Great info. I'll get on those other forums.
Not that it is an 'issue,' but to answer the question I was INITIALLY thinking of getting a laptop just to capture video, and edit on my desktop. But I see that the advice of getting the biggest baddest laptop would be a better idea and I've read others say that being able to edit 'on the road,' is a great potential.
I checked out the only tested and approved by Panasonic Firestore and it's the FOCUS FS-100 that comes standard with a 100GB hard drive that provides 1.5 hours of DVCPRO HD recording time with a
list price of $2,195.00.
(If using PAL, you need the PAL version)
Other than the valuable other forums mentioned here, I found a good site for FAQ's for the Mac/AG-HVX-200/FCP, at:
https://eww.pavc.panasonic.co.jp/pro-av/support/cs/csregistp2m/ep2main/faq/p2faq .htm
These FAQ's, above, say that "going directly into a PC is possible, but it may fail to record some frames per second. This depends on the performance of PC. So we do not recommend this method."
There is a rebate if buying the USA warrentied camera before the end of the year: a free 8GB P2 card (advertised as a $1,200 value)
I think this answers all my questions about this topic. Thanks everyone for the info and the patience.
P.S. - There is a free contest, BTW, to win the biggest badest laptop, the 17"-MacBook Pro, at
http://www.pcmag.com (of all places!)