The latest addition to the Nexto Video Storage Pro lineup, the NVS2525, has all the features of the original NVS2500, but with a dedicated P2 and SxS card slot. It also supports CF, SDHC and MS cards through a simple adapter. The NVS2525 has FireWire 800 and USB computer connectivity and syncs data with an external eSATA drive. The unit ships with both an internal 750 GB hard drive and an external eSATA 750 GB hard drive. Video can be downloaded to both drives at the same time when in sync mode.

The NVS2525 will be available at the end of November, and firmware will be released to support UDF formatted memory cards in December. This will enable it to work with ARRI ALEXA and Sony PMW-500 UDF formatted SxS cards.

The Glyph Triplicator is another great device that can really simplify workflow. It allows you to connect up to three hard drives, and your computer or Nexto will see them as a single drive. Now you can create three identical backups at once. Learn more about both of these devices in my video above.

Remember the old Panasonic P2 Store, the AJ-PCS060G? It was the single card P2 reader that allowed you to download P2 cards onto a 60 GB hard drive. It was released when the HVX200 was new to the market and made it possible to work with the huge 4GB P2 cards available at the time. Well, things have changed a bit since then and now we have the AG-MSU10, also known as the Panasonic Media Storage Unit. This little device functions much like the P2 Store, but adds tons of functionality including removable hard drives, eSATA access, fast downloads (16GB in 3 minutes), and a color screen with rough playback capability. Watch my video above to learn more about this portable and fast P2 download tool.

Panasonic is now shipping their single card P2 reader, the AJ-PCD2. This is a must have for anyone who is a P2 camera owner. The device itself is small and very light weight. On the front, you’ll find the single card slot, and on the back there are two USB 2.0 ports. Why two? Well, one is for transferring data and the other is for power. The standard USB port has a limited power output, but with two ports there is enough power for the device to work without a battery or power supply. After downloading the drivers from the Panasonic website, I tested the PCD2 on my MacBook Pro. The device works as advertised without any hitches – gone are the days of the buggy Duel Adapter solution. Unfortunately, USB 2.0 is not as speedy as the ExpressCard interface, but I was able to download a full 32 GB card in about 15 minutes. Transfer speeds may vary depending on the drive you are copying to. I was using an external RAID 0 drive connected with FireWire 800. I also tested the PCD2 on a PC laptop running Windows XP, with very similar results and no headaches at all.

Panasonic also released a new AVC-Intra encoder plugin for Apple’s Compressor. This plugin allows Compressor to export video files encoded in the AVC-Intra codec. AVC-Intra is a high quality compression, and with Final Cut Pro 7, it is supported natively. So with this new export option, AVC-Intra can be used as a high quality deliverable at a relatively low data rate. The Compressor utility allows for files to be created in QuickTime format or in original P2 format. In P2 format, the video can be transferred back to a P2 card using a devices like the PCD2, PCD20 or PCD35, and metadata can be entered. While a P2 card is far from a common deliverable, productions and news networks that have adopted P2 will greatly appreciate the new option. Download the new plugin here. Note: Final Cut Studio 3 is required.

Many of you may remember the Panasonic AJ-PCS060G, the P2 reader with a built in 60 GB hard drive. It was a great device at the time, but the 60GB hard drive doesn’t do much for customers with 32GB & 64GB P2 cards. So Panasonic has come up with a new device for downloading P2 cards in the field. The AG-MSU10 or P2 Media Storage Unit. The MSU10 has two slots, one is a P2 card slot and the other accepts a hard drive enclosure from Panasonic (the AG-MBX10). The enclosure has USB and eSATA connections on it and can be filled with any 2.5″ SATA drive, including solid state drives. The P2 Media Storage Unit features a 3.2” LCD screen that displays a P2 thumbnail screen and supports master-quality 10 bit AVC-Intra (100/50) and DVCPRO HD, DVCPRO50, DVCPRO and DV recording formats. With a single touch, AVC-Intra 100 or DVCPRO HD content can be transferred from a P2 card to the solid-state drive at four times real-time (faster at lower data rates). The MSU10 is battery-operated. We are looking forward to seeing the device, which will sell for under $2500. The hard disk is not included, but can be easily be purchased at any retail store. See the full press release here. 

Snow Leopard (Mac OS 10.6) has been causing problems for many of us, and P2 owners have also felt the pain. One of the most popular methods for downloading P2 cards onto a Mac is using the DuelAdapter from Duel Systems. The DuelAdapter adapts PCMCIA P2 cards to the ExpressCard/34 slot on MacBook Pros. Unfortunately this device just doesn’t work with Snow Leopard, and Duel Systems will not be producing future drivers. So Panasonic made a small announcement on their site:

• P2 card in a DuelAdapter is not recognized on Mac OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard), since there is no DuelAdapter driver software for Mac OS 10.6.
• Please use DuelAdapter on 10.5 (Leopard).
• When using a P2 card on Mac OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard) of MacBookPro, please use a P2 camera, P2 recoder or P2 drive equiped with USB2.
• Panasonic is developing a new 1 slot P2 drive which works on Mac OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard) and planning to launch it in the spring of 2010.

This is an annoying situation for sure, but the last line is what really caught my eye. Panasonic is making a single slot P2 card reader. There are many different P2 solutions out there, but most of our clients want a simple single card solution. There might still be an updated driver for the DuelAdapter, but the Panasonic reader is great news for all you P2 camera owners.

Panasonic has posted several new pieces of firmware and software on their support desk. These are big updates so get them right away if you use P2 products. You can find them all at the Panasonic AV Support Desk. Here is the list of the updates:

1) Firmware for the HPX170/HVX200/HVX200A to enabled full support for the E-Series cards.

2) Mac Drivers for working with P2 Cards – everyone needs this.

3) A new AVC-Intra Decoder for Final Cut Pro

4) Mac AVCCAM Viewer for playing back AVCHD footage. (Also downlaod the AVCCAM Transcoder & AVCCAM Restorer while you are at it).

If you own a P2 based camera  or other device then this is a must read. Panasonic is releasing their E-Series (Economy Series) P2 cards and while they are designed to work with all P2 devices, many will require a firmware upgrade to work perfectly. Without the upgrade the devices may have problems recording clips over multiple cards (Spanned Clips). Also a “REC Warning Error” may occur when recording in variable frame rates at 720/24PN/25PN/30PN. UPDATE: This is only a problem at 12p or 15p on the AG-HVX200/AG-HVX200A, AG-HPX170 and AG-HPX500 models.  This error may also occur when shooting DV or DVCPRO (not DVCPRO HD) in Loop, Interval, or even Normal record modes. So these updates are a must if you’d like to use the E-Series cards. An upgrade is NOT needed for the following cameras:  VariCam 3700, VariCam 2700, AJ-HPX3000, AJ-SPX800, AJ-SPC700 and AJ-SPD850.

Panasonic has posted a chart here, which shows which cameras need the update and when the firmware will be available for free download. That same site – The Panasonic AV Support Desk – will be the best place to visit when you’re ready to upgrade your camera.  For more information read this PDF document – Compatibility Note for E-Series P2 Cards – which Panasonic has issued.