> HD Native - Express Card for Notebook computers

[Howardk]

I would sure like to see Avid come up with a Express Card interface that goes in my 17" Macbook Pro (with 2 Digilink connectors dangling off of it). They would sell a lot of these tor people that do mobile recording and I bet most every FOH engineer touring with a Venue console would buy this as well. It could be sold at full $pop like HD Native cards, to customers that only have this Express Card, and those of us that have HD 1,2, 3 and already have ProTools 9 should get a deep discount, as long as we only have the one iLok license and are only using one or the other at a time, and not both.

I see MADI Express Card interfaces popping up from other manufacturers for notebook computers, so there are other ways of recording lots off inputs into a MacBookPro. . . but those "other" interface solutions do not integrate as well with the Venue for FOH recording & virtual soundchecks, plus I would think people just recording remotely, who already own 192 i/o's (either the old Digi or new Avid) prefer to use what they have instead of buying another Mfrs product to use MADI.

32 Channels in/out of an I7 17" MacBook Pro thru a couple Digilink ports would "rock", and I am sure the computer can do it without breaking much of a sweat, and probably many Windows notebooks can as well. It is not likely that Avid can get all the electronics on the actual Express Card, but the card, with some kind of main cable going to a small box with the balance of the electronics and the Digilink connectors should be acceptable, if required. . .

Anyone share my thoughts on this, or have related comments?