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P2 FireWire/USB Adaptor
Hi,
As mentioned in my previous post, we just picked up a HVX202, and I am brimming with questions.
Now, I was looking at the specs on the new MacBook Pro’s, and noticed that Apple have dumped PCMCIA in favour of a new ExpressCard slot. I am now on the lookout for devices that will allow you to interface a P2 card with a MacBook or G5. I realise that Panasonic have their PCD-10 P2 drive, but US$2500 is a bit steep for what is a jumped up USB to PCMCIA adaptor. (in my hunting, I did find a few old USB to PCMCIA adaptors for about US$30 but they were USB 1.1 only)
There are also the PCMCIA – PCI adaptors out there for around US$100 option, but that does not necessarily help me out in the MacBook stakes.
I also realise that I can hook the camera up to the computer via FireWire, but that does not help if we are using the camera at the same time.
Sooo, has anyone out there come across a FireWire or USB2.0 to PCMCIA adaptor anywhere? This is a product, that if found I am sure many people would be quite interested in.
Thanks
Alister
– this is a temporary measure until such time as the CinePorter is released…..—
Wombat, with a talent for cutting video -
9 Replies
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This is the exact reason I bought a Powerbook. The MacBook Pros do not have the slot for the card. And the cheapish PCMCIA adaptors are not compatible with the P2 card.
Currently you only have three options:
1) Powerbook or PC Laptop with a PCMCIA slot. The PC laptop will be considerably cheaper, and was the first option we used.
2) The 5 slot P2 Reader
3) P2 Store.
4) PCI PC Card slot for G5: https://www.siig.com/product.asp?query=PCI+to+PC+Card-M&pid=982
5) The camera itselfShane
Alokut Productions
http://www.lfhd.net -
Hi Shane,
Thanks for that. The Powerbook is useful, but I am at the stage where I would really like to retire my 17″ Powerbook in favour of something with a little more poke.
I have looked at many of the PCI to PCMCIA adaptors, but unfortunately none, including the SIIG unit, are PCI-E, so they will not run in the new G5’s.
Looks like we will have to bite the bullet and buy one of the Panasonic options.
Cheers
Alister
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Wombat, with a talent for cutting video -
The P2 Store has to be just about one of the handiest devices you can have on a shoot.
Shane
Alokut Productions
http://www.lfhd.net -
That’s the way I’m leaning, towards an MBP and the P2 Store, because not only does the P2 Store do what it does, but it also solves the no-slot-on-MBP problem.
But, to more directly address the question, there’s also an ExpressCard->PCMCIA adapter being developed which should hit the market in the next couple of months, and has been specifically designed to work with P2 cards.
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Get the most from your DVX camera. The DVX Book and DVX DVD are now available on ebay and at Amazon (https://www.fiftv.com/db) -
[Alister] “Sooo, has anyone out there come across a FireWire or USB2.0 to PCMCIA adaptor anywhere?”
Does not, can not, and will not exist. No cheap little adapter can work. The CardBus adapter requires a full PCI bus, so basically a motherboard, chipset, all sorts of things. None of those little $30 USB adapters will ever work with a P2 card. That’s why the Panasonic adapters are so much more expensive — because they have all the hardware necessary.
I thought such a device would be a great seller too, so I contacted a company that designs something similar and asked them about developing exactly this product. They assured me they could do it, but that they’d need to sell a certain (high) quantity monthly, and the price would need to be $2,000. So I dropped that project… I think the P2 Store is a better idea at that price range, and I think a cheap PC laptop is the by far most cost-efficient way to go. You can get a cheap laptop with a 60GB hard disk for around $400 during holiday weekend sales, and it’ll do a fine job of offloading P2 cards, and as a bonus you can run the P2 Viewer program on it!
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Get the most from your DVX camera. The DVX Book and DVX DVD are now available on ebay and at Amazon (https://www.fiftv.com/db) -
[Barry Green] “That’s the way I’m leaning, towards an MBP and the P2 Store, because not only does the P2 Store do what it does, but it also solves the no-slot-on-MBP problem.
But, to more directly address the question, there’s also an ExpressCard->PCMCIA adapter being developed which should hit the market in the next couple of months, and has been specifically designed to work with P2 cards.”
Ouch! A P2 store is a pretty expensive solution to solving the MBP problem. We’ve settled on keeping the 17″ PB for P2 offloading and for programs that are UB like our accounting software.
Let’s hope the adapter does appear in the next few months. I’ve tried contacting that company but never get any response from them. By the time it’s out, the CinePorter may be here…
Mitch Ives
Insight Productions Corp.
mitch@insightproductions.comApple Certified Trainer: Final Cut Pro 5
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The P2 Store would be an expensive way to solve the problem if that’s all that it did. But if you plan on using it for its intended purpose, then the fact that it *also* solves the no-slot problem becomes an added bonus!
duel-systems told me that it should be out soon, I’d guess in July sometime.
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Get the most from your DVX camera. The DVX Book and DVX DVD are now available on ebay and at Amazon (https://www.fiftv.com/db) -
[Mitch Ives] “Let’s hope the adapter does appear in the next few months. I’ve tried contacting that company but never get any response from them. By the time it’s out, the CinePorter may be here…”
I’ve gotten two responses from Duel Systems
They indicate the adapter will be out on mid Summer, possibly August
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I know this is 2 and a half months later, but have there been any developments to this thread’s basic question now that its September?
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