69 Addonics adapter or, if you're on a Mac, the $119 Duel Adapter.

Or, you can use the abovementioned $350 system. What's wrong with it? It's here and it works today.

Cheap P2 readers are everywhere. Just look for 'em. But don't go looking for a cheap USB reader because it cannot and will not exist.

My argument is that I think it is past due & we should push for it. But if the choir has a attitude of "meh," then there is no hope & little reason for Panasonic to deliver.

You're about five years late to the party. People have been clamoring for this for the last five years, since P2 debuted in 2004. It Isn't Going To Happen. And third parties have had plenty of time, gobs of time, to come up with alternatives. It Has Never Happened.

Why?

Because it can't. The technology isn't there. We ALL wish it was, but at some point you have to get tired of beating your head against the brick wall because it's not making a difference.

Look, if we're demanding things just because we want them, whether they're practical or not, why stop at a P2 card reader? Why not really make a difference, let's start demanding world peace. And free XBoxes for everyone. And Cheetohs in every mailbox. Not the spicy ones, the regular ones.

Just because we all want something doesn't mean that it's possible.

The closest anyone's come is the Sonnet QIO, which was due to ship something like 2 or 3 months ago and still isn't out. That's a third party P2 reader. And it costs $1,000.

 

[zijital]

First I'll start off with I think a P2 USB reader is needed more than a FW800. If you're smart enough to know about FW800 & spent the money to have FW800, you can probably figure out a work around for P2.

For P2 offload to have an easy button & I think it needs a USB card reader. Since EVERY producer / bean counter have USB ports on their computers. If Panasonic gives us only one Christmas present this winter, I hope it is a USB card reader. If we get two, then USB & FW.




Barry, I'm sorry if I have pushed your buttons. If it seems like I'm late to the party, it is because I've been in the corner mostly keeping to myself the last 4 years.

I do believe that a cheap P2 reader is like world peace, something that may never happen, but I think that is a pretty stupid reason to not push for it.

I just can't believe that P2 & SxS is soooo different that it can't be done at the same price point as Sony's card reader. If it is the case, then hands down SxS is a better format than P2.

Then you don't understand the fundamental differences in the interfaces. ExpressCard supports two interfaces inherently, PCI-Express and USB. The Sony reader uses USB. It's a simple connection.

I know PCM-CIA isn't fully backwards compatible w/ Expresscard, but if it is possible for Sony to release their reader & 3rd parties to release PCMCIA-to-USB I believe that we can have a P2 USB reader.

If it is the case, then hands down SxS is a better format than P2.

Forgive me if I think this is a laughable statement.

By better I mean: VHS vs Betamax. VHS is better than Betamax because of better usability in the home to record TV shows. We all know Betamax was a better format in picture quality, just like the P2 codec over SxS.

Now if the SxS format is able to be read by a $250 reader & P2 needs a $2000 reader (or something made by MacGyver) then SxS has a more robust usability & I think that makes is a better format in my mind.

I know those are fighting words around here & I don't want this to turn into a P2 vs SxS flame war. I do NOT believe that the P2 format is actually that poorly built off the PCMCIA standard that this is impossible.

I come from the ENG world so I just want things to work & to work in every condition. A couple years ago my Betacam at WMTV was held together w/ liquid nails & a zip tie, so I'm OK w/ finding new ways to make old gear work. I'm not as OK w/ a company that all but forces me to hack a netbook because they won't release something that is necessary for my workflow.

Or, you can use the abovementioned $350 system. What's wrong with it? It's here and it works today.

Because I have worked with a lot of computer challenged people, and teaching them how to use a card reader is a lot easier than a daisy chain of laptops.

Just because we all want something doesn't mean that it's possible.

5 years ago would you have believed the specs on the HPX300 at under $8k? Or a 64GB P2 card for under $1k?

I think Panasonic has been doing a lot of the "impossible" this year.

 

[Barry_Green]

Well, go right ahead and clamor for it; I guess we have nothing to lose but wasted energy. My forehead's pretty sore from banging it against the wall for the last five years, but hey, if someone new wants to take up the charge go right ahead!