30 GB PCMCIA size drives coming! P2 alternatives?

[Jan Crittenden livingston]

Derek,

[Derek Antonio Serra] “You guys are missing the point. Panasonic want to sell you a handful of expensive proprietory P2 cards. Sure no cheap HDD will slot in and work like a P2. The markup on the P2 cards is factored into the profit from peripherals which are necessary to operate the camera. Maximising profit is why companies are in business – Pannie may take a hit on the actual camera to appear competetive but will make it up on the cards “

This is not exactly true. We want to sell lots of cameras. The P2 cost situation will only be helped if there are lots of cameras that need them and other manufacturers join in and start to make them as well. While it would be very surprising, I think to most, to see the engineering that has gone into the P2 card, we don’t make the money on the P2 card. Just like we don’t make the money on tape. We make the money on selling cameras.

The slot in hard drives probably won’t work, the one we tried with the SPX800 didn’t, but that is not to say that those made in the future won’t.

Best regards,

Jan

Jan M. Crittenden
Product Manager, DVCPRO, DVCPRO50, AG-DVX100
Panasonic Broadcast & TV Systems

[Bob Hudson]

[Jan Crittenden] “we don’t make the money on the P2 card. Just like we don’t make the money on tape. We make the money on selling cameras. “

That’s HP models – give away the printers and make money on the ink (actually pioneered by the maker of the first shaver with disposable blades). But, of course with re-usable P2 card it is not even the same ballgame.

Most people don’t realize that Matsushita was one of the key developers of SD memory (along with Sandisk and Toshiba) and that the company, at the highest corporate levels, has made SD card use a key part of it growth strategy, and not just for a narrow line of pro camcorders. They also own and operate SD memory card plants and about half of all SD cards now produced are produced by Matsushita. Another 600+ companies support SD memory for their products.

(and for those who don’t know: SD is the memory in P2 cards)

My point is that this is really not some sort rare exotic technology. Just as 1GB SD cards have dropped from $499 in March 2004 to under $100 in March 2005, so too will the P2 SD card package come way down.

Bob Hudson
Consultant & Writer
Video, DVD and
Multimedia Production
Overland Park, Kansas USA
https://www.bobhudson.com/

[Misha Aranyshev]

The good news is Panasonic won’t object other manufacturers making P2 cards and Panasonic won’t object others trying to hang some clever contraption off P2 slot. CardBus is PCI, right? Sounds interesting.