"Nice Bill - It will be interesting to see how rendering and editing will vary on the quad's and dual's. I've got a 6 month old dual 2.7 with 6 gig RAM and the GEForce 6800." {original post from Derek West}

It does not matter if you have 2 gigs or 8 gigs of Ram FCP only uses 2. If you are running other programs while running FCP then more memory helps but*other than that it does nothing.Thanks Walter, that's good to know. I had actually upped the RAM for other programs that I also work in (Motion, After Effects, etc.). That's interesting that any FCP benefit would be capped at 2. Good to know to eliminate spending extra money on something not needed if you bought a Mac to only run FCP.

My favorite lines from the HVX manual on the page labeled "Nonlinear editing with the P2 card":

p82

"Operation is not guaranteed in Macintosh operating systems."
and
"Operation is not guaranteed in Windows operating systems."

So there you go. Actually it makes sense that it works with Mac because Mac went to bed with Panasonic a while back with the introduction of the Varicam so since this is also a DVCpro format, it didn't take much to make it work. As for Windows, since companies like Sony are competitors, expect them to drag their feet on helping any.

I don't think via firewire you can record streams directly from camara like you can in DV mode, can it? Don't think so.
You definitely can, as long as you're running a video capture application on the computer. It works exactly like DV does.

or make the PowerBook as target mode (could be very dangerous, I had to format my iPod to make it work for HVX200, thus not working as iPod at this point) and make the HVX200 as the host and powerbook as a firewire drive.
Oh, I think that would probably be the worst thing someone could do... that would not be what you'd want to do. I'd expect the powerbook wouldn't even allow it, would it? Would the powerbook allow an external "format" command? I hope not... if someone does that, they'll probably be none too happy!

So there you go.
So there you go what?

The USB port is guaranteed to work with Windows systems, not guaranteed with Mac.

The Firewire port is guaranteed to work with mac systems, not guaranteed with Windows.

It has both. Each system has a guaranteed workflow.

Hi Derek,


- Apps and the OS live on the ultra-fast Raptor
- FC Project files, Thumbnail and Waveform cache on the 2nd Internal drive
- Video Render - external #1
- Audio Render - external #2
- A and B roll clips transferred from HVX - external #3
- Stills, sound files, scene extras, and 3D renders - external #4
- Final output for FCP and DVD SP 4 - external #5
(^_^)

Hi Robert,
Curious as to why you go to the trouble of separating your audio render, vidoe render, and footage onto 3 separate drives.

Here's my Mac setup: Quad-core G5 w/ 8GB RAM, 30" inch Apple Cinema Display....Kinemac for 3D rendered clips....To maximize throughput on the system here's how I've setup the drive assignments: Apps and the OS live on the ultra-fast Raptor...Final output for FCP and DVD SP 4 - external #5
Sounds like you have THE setup. Did you put it all together specifically for the HVX200 or were you looking at some other camera options as well? Have you been in the video industry for a while?

Thanks for posting.

So far, these are the DVinfo members that are going to be using the HVX200/Mac combo from what I can tell from the posts in this thread, in addition to what I've gathered reading other threads. (this list may grow as I continue to edit it as long as the edit feature is an option) -

Kaku Ito - we all know he's the first one that got it ;)
Derek West
Edwin Hernandez
John Benton
Barry Green
Bill Sepaniak
Lou Squitieri
Jeff Kilgroe
Paul Lohbauer
Rob Katz
Robert Lane
Marty Hudzik
Lee Faulkner

Not so fast, you forgot me. I plan to use my G4 until the 486 G5s come out. If the 486 G5 laptop is produced Monday I may look at laptop editing, which I don't really like but it may have to do because I prefer my desktop to edit on. I'm really considering a G5 laptop as my main editing computer. Hell must have frozen over. Of course I don't plan to do anything else on it and probably won't get one until 2007. I plan to be doing DV and downconverted HDV for awhile before I grab an HVX unless I get a lot of money, in which I'll buy everything. My dream is to own the Canon H1 and the Panasonic HVX. I do believe I'll purchase my HVX when P2 cards come down or when the appropriate FireStore comes out.

-Nate

Well, I'm definitely going to get one, I'm just waiting for MWSF to make sure I don't get stuck with an EOL product. I might just go for a 1gb Mini to tide me over until I see how the other platforms shake out, or maybe I'll just jump for the dual. But I'd hate to plunk down for something today and then find out next week that the Mini is now a quad G5 for $800, y'know? :)
Please write a book about it.

-Nate

I'll also be using a Mac with FCP for editing with my HVX-200 when it arrives. I currently use a G4 laptop with 30" display for editing. I also have an IMac G5 with a terabyte of disk that I use for storing projects I'm not working on, and for rendering and compression with Squeeze.

I've ordered the dual 8GB P2 configuration from Great Northern Video in NH. Haven't decided yet with to go Cineporter or Firestore, but in the meantime I have an old IPod that I'll use, or I'll dump the cards direct to the laptop.

I plan to get a Mactel laptop as soon as a fast Powerbook version becomes available.

ok Derek - I've made up my mind. So you can take me off the fence.

I'm going to rent the cam I need in the short to medium term.
Lotsa reasons for this approach - the main one being, that it's such a fast moving game atm. I figure that you need to be able recoup/amortise the cost of any of these cams with their accessories within a 6 month period - 1 year at the most.

What I'd love to see -
a larger HVX from Panny, bigger form factor and beefed up chips, lens options etc. Yes it would cost more <shrug> ... That I'd go for in a heartbeat.

From Sony - hmm, I doubt they will do anything more than what they've done with hdv - other than tweaking to the codec. They'll only sell it down into their lower end. Too much risk for them with their existing higher end cams.

Canon - well, wysiwyg. This is their top end. They'll improve it only when they absolutely have to.

JVC - are perfectly capable of offering a substantial improvement.

My $0.02c.

Rob,

No problem. I can see your viewpoint. Here's the updated list of those planning to use the HVX/Mac combo:

Kaku Ito
Derek West
Edwin Hernandez
John Benton
Barry Green
Bill Sepaniak
Lou Squitieri
Jeff Kilgroe
Paul Lohbauer
Rob Katz
Robert Lane
Marty Hudzik
Lee Faulkner
Nathan Brendan Masters
Bill Southworth
Jarred Land
Steev Dinkins

FYI, Jarred Land has also switched to the Mac specifically to use FCP with the HVX, so that's another one for the list...

barry-

i don't want to see these late nite posts (1:07am indeed!)

at that hour, i'm hoping/wishing that u were putting your efforts to the upcoming (say its so) hvx200 users book!

i've said it previously...

and it is worth repeating...

your dvx100 book was THE best guide for me to get the most out of my camera.

now don't take this flattery to heart.

no more late nite trolling on the user sites.

back to your hvx200 draft!

be well

(and i hope u are smiling)

rob katz
harvest films

FYI, Jarred Land has also switched to the Mac specifically to use FCP with the HVX, so that's another one for the list...

That's amazing.

Which Mac did he buy?

Blueray has a problem coming out of the gate. The HD DVD machines they are introducing are starting at $500 and Blueray at $1600. Which one do you want to buy? And since HD DVD looks and feels like what we already have, it's an easier sell. But then again if companies start to distribute movies on bluray, it will have an edge. It's no different than original DVD. It was about nothing but distribution. When motion picture companies decided to make DVDs after the fourth reincarnation of DVD, it finally took off.

I'm not sure what propagand you're reading, but there are several BluRay announcements that claim players in the $500 and under range. The PS3 is expected to be $499 and will be a full featured BluRay player, not to mention a rather powerful game console. I've seen all sorts of wild numbers in the $1000 to $3000 range being claimed for BluRay players and none of them are substantial, most are marketing fud being spread by the HD-DVD crowd. Sony has already stated that BluRay players will be available at a variety of price points with different feature sets and will compete directly with HD-DVD products. In the end, this format war will be won by the disc type that offers more to the consumer.

It does not matter if you have 2 gigs or 8 gigs of Ram FCP only uses 2. If you are running other programs while running FCP then more memory helps but*other than that it does nothing.

I thought FCP was now fully optimized for 64bit OSX and the G5??? If this is the case, then I see no reason why it would be limited to 2GB. Within a 32bit construct on the G4/G5, individual processes were limited to a maximum of 2GB process space, within the total address space of 4GB. This also applies to 32bit applications on the x86 architecture in Windows and Linux. Anyway, I guess this is just one more thing to check out before taking the Mac plunge -- if that ends up being my most sensible choice.

Rob,

No problem. I can see your viewpoint. Here's the updated list of those planning to use the HVX/Mac combo:


...Actually, I'm still on the fence. I should have it all figured out by the time my HVX200 ships.

Jeff - re fcp and ram -

I can't remember exactly when the update was or if it was an OS update - it was some time ago, months if not a year (maybe it was addressed with fcp 5 release). It removed the 2 gig limit to allow it to address 4 gig.

Motion tho' - whole other beast - as much as you can afford .....

at that hour, i'm hoping/wishing that u were putting your efforts to the upcoming (say its so) hvx200 users book!
I am! I am! It's over 107 pages already, and I was only waiting on getting my hands on the production model before being able to finish the second half. It's here now, so... back to work... :)

To Jim and Derek,

Sorry it's taken so long to answer you guys.

I specifically chose the Quad G5, the amount of RAM etc so that I could have the best operating environment possible for the DVCPRO HD format and take advantage of all the processing power the Quad offers.

With regard to the drive assignments the choices came from two sources. One was that I've always known that splitting up work between multiple drives or a VLRA (very large RAID array) would speed up any application. However, there were many tweaks specific to FCP that came from the book, "Optimizing your Final Cut Pro System" from the Apple Pro Training Series.

Based on my own testing with the Quad G5, after I made the new drive assignments I noticed a significant performance boost, which will most likely get better as soon as a dedicated PCI-e Firewire 800 card becomes available.

I'd highly recommend the book to anyone using FCP who wants to maximize their system's potential.

One quick correction to the post by Walter:

The amount of RAM FCP can use is limited by two things: the motherboard verion it is using - G4/G5 and which firmware it's using - and whether or not you're on 10.4.

On my system, (Quad G5 w/8GB RAM) I can address 2.5GB of RAM just for the application, and another 2.4GB of RAM for still cache, not including the amount of RAM that can be manually allocated for Thumbnail cache. So in total FCP can use well over 6GB of RAM - if you have it available.

Yes Robert - sorry, should have qualified what I posted above. My old g4 tower can only support 1.5 gig max.

No problem, Rob. Learning from each other is what I enjoy most about this forum! And believe me, at this point in my limited production knowledge I'm learning more than I'm teaching/sharing !! (laughs)

heh - getiing around the traps (discussion boards) is one of the err, most productive things I like to do.

Technology is being dished up at an alarming rate - bright shiny products everywhere. Only so much money in the budget.

I reckon I've saved ohhh, around $30 k by not buying a thing in the last month - at this rate I'm going to be a millionaire ... by not doing anything - lol

hehehe...
....Just Wait till Macworld SF announcements tomorrow....

dude !
You're right - ka ching .... there's always something that gets me in the end.

Steve knows this.

I just can't take the MAC route. I am confident that PC programs will have a solid solution for DVCPRO-HD in the coming weeks.

- ShannonRawls.com

Well, I'm definitely going to get one, I'm just waiting for MWSF to make sure I don't get stuck with an EOL product. I might just go for a 1gb Mini to tide me over until I see how the other platforms shake out, or maybe I'll just jump for the dual. But I'd hate to plunk down for something today and then find out next week that the Mini is now a quad G5 for $800, y'know? :)

I figure that Apple has easily the most robust implementation so far, since they've had a 20-month head start.... But yes, I'll definitely pick up a Mac something-or-other, probably next week...Just wanted to see what route you decided to take since MacWorld San Francisco???

Did you see the update on Kona product line, Kona 3 (http://www.aja.com/products_kona.html)?

Internal HD/SD live hardware keyer is added.

Did you see the update on Kona product line, Kona 3 (http://www.aja.com/products_kona.html)?

Internal HD/SD live hardware keyer is added.

Oooooooooooh. Aaaaaaaaaaaaah....

Well, that answers the Blackmagic vs. AJA debate for me.

And with the added features of the Kona3, it looks like I'm going to go for the Mac+AJA+FCS+Shake for my new video solution. PC solutions are just too scattered and incoherent these days. Rather frustrating, really...

...Now I must try to hold out for the Intel based PowerMacs. I may just buy a new Intel iMac to get FCP up and running with the HVX200 and tide me over for a few months.

Just wanted to see what route you decided to take since MacWorld San Francisco???
Got FCP, just trying to figure out what to install it on. Looks like the new powerbooks and the new imacs are pointless for a "today" solution (which is what I'm looking for) since they won't run FCP for a good few months. And I don't want to go with a current powerbook and see its value plummet when the new ones are out. So... correct me if I'm wrong, but -- looks like the dual G5 is the only rational choice available for a right-now solution, right?

that's right Barry.

I took the decision one month ago.
It works great, plenty of real time and render power.

It is rthe safest investment right now i think...

****edit....I bought a Quad

looks like the dual G5 is the only rational choice available for a right-now solution, right?Congrat's Barry! But why do you want the Dual instead of the Quad? I'm sure you have reason that I may have missed elsewhere. Thanks. Either way, I'm sure you will be happy. I've had my Dual 2.7 for about 6 months now and it's been great!

Got FCP, just trying to figure out what to install it on. Looks like the new powerbooks and the new imacs are pointless for a "today" solution (which is what I'm looking for) since they won't run FCP for a good few months. And I don't want to go with a current powerbook and see its value plummet when the new ones are out. So... correct me if I'm wrong, but -- looks like the dual G5 is the only rational choice available for a right-now solution, right?


You're thinking right Barry.
I've got 3 studios and offices all Mac based and between the move to HD and the new Intel evolution it means reconfiguring virtually dozens of software programs and hardware options.

It makes my head hurt when I think about the audio post and music suite just upgraded to MOTU 4.6 and all the graphic design and animation stuff from PS to Quark, Motion to Shake that all have to be ported to the new Intel paradigm - and I was just about to get all new Quads.

Anyway, because it looks like, maybe by spring/summer hardware and software systems will all be transitioned, and because I don't want to get 5 Quads just to have new Intel Quads announced in 3 months, the smart investment would be to look at dual 2.7 G5s as an interim upgrade.

The prices will be good and they're very fast and running everything perfectly now including FCP HD in real time for both P2 and most HDV configurations.

You may find the Dual 2.7 plenty for your needs for a while to come.
In my audio room it can run 48 channel mixing console with full effects procesing on every channel at 44k 24 bit and things lile FCP and Motion fly on them.

Oh and you'll love designing in Motion and working in Soundtrack Pro, LiveType and DVD Studio Pro. The audio loops, SFX and visual content that comes packaged with them and FCP Studio are pretty great.

I don't think this has been mentioned on this thread yet, but Sonnet announced a PCIe SATA card with port multiplication and a 5 drive bay enclosure that works with it. I'm not seeing it on their store yet, but it's supposed to ship in Feb. More waiting, but at least it's announced.

http://www.sonnettech.com/product/tempo_sata_e4p.html

http://www.sonnettech.com/product/fusion500p.html

Could get 2TB of RAID storage for a QuadCore G5 for about $2k (400GB drives).

Variations on drive use for redundancy and backup is pretty flexible as well. Say 1TB RAID on Bay 1/2 on 500GB drives, 1TB backup on 3/4, and use Bay 5 to swap archival drives.

Got FCP, just trying to figure out what to install it on. Looks like the new powerbooks and the new imacs are pointless for a "today" solution (which is what I'm looking for) since they won't run FCP for a good few months. And I don't want to go with a current powerbook and see its value plummet when the new ones are out. So... correct me if I'm wrong, but -- looks like the dual G5 is the only rational choice available for a right-now solution, right?

Wow, Barry,

welcome.

Wow, Barry,

welcome.


Listening to Jobs I got the sense that they don't actually have firm committments from developers (except MS) to port to the Intel based Macs. He actually was trying to encourage them to get a move on it. He also promised that by the end 2006 all Macs would have the Intel processor.

Listening to Jobs I got the sense that they don't actually have firm committments from developers (except MS) to port to the Intel based Macs. He actually was trying to encourage them to get a move on it. He also promised that by the end 2006 all Macs would have the Intel processor.

That is the reason why Apple made the dual core G5 is so affordable.
This migration is probably not as drastic as OSX being Unix based, but it is very exhausting for developers. And Apple always has the lead in developing key application software, then companies like Adobe gets tired of that. When a software developer can hold its competitiveness against Apple (like what happened on Premiere for Mac), he would be dropping out. We have fabulous dual core G5 to play with for at least a year, and the board like AJA Kona LHe or Kona 3 would be migrated to IntelMac. You can use dual core G5 when you switch to IntelMac to the second computer or a server. You might spare some needs of server since all of your HVX200 footage will be all data files.

If this is not appropriate for this thread, you guys let me know and I'll remove it. But while we're on the subject of buying a Dual or Quad - If any of you want a deal on a Dual 2.7 with 6 gig of Apple RAM and the NVIDIA GEFORCE 6800 GT DDL CARD, I'll be happy to sell mine and upgrade to a Quad and use it through 2006 until I see what's happening in 2007. I'll post a link to the classified section with details shortly. Once again, if any of you feel that this is an "off topic" or "not in good taste" to post this let me know and I'll edit it out. But I think this could be good for someone that would like to save some money on a nice and loaded dual 2.7.

EDIT (8:53 p.m.) -
I should have a price figured out on Friday. I was unable to reach the DVinfo.net sponsor that I do business with, as he's at MacWorld!!! I was going to get a "selling for new today" price on the above configuration and then base my price from there. Feel free to contact me via email until then if you have an interest. Thank you.

EDIT (1/13/06 - 2:43 p.m.) -
Decided not to sell. Too much trouble for too little time with all these changes in the air.

Got FCP, just trying to figure out what to install it on. Looks like the new powerbooks and the new imacs are pointless for a "today" solution (which is what I'm looking for) since they won't run FCP for a good few months. And I don't want to go with a current powerbook and see its value plummet when the new ones are out. So... correct me if I'm wrong, but -- looks like the dual G5 is the only rational choice available for a right-now solution, right?

That's kinda what I'm thinking... I like the quads, but I think the extra money might be wasted on the system and better spent elsewhere since the new Intel boxes should be only a few months away. As for the new Intel MacBook and iMac models, they may not be a pointless "today" solution. OK, they are for *TODAY*, but most of us won't see our HVX200 until mid to late February. FCP is supposed to be shipping with Intel support by mid-March. So a MacBook or Intel iMac may not be a bad interim solution. You can also bet that some vendors with extra stock may run some specials or package discounts... We won't see any wild deals just yet and Apple still has a fair degree of control over pricing, but system/software bundles are a real possibility, especially once the new Intel systems to replace the PowerMac are announced.

Hey guys - just my call on it and fwiw - don't be lured into the iMac - it always has been crippled for expansion.

atm - right now - the pb is it. <smack> I mean MacBook Pro or an "old" pb that still has fw 800 and pcmcia, or a G5 dualie or quad new or second hand.

I love the iMacs - great machines, great value - no good for us.
Ok for dv, you can get by with fw 400 and so are the iBooks - fine for dv.

For anything else other than dv - your goose is cooked and you cooked it.
NO EXPANSION ...

don't want to see you guys come over to the Mac and realise oopps, wrong choice ... that's an expensive introduction.

I own a powermac g5 dual 2.7ghz. This still uses pci-x, doesn't it? So there's no way for me to go for the Kona 3, right? I also own a 1.65 ghz Powerbook. I'm currently having some problems with it, maybe because I've limewire instaled. My DV playback only works in "medium" quality setting in FCP. When I select "better, it struggles and I can't get realtime. The same can be said about dvcprohd footage that I've downloaded. The Powerbook is struggling to view those files in realtime.
Maybe this is a post for another category...

Anyway, just wanted to say I migrated from PC to Mac because of the HVX, too.

Hey guys - just my call on it and fwiw - don't be lured into the iMac - it always has been crippled for expansion.

atm - right now - the pb is it. <smack> I mean MacBook Pro or an "old" pb that still has fw 800 and pcmcia, or a G5 dualie or quad new or second hand.

I love the iMacs - great machines, great value - no good for us.
Ok for dv, you can get by with fw 400 and so are the iBooks - fine for dv.

For anything else other than dv - your goose is cooked and you cooked it.
NO EXPANSION ...

don't want to see you guys come over to the Mac and realise oopps, wrong choice ... that's an expensive introduction.

Because of MacBook lacking a PC-card slot, I looked into USB2 to PCcard reader, actually, I happened to have one by I/O Data, but it did not work with the Power Mac G5. I was going to recommend to buy MacBook anyway (anyway means wether you are going to wait for the desktop intelmac) so one can bring in contents from P2 card directly and quickly at site, but since I can't find USB2 to PCcard reader, it might not be a good idea. Idea on P2 card, should go directly to be transfered, so you would not waste time in copying....unless making copies assures the reasons for making duplicates for the safty reasons.

For now, I'm thinking the smallest powerbook g4 with card slot to take around. Because my powerbook g4 12 inch was not so usefull to take around since it does not have a card slot. So, I ended up just making the backups on my iPod.

My configuration would be upgraded to 15" Powerbook G4 with cardslot to take around with HVX200, PowerMac G5 Dual core with Kona 3 and Huge Fiber Raid. CinePorter or something similar for direct recording most of the time and one 8GB P2 card for quick transfering or testing purpose.

Hi Kaku -
I think that there will be pcmcia adapters for the express slot within a month or two as there will be pcmcia fw 800 adapters for the express slot.

But yeah - if you needed a Mac now, at this moment - it would be a hard choice - to say the least ... not so many options.

Hi Kaku -
I think that there will be pcmcia adapters for the express slot within a month or two as there will be pcmcia fw 800 adapters for the express slot.

But yeah - if you needed a Mac now, at this moment - it would be a hard choice - to say the least ... not so many options.

Rob,

Good, I did not have time to look around much, so nice to know that it is coming.

Hey guys - just my call on it and fwiw - don't be lured into the iMac - it always has been crippled for expansion.


Good advice. Although, with the exception of the PC card slot (or Express34 on the MacBook), those systems are just as crippled for expansion. Depends on needs/uses too... I wouldn't be against buying a G5 iMac that can run FCP right now just to get up and running or even a Mac Mini for a real cheap solution. Expansion is a problem, but we're talking about using the iMac as a temporary solution... These are not expensive solutions and should retain their resale value to some degree. In my case, if I buy the iMac for a temporary fix, I can hand it down to my parents when I'm done with it. They need to replace their older computer anyway. :) I think an Intel iMac would be a better buy, even though it won't run FCP for another month or two. ...The new Intel systems seem more logical, just based on the thinking once a few more applications catch up to the new hardware, the G5 iMac's market value will land in the toilet. OTOH, buying a dual 2.7GHz G5 still may be the most sane choice. Sure, it will be superceded by the new Intel models sometime this year, but it will also be usable in itself for a couple years anyway.

2.7 or dp 2, 2.3, 2.5 refurb - would be a fair choice I think, Jeff. And yes, I think 1 or 2 years is a reasonable expectation for support ... more like 3 if the transition from OS 9 to X is anything to judge by.

Not to foretell doom but we are looking at new machines and a compile of the entire suite and OS ... Apple are good but any sane person would have to expect some teething issues.

From a productive standpoint some will choose to wait a while.
I could jump on the new stuff right now - but only because I've got backup systems.

edit: IMO, of course.
The only gotcha's I can see with a tower refurb is the additional investment in older tech - which may bite later on.
Don't under rate the current pb's as well - they offer the "middle of the road" approach.
Configure them with fw800 dual channel raid 0 and they can handle 720 easily, as well as easy p2 transfer and direct capture.
If you needed to buy RIGHT NOW it's tricky - I can sympathise.

I just think Mac has created a bit of a holding pattern for us...Man producers that is. And the same goes for my audio studio.

But the upside is that for so many users that want to jump on the new Intel wagon, there will be good deals on G5 towers and the 2.5 and 2.7 will make great HD FCP systems.

It seems logical to simply stay under the radar as far as the new Intel change over, cetainly no one wants to think about Rossetta in a professional environment.

I'd bet that we'll see the new Intel towers by this summer, but again, until all the supporting apps are as smooth as the current integration, why move. Especially if a last generation G5 will do everything you need.

As far as the iMac is concerned, I'd do the same thing. While expansion is a dead end, the fastest iMac is a very nice little system if you can live with a 20' monitor and the limited RAM. THey do in fact hold their value, and for someone just getting into Mac could be a good interim solution while waiting the next year for the Intel transition to be complete.

How many P2 cards are you guys getting and in what storage capacity?

What's your reasoning (if you don't mind me asking)?

I was thinking of one 4gig card, then I was thinking of two.

Now I'm thinking of 2 8gig cards because of the flexibility of shooting time that combo would allow. I'm still trying to decide though. And since I have time (since I don't know when I will actually take delivery of the HVX), I thought I'd see what everyone else was doing.

I have read in a few places and heard from the DVinfo.Net sponsor that I'm buying the camera from that the 8gig cards are sparse. If that's the case, I guess there's not much of a decision to make.

I look forward to hearing other opinions on this subject. Especially since the new Mac Laptop was introduced at MWSF and that is no longer an unknown factor. Thank you.

Hi Derek,

I've selected (2) 8GB P2 cards to get the most un-interrupted shooting time possible. I would have preferred to use the Cineporter but it doesn't look like it's going to be available in time to use it for my project.

My workflow will be to fill up the P2 cards, transfer off to an external firewire drive, wipe the cards and keep shooting.