How about this as an option. Could you put a firewire pcima card into the HVX-200 and record directly to the drive, as it records to the mxf format by default?

http://www.shining.com/products/totalsolution/citidisk_hd/

Very new to all of this so please go easy....

Welcome to the forum, Jay.

A few quick notes about the Citidisk:

To date, I have yet to learn of anyone using this device with consistent success. When I researched it I even called Shining tech directly to get some basic questions answered; nobody who could answer the phone (and spoke english) had any answers. The webpage is also devoid of any real technical and detailed product info.

With respect to putting a PCMCIA card in the camera's P2 slot, that doesn't work. We've actually tested it and other "P2 alternatives". The P2 card and it's interface with the camera is very hardware specific; the cards themselves contain an LSI controller and specific communication software so the camera can control recording parameters. P2 cards are not simply a form of "dumb RAM", they are compact flash arranged in a RAID array.

If you don't have any P2 cards yet (be patient, we just got ours yesterday and the word is more are just around the corner) then until the Cineporter or HVX-compatible Firestore become available the only current and proven method for capture is using a PowerBook.

Ive been using the MWave solution (first brought up by Barry Green). .

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/viewspec.hmx?scriteria=AA30310

For around $140 youll get 60gig of offloading the P2 card to my computer. It wont replace a P2 but works with them. Not for real time transfer, but still a nice cheap method. . .

robert how do you use the powerbook in respect to the hvx? also f it was put in a backpack and carried aroun with the hvx would the noise from the laptop be an issue?

curtis the p2 card (4gb) only captures 8 minute clips, if you are shooting long clips this would be a big hassle dont you think

Charles,

See my thread about using the Powerbook as a capture device; I "woke it up" from being several pages down.

With respect to putting the PB in a backpack, there are several issues in doing that. The most significant are lack of venting and motion. In another thread (I'd have to go looking for it myself) I addressed why using any laptop for capture while in a motion environment is not a good idea.

About the Firestore, AFAIK the HVX-compatible version is not due out until NAB, same as the Cineporter. Although both units are untested by consumers, you're best bet would be to use the Cineporter vs. Firestore - unless you want the ability to use and HDD capture device on more than once camera. Then the Firestore would be your only option.

How about this as an option. Could you put a firewire pcima card into the HVX-200 and record directly to the drive, as it records to the mxf format by default?

http://www.shining.com/products/totalsolution/citidisk_hd/

Very new to all of this so please go easy....

My understanding is that the CitiDISK only downloads footage, and does not capture anything but DV25.