Brian Boyko

I need to move to a hard drive based recording system. (Hate tape, but acknowledge it's use as a backup)

So, my options are:

FS-4 Firestore 40GB. (Pros: $650, generally good reviews, upgradable hard drive, weighs 1 pound. Cons: Whine noise from fan, doesn't do a whole lot except record.)

A tablet PC (Pros - about $200 more than the Firestore and I get a bigger hard drive, and I can use it as a monitor while recording or show off raw video on the road, and bring it around to show off my completed work at filmmaker meetups. Cons: Bulkier (roughly 5 pounds) Will probably have to get a new tripod and a way to mount the laptop on the tripod for my often one-man-army jobs.)

So, basically, I'd like to get the Tablet PC, but I'm trying to get a rough cost of Total Cost of Ownership - that is, what's it going to cost to get a new tripod that will also support the weight of the PC, and how do I mount the PC to the tripod?

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I'm an amateur, and I make no claims to be anything but.
Equip: 2 HV20s, VideoMic, Sennh. EW/GW100, Zoom H2, FCP (Saving up for XH-A1)

Mitchell Skurnik

What kind of tablet are you getting. Some tablets have mounting options. On e-bay look for a car laptop mount. That should get you started.

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Mitchell J. Skurnik
http://www.mjcsstudios.com/