SDHC Deck?
 

I am wondering about a workflow for a total non computer screening route. Is there basically a SDHC deck? Something that will always work, just turn it on, turn on the monitor (unless its built-in!), pop the card in, screen the footage and make timecode notes.

My boss does not like computers and will not screen footage on one... literally the first time the computer crashes we would go back to the DigiBeta world.

Thanks,
Harry

For $2,200 or so you can do DV/Pal NTSC with 120 gig storage unit. A mac mini with an external firewire drive would be more powerfull for about 1/5th as much.

For about $12,000 you can get a P2 ONLY setup from Panasonic. Then it gets expensive.

I would be morbidly interested in what anyone else has to say, but I don't think it's not a big market. I think they are either consumerish idiot proof for high school kids ($2,000 +) or $10,000 to $70,000 for any turn key non windows/mac stand alone system.

It makes the most sense and would be the most cost effective in the long run to stay with digibeta and not take a chance on a computer-type device malfunctioning.

Does your boss ride a horse to work?

The only computer-free workplace I know of is the McCain Whitehouse.

We all use computers, and he sits in the edit bay... but for him to screen 'tapes' he uses a deck... He will not use a computer to screen SDHC cards because at some point something is going to crash... so I was hoping there was a SDHC walkman type thing like the old ones for MiniDV.

For $2,200 or so you can do DV/Pal NTSC with 120 gig storage unit.
What is this unit?

Here's a device, but it would seem it will be necessary to transcode the video first and recopy it back to the SDHC card:
Edirol P-10 Visual Sampler at Markertek.com

Seriously, if he refuses to use a computer, it makes sense to stay with tape.

Whatever device is used will need to navigate the file structure and select the files to play. It is unlikely the files will be named in anyway that are meaningful to him.

It would seem to make sense to log the media, name it properly, then setup a session for him to view, with an operator to click on the files to play them.

To make meaningful notations that will be useful later, it would seem that the media first should be organized in some meaningful way and then played viewed within by a program that keeps things organized.

But in the long run, it makes no sense to put a huge bottleneck at the beginning of the work flow. It makes sense to stick with tape and the routine that is comfortable.

I was liking the 'all as 1 clip' feature. He could just screen away and make timecode notes.

The benefit of NOT staying with tape is that we do not need to pay a union engineer to digitize the footage - saving us about $8000 a year... PLUS we also do not need to buy camera negative stock - saving us another $3500... so we save more than the cost of the camera AND get to move to HD!!!

Transcode will not work... there has got to be a way... I would even consider buying the HM100 and just use that as a deck in his office.... that cuts into the $11,500 saving, but it gets us another camera and its a one time fee.

Getting an HM100 makes more sense to me than trying to get some kind of deck. With the HDMI out you'll see a great picture (exactly what you have) on a regular HD TV. And that camera will be very useful as a camera as well.

However, I don't know how easy it will be to navigate on the camera for playback and review, start, stop, rewind, etc.

I think the best answer is to setup a laptop in a simple way and call it a deck. I don't know what program will be best for previewing the footage, but it can be simple. It will be very helpful to be able to drag the slider to any point in the clip.

Setting up the files ahead of time with names will also be helpful.

What editing system/NLE are you using? What is the workflow in general. What kind of volume of video has to be reviewed?

so what does he do when the monitor brakes down? Just makes me wonder how is he staying in business at all. Seriously I thought it was a joke.

He stays in biz quite well.... the machine does not make the man... or show. Our Sony Pro edit monitor has not broken in 13 years, our 3/4 deck (which we no longer have) broke about 10 years ago and was repaired, or BetaSP broke a few years after that - also fixed and the 6 year old J3 DigiBeta deck has never broken. The old BetaSP 600 and current Digi709WS and all the hi-end pro gear really does not seem to fail that often... We take good care of them, all machines are serviced as needed when he's away... and when the decks did break it was something he had to deal with... but compared to how often a computer freezes, crashes or a drive fails... it is just not in his DNA to deal with it.

Heck he did not have a cell phone till 5 years ago or so, and still can't get messages off it.

Seems like the HM100 camera as deck is a good option.

Harry, don't know for sure, but PlayStation3 could play it. I doubt it will show time codes though.

Will he use a DVD player? I know people who will not preview footage on a DVD as well.

Play the files out of the camera directly into a DVD recorder or use software that will transcode the files into a DVD (Toast maybe?).