just got off the phone w/Adrienne at nNovia after inquiring about nNovia's upcoming products to accommodate DVCPro-thru-DVCProHD.

Here's the scoop:

Mid-June is the scheduled release date. (Saw a prior announcement of June 16, but Adrienne mentioned the 19th. Either way, it's not far off).

A new version of the QC Deck will be available to record DV, DVCPro, DVCPro50, and DVCProHD. Note it will be a completely new unit, i.e. "current"/older QC Decks will not automatically accommodate the Panasonic codecs, though a firmware upgrade may allow that. (If I understood Adrienne correctly, the new unit will even record HDV from a switch located in the back of the unit).

Perhaps the most sought-after news is the pricing:
the new QC Deck for DVCPro-and-better is slated to cost $ 1,599 (US), but that is without a Mediapac, i.e. without a recording medium. HOWEVER, existing Mediapacs WILL be usable in the newer DVCPro-capable QC Deck. (Makes sense, as it's "only" an HDD; the conversion occurs from the chips inside the deck, not the platters).

So, if you already own a QC Deck and 1 or more Mediapacs, you'll only need to purchase a new DVCPro-capable QC Deck; "old" Mediapacs will work in the new DVCPro-capable units, but will likely require re-formatting when moved from old to new units, and reformatted again when transferring from new to old.

However, maybe the best news is that they are taking pre-orders. If you pre-order before June 1, and pay a 50% deposit, nNovia will include a 120GB Mediapac FOR FREE. That's a $ 299 savings. (Payment can be made by credit card, wire, check, and MAYBE PayPal...they're working on that, but it's not a high-priority item at the moment).

Also, the same day, a 160GB Mediapac will become available for a price of $ 349 (US). Per Adrienne, that should allow 3 hrs of recording in DVCProHD/DVCPro100, and more in lower codec recording.

FWIW, no, I don't work for nNovia; I'm simply excited that more options for long-form recording are becoming available for the P2 line of cameras and from a company that has a record of producing reliable products.

So, excuse my ignorance, but, apparently the codec will allow DVCpro and variants. What is the input interface? I don't think 1394 is capable of DVCPro100.

is a couple of P2 cards.

Unless I misunderstand your question, it's always been my understanding that the Focus Enhancements FS-100 records DVCProHD, and does so through 1394. (USB would be too slow).

I also know the CitiDisk can record DVCProHD via 1394, as I had one for a couple of months but couldn't get it to play nicely enough with my HVX to commit to a long-term relationship.

One thing that might "help" achieve DVCProHD via 1394 is that, at least for the HVX, not all data is transferred out of the camera via 1394. Example: Per Barry Green's book, date and time code are never sent via 1394 from the HVX. There may be other/more data not sent, but at least date and time code are not. (though I seem to recall seeing that may change with the HVX-200A and/or the HPX(?)-170 to be released later this year.

I believe Panasonic announced the FS-100 would record DVCProHD even before the HVX was released, but, I'm basing that on my aging memory and can't say from experience; I've never owned or used an FS-100.

I'm sure there are owners of the FS-100 in this forum who can confirm/deny my understanding.

My understanding is that the DVCPro-and-variant codecs are more difficult to implement because they don't use the long GOP scheme that HDV uses, and depend on speed of the medium or data rate of the camera. I believe that's one reason why it's taken so long for options other than P2 cards, the FS-100, and the CitiDisk to hit the market and pass muster.

I suspect others could provide clearer answers, but this is what I've been waiting for: a means to do long-form HD recording via the HVX with something other than the FS-100 or the CitiDisk.

OK, thanx...........

an nNovia Quickcapture. It only records DV, but that was all I needed for this event.

I'm sold!!!

The event was a timed equestrian event, with a horse & rider in the ring for about 16-17 seconds. I'd shoot one rider, and the next could be in the ring and running in as few as 10 secs.

Once I hooked the device up, all I had to do was press record or stop; the device created a new clip each time I did, and as categories changed, I just had to "Make files", then simply press a couple of buttons to move to a different bin.. There was one glitch that was my fault for not reading the directions closely enough, but it is eminently better behaved, seemed a bit more responsive, and with its' LCD menu, immeasurably easier to know what was going on than I found the CitiDisk to be.

I'm looking forward to the DVCPro-and-better version to be released in about 2 weeks. For roughly the same price as a single 32GB P2 card, I'll get a 120GB swappable HDD and enjoy the benefits of drag'n'drop for long-form tapeless recording.

Others may not be, but I'm excited. I posted around 100 video clips, which would have taken me so much longer with tape that now I have time to type this . Go, nNovia.

Things seem to be hotting up in this space!