show pretty clearly how the current incarnation is shaping up. My one concern is this photo:
http://www.spec-comm.com/images/camshot2_large.jpg

In that photo, Slot 1 on the HVX is filled by the CP "tentacle" and slot 2 is empty. However, it appears that the HVX flip-down cover for the P2 slots cannot be closed while the CinePorter "tentacle" is engaged. Will there be some way to protect Slot 2 from dust/moisture? Maybe some sort of "dummy" cover or a plastic/non-conductive insert to fill/cover the empty slot?

Lastly, it may seem moot at this point, with the large storage capacity of the CP, but, when the CP is connected, could Slot 2 also contain a P2 card? (If the CP is basically "mimicking" a P2 card, then I'd expect the answer to be "yes").

Another thing that looks troubling in the photo is the presence of something that looks like it might be a cooling fan.

If there is going to be one on the unit, hopefully it will be quieter than the one on the FS-4.

The FS-100's fan is very quiet. I just got a response from the CP folks about some technical questions, I'm really not happy with the answers I got. Having spent 20 years as an IT Engineer, their email to me made me very suspicious that the CP is going to be nice, but prone to disk corruption and very limited. I just don't have a good feeling about the folks behind the product based on the info I got. It just didn't stack up with my 20 years of experience with these things.

Hi Ben,

Can you be more specific. Why should the CP product be more prone to disk corruption than the equivalent FS products? (What questions did you ask CP?)

And seeing as you are an IT engineer - could you explain why the FS-4 and FS-100 need a fan blowing against their HDDs in the first place. Is it just to keep the temperature of the HDD stabile, or ist it for the CPU? Do you feel that the placement of the fans in the FS-4 and 100 is logical, or could they have been placed somewhere else on the unit to work more effectively? And lastly what do you think the consequences of disabling the fan on the FS-4 would be.

Sorry for the barrage of questions - but you sound like you might know their answers.

Cheers