P2 store: how do you verify it worked?
 

I want to get a P2 store but I'm a bit wary of it. How do you know the data successfully transferred to the unit before you erase your P2 card? Is there a way to verify? Why spend $1500 on a P2 store when you could buy a laptop with a bigger hard drive for the same $$$?

1. You don't know until you hook it up to a computer. After using it many times, you just trust it.
2. Personal preference. I have both a laptop and a P2 Store and I prefer using the P2 Store.

Isn't that the job of the verify switch to go back and compare what was written to what is on the card?

I use my P2 Store all the time. Much nicer than lugging a laptop up in the mountains.

How does the function work? Does it give you a "thumbs up" indicator or something?

If you get a VERIFY NG error then you'll get an error indicator on top. If it works fine all your copy status lights will be on and steady.

How many times have you used it? No problems or worries? Do you erase your cards as soon as you transfer the data?

I've used it extensively out in Yellowstone as well as transferring footage for a Fortune 100 company project I recently did.

Never had a single glitch. I format the cards as soon as it's done copying over.

Out in Yellowstone if I'm filming a bear or something where I'll be a while, I set it on the ground in front of me and periodically check the copy status. As one cards is copied and verified, I format it and put the next one in.

It takes twice as long to verify obviously as it does to copy without it but I haven't had any issues so far.

I have 7 4Gig P2 cards and I haven't had any workflow problems as of yet.

I've moved around while using the P2 Store and just set it back down and it continues to copy.

I've walked back to my car and set it on the hood while I was packing away the gear and it copied the remaining data just fine.

I wish you could get them with a larger hard drive but it sounds like the P2 Gear is where Panasonic is going and we'll probably never see new P2 Store version.

But the P2 Gear does not have a hard drive in it, does it?

Or is the idea to just dump from the P2G to and external drive or laptop?

-Brad

Nope, no hard drive.

The description from Panasonic's website:

The AG-HPG10 is small-sized and battery-operated to guarantee easy usage. It enables you to check P2 contents shot by a camcorder on a larger LCD display and can playback the contents via HD-SDI to the monitor or other equipment. The AG-HPG10 can be used as temporary archive when copying the content from P2 cards to it via IEEE1394 and USB2.0 HOST to ext.HDD.

So at that point for the price, you'd be better off carrying around a small laptop.

The P2 Store works perfect for me doing wildlife and nature. I can review the footage via the camera and transfer cards to the P2 Store all without carrying allot of extra weight.

Sometimes I'm not in the best of conditions where hooking up a hard drive to the P2 Gear would be a good idea. So the P2 Store is perfect for me.

I wish Panasonic would revisit it and put in a larger hard drive to support more storage but I don't think that's ever going to happen.

Same here. I have 2 16GB and 1 8GB P2 Cards. I just came back from Nepal Himalaya - where I used the HVX202 at 4200m (up a mountain pass). I would film the P2 cards until one of them is full - and the camera switches over to the 2nd P2 card - then I would eject the full up P2 card, pop into P2 Store, do a copy and verify operation, then format the P2 card and pop it back into the camera.

I carried up 2 P2 Stores ... 60GB x 2 ... I found the P2 Stores very rugged - the casing of both were quite badly scratched externally ... but, it performed beautifully.

When I came back home, I unloaded the P2 Stores - not a single glitch. Very nice.

Like what a lot of people have expressed here, I also hoped Panasonic will increaes the HD space from 60GB to at least 120GB ... but, I think this would not happen.