HD? external with power or power over USB
 

Just thought I would ask to see if anybody has a preference. I shoot a few long format events a year and I always bring my laptop and use Vegas to capture HDV to an external drive. Recently my drive enclosures have crapped out so I need to get a new drive. So I am leaning toward an external desktop type drive that has it's own power, but has anybody used successfully a USB travel type drive? Having one less thing to plug in power would be nice. I usually copy about 1.5 hours continuously before a break. Any advice would be nice.
I have a Sony FX7 that I hook up firewire to the laptop.

Thanks,

Re: HD? external with power or power over USB
 

USB2 or 3? Theoretically you're not going to get any better performance from a desktop drive (at the throughput you're needing) than you would from a portable. The interface is the limiting factor. Why have one more thing to plug in? Perhaps a nice USB3/SSD portable? Otherwise you could do a FireWire drive and loop the camera through it...

Will Vegas capture to USB2?

Re: HD? external with power or power over USB
 

I forgot, it's an older laptop so USB2. My camera only has firewire out, so I have to go firewire into the laptop, interface into vegas and capture to the HD. I guess I'm thinking more about heat and power performance, I know that the portable drives are much better now, I just have never captured anything to a portable for a sustained amount of time like 1.5 to 2 hours.

Re: HD? external with power or power over USB
 

Seagate Freeagent 320 GB is what you want.