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Panasonic introduced at NAB the AG-HPX500, the big brother to the proven AG-HVX200 P2 HD camera. Scheduled to ship in May 2007, and using the full-frame DVCPRO codec, the AG-HPX500 is a shoulder mounted P2-based HD camcorder that features 2/3-inch 3-CCDs, DVCPRO HD, and 4.2.2 sampling. The camera weighs in at 8.2 lbs, and utilizes a digital signal processor with 14-bit A/D conversion, and 19-bit processing capable of HD/SD conversion simultaneously. It records to P2 memory cards in 1080/60i, 50i, 30p, 25p and 24p; in 720/60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, and 24p; and in DVCPRO50, DVCPRO and DV. Other features to the camera include the capability to connect to a notebook computer using USB 2.0 as well as IEEE 1394 connections. It features an HD-SDI output for line recording capabilities as well as copying using HD/SD digital VTRs.
I also got a look at the recently released AJ-HPX2000 from Jim Thomas, sales support engineer for the AJ-HPX 2000. He demonstrated the camera and discussed a story in which he went out with a news crew to cover a hostage in a home situation late at night, and with the AJ-HPX2000, Thomas showed how well the camera performed in no light situations. Because the news event was a hostage situation, the law enforcement authorities had cut the power to the neighborhood to ensure the suspect didn't have any type of advantage over law enforcement. While other news crews with 1/2-inch cameras couldn't shoot due to the lack of light, Thomas saw an opportunity to showcase the AJ-HPX2000 low light and no light capabilities. While the other cameras could only get an image of the police lights on the cruiser, Thomas said, and showed the AJ-HPX2000 video, with the street lit up, with even a police officer's facial expressions visible, while other cameras couldn't get so much as the flashing lights of the police cruiser.
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| The 16GB P2 card is priced at $900 |
Panasonic also debuted 16GB and 32GB P2 memory cards at NAB, priced at $900 and $1800 respectively. The 16GB card is slated to ship in May while the 32GB card is expected to ship later in the year. The cards will work immediately with cameras purchased after May 2007. Those cameras purchased before May 2007 are compatible with the new cards via a free downloadable software upgrade from the Panasonic website at www.panasonic.com/broadcast.
With the new cameras and higher capacity P2 memory cards, Panasonic has showcased what it sees as the future of video acquisition, and that is tapeless. For more information, visit www.panasonic.com/broadcast
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John Virata is senior editor of Digital Media Online. You can email him at jvirata@digitalmedianet.com
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