What do you like and dislike about the P2 card workflow? How do you handle the challenges of storing and archiving footage with said workflow?

I really like P2 for a number of reasons, but that being said, it isn't the right tool for every application. We purchased our first P2 camera (HVX200) about three years ago when they only had 4GB cards and we mostly used it to replace our DVX100 and use the p2 cards for slowmo and time-lapse. They have become workhorses for us.

Figuring out the workflow took some time, and after a few scares we have learned what we can rely on and what we can't rely on. We have tried a number of hardware and software solutions and found something that works for us.

That being said, I don't recommend it for everything. It is great if you are handling a project from inception to final delivery, or even just production through post-production, but it becomes stickier if you hire out your cameras and cameramen for other agencies, and you have to figure out how to deliver the footage. What was a simple tape hand off becomes a little more complicated (Usually just a simple, an inexpensive hard drive hand off).

That being said, if you use P2 it can really speed up your prepostproduction, which is often that speedbump that really slows you down when you know you have shot something great and you just want to edit it. I really like the log and transfer interface. Going tapeless also allows you to work inexpensively as you don't have to pay for media every time you shoot.

I can get into specifics if people want, but I think there are several considerations that you MUST make if you are working with P2 footage.

1. Getting the footage off of the cards
2. Establishing a workflow so you don't erase a card before you have dumped it to a reliable drive.
3. Archiving the footage (this is the one that can get you in REAL trouble if you go tapeless)

We have used a number of approaches for each of these steps and have settled on practices that work for us. I think the biggest mistakes that people make is not archiving, but the step they worry about most is making sure that they have the footage.

I'd like to make mention that out in the field you can use a standard USB bus powered hard drive. Without a computer you can offload footage from the card to the drive. The drive must be formated by the camera first, then the camera in HOST mode. It works and can go through a verify as well. This solves in field questions.

I just did a project where I had to log and capture some tapes. It reminded me of how much I like P2 cards.

I love the P2 technology.

I've owned an HVX200 since just after it's release at NAB 2006. I shoot a lot of time-lapse, so I was looking for a camera with interval recording mode and a frame-independent codec (such as DVCPROHD). The HVX200 has been a great option.

I started out with 2 4G cards and a 60G P2 Store. At first I was really nervous about the workflow. The design, in theory, allows you to continuously shoot until you have filled up all 68 Gigs by downloading one card as the other fills up and then formatting and repeating the process. Having created many many mini-dv clones in my day, I was hesitant to destroy what I considered my 'master'. Well, I am happy to report that it has so far worked flawlessly. (knocking on wood)

For many time-lapse shoots I am camped next to my HVX for hours and hours, and I usually don't get to download the footage until days later. That means I have to put a lot of trust into my P2 Store, whose only reassurance is a blinking green LED. Every time I format the card I say a little prayer for the footage to survive. So far, so good.

I've recently acquired a Firestore FS-100, and it has also worked like a dream. I've been able to shoot for almost two hours in 1080i60 before downloading the footage. It's a great time saver.

Only once in my experience have the P2's and FCP not played nice together. I was trying to import using FCP from a hard drive where a client had copied the P2 card data. FCP was crashing every time I pressed import in the Log & Transfer window. After some struggle, I was finally able to use HVX4QT to identify the problem files and delete them. You can read the Creative Cow thread here: forums.creativecow.net/thread/8/995676#995676 


Mostly my deliverables are DVDs or web video, sometimes BETASP, so outputting through FCP or Compressor fits well into my workflow. In the rare cases the client needs the footage immediately, I will simply download the P2 footage to a designated hard drive and hand it off after the shoot.

Overall, I would definitely recommend the P2 technology to a friend. The images are beautiful, the card and hardware stability have been perfect, and I am very happy with the results. I love the wide range of capabilities the platform offers, from the 24 to 60p capture rate, variable frame recording, 480/720/1080 output, interval recording, native 24 capture, user presets, and on and on. It gives the user a great deal of versatility. I also enjoy not having to purchase tape stock, and then ingest the footage in real time, saving me time and money (and time equals money, does it not?).

I'm in the habit of backing up all my data onto two separate hard drives for archiving. I'm interested to hear how other people are dealing with this. Is continually creating a copy the only option?

Phillip, could you walk me through using the camera in host mode? I haven't tried that method yet, and it would probably work really well in certain applications. Is it in the user manual?

Yes, it is in the Manual but the big breakthrough is having "Bus Powered" USB hard drives. Get one of those and you will be in good shape. In Other menu you will see the 1394 and USB mode's. Set it to "host" mode for USB. Once this is set, plug the drive in and you must at this time if you have not done it before, format the drive using the camera. Depending the camera ie the HVX200 there is a button to turn it on. Then you go into the menu's. The new Varicam coming out is a little more friendly in this aspect but they are all similar. The menu is quite intuitive where if you want to format the drive there it is, or copy the data with Verify on or off. Hope this helps. I have see P2 able to be used more out in the field with this option. Again, format the Drive from the camera. Doing so will partition it so each card will become it's "own drive".
Have fun.

thanks.

I just read up on it. It seems like the biggest obstacle though is the little USB connectors that you will need. Most commercially available USB 2.0 mini connectors is only small on one end. With bus power you will need it on both. I am going to try Radio Shack, but I am guessing that TV Specialist carries them. Do you?

Yes we have the Lacie Rugged drive instock http://www.lacie.com/us/products/product.htm?pid=10821 I tested it with an Iomega and yes with a small usb on one side. You must be sure that it can be usb powered through a single usb cable.

actually I am mostly interested in just a cable. When I went to try this out today I found that the Camera has a micro USB slot and most bus-powered drives have a micro USB slot as well, and it has been a little tricky to find a micro-to-micro USB cable.

UPDATE

We have talked about using the camera to dump your footage straight to a hard drive.

I tried this and got it to work. Phillip had done it using a different P2 camera so some of his information isn't entirely congruent.

So I want to clarify a few things. Most of this is apparent from the HVX Manual, but you don't really figure something out until you try it. Follow the instructions in the manual, but here are a few key points:

1- you CAN NOT use a bus-powered drive
2- it doesn't use the USB port, but the firewire 400 port. You will need a 4-6 pin adaptor
3- The external drive must be formatted first on a PC
4- You then need to format the drive AGAIN using the camera.

Once that is done the camera and drive together function almost exactly like a P2 store. Make sure you try it out at home before you take it into the field, and you cannot shoot and dump footage at the same time. Once it is done though, the cards mount, in their entirety when you take the drive and plug them into your machine with FCP.

Good update. To clarify, this is for the HVX200 camera. For the larger ones or the P2 gear the USB is used and can use bus powered usb drives. These larger cameras or even the P2 Gear they have the large USB flat port.