Alternatives to P2 store
 

I have a macbook, but not a macbook pro and I'm going to be using the p2 cards on a shoot this weekend. Since the macbook has no PCMCIA slot, I've been looking all over the internet for a usb 2.0 PCMCIA card reader as an alternative to picking up something like the P2store. Does anyone know of a cheap usb 2.0 PCMCIA device or where I could find one??

Doesn't exist yet...

Given the fact that the PCI Card slot requires a 32-bit interface, USB2 is a huge technological challenge.

Duel systems will be releising in about 2 weeks the long awaited express card to PCMCIA adaptor
http://www.duel-systems.com/products/adapters.aspx
price will be around $100.

as far as other option than the P2 store, I strongly recommend the new-(er)
P2 drive from Panny, https://eww.pavc.panasonic.co.jp/pro...ive/index.html
it's about the same price than P2 store, transfer rates are a lot fast (for mac users),it's Firewire 800 and USB2, you can insert 5 P2 card at once.
I also checked with Panny, it will work with 16GB card.
This unit combined with P2 genie are a great combination.

Hmm... maybe I'll get one of them MacBook Pros now...

Eric, what is the difference between AJ-PCD20 and AJ-PCD10, BH just dont sell the pcd10 one?

Don't buy the AJ-PCD10, it's useless on the mac cause it's only USB2, you'll end up with the same slow transfer rate than the P2 store.
the AJ-PCD20 as both usb2 and firewire800.
e.

Eric,

could you please give me some advice in my case:

im planning to by HVX but don't know how to solv P2 problem. I can effort 2-3 P2 cards, no more. I will always have a assistant for dumping them.

-I could spend around $2k for some kind of p2 reader/hardrive, but i heard that its slow for connecting it to PC.
-I can't get a firestore, because i think they make it only for NTSC cameras.
-Then i could by AJ-PCD20 and bring computer along when shooting. I see no problem there.
-But, isn't it cheaper and smarter to buy this new PCMCIA adaptor, i could bring my laptop along with some external drives. As you said its around $100. In this case i would save $1,5-2K

thanks!

FireStore is made in PAL.

The cheapest/most-reliable offload station is a PC laptop with the PCMCIA slot. You can get one for under $500.

The adapter will (hopefully) prove to be an ideal solution for those who are using ExpressCard-only laptops. But until it's a marketed product, we can't definitively say that it'll solve your problem. It should, but sometimes "should" and "does" don't line up, so we'll have to see how it performs in reality. I have high hopes for it.

yep, agree with barry here,
The upcoming adaptor seems like a good solution but we all know that new products often comes with new bugs,
Also, if your shoots require long uninterrupted shots (especially if you shoot 1080 format) whether you buy a cheap PC, or use the adaptor with your intel laptop, you still only have 1 PCMCIA slot to dump your cards.
That 's why I like the AJ-PCD20, it lets you set up a dumping station you can use to dump multiple cards at once and is great for for multi cameras shoots.
As far as the FireStore, I personally don't like it (again, this is my personal opinion, other people think it's the best option.)

FireStore looks like confortable way for recording material, but i have heard about some many bugs with them, i just want to be really sure that my footage is safe all the time...

ok, so this PCMCIA card should be out in two week or so? that means this year, right?

yes, that's what the sales guy told me, out before the end of the year, so very soon.
e.