The PHU is not fast at all, which is what's annoying. But as I don't have an express34 slot, I'm stuck with USB both for it and the cards. On the other hand, copying the first drive to the second over FW 800 goes faster. Still, if my math's right using your figures, the PHU which was taking me about 45 mins for a couple-hour interview would now take over an hour (40% slower). On the other hand, once the PHU stops working, which Matt and others seem to think is imminent, those SD cards will be the only (inexpensive) alternative for long sessions. Trade-offs.

Media needs to be restored (PHU-60K)
 

"Media needs to be restored" messages occur when the EX camera detects that the SxS card or HDD being inserted has foreign files or folders in the TAKR or CLPR subfolders. This can happen innocently enough; for example, by using Apple Finder to browse the contents of the card or HDD. Finder will create and write an index file of what is inside the folders. Every time a card or HDD is inserted, the camera checks the file/folder structure integrity. If the camera sees foreign files or folders, it issues the "media needs to be restored" message and verifies the card's file/folder integrity but does not erase the hidden files. In addition, if you change (rename) the SxS or HDD volume, the "media needs to be restored" message will occur (only once). In this case the camera will alter the metatdata to match the Volume name.

Juan Martínez
Senior Manager
Sony Electronics

Thanks for the explanation, Juan, that helps a lot with diminishing the fear factor. While we've got you here, can you explain what the acronyms stand for: BPAV; TAKR; CLPR?