Ikegami and Toshiba Announce New Flash Memory-based Broadcast Video Systemby Michael PerlmanPublished on Apr 12, 2007 10:19 AM 
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April 11, 2007 - Last Monday, Ikegami Tsushinki, maker of broadcast video cameras announced their collaboration with electronics manufacturer Toshiba to produce a flash memory-based “total” video production system. The partnership will implement tapeless flash memory technology on the production end, backed by a complete digital workflow solution. The announcement by Toshiba, a leading designer of broadcast systems, and Ikegami, a respected manufacturer of high quality professional cameras also offers the first competition to Panasonic’s P2 flash technology.
Flash technology was first widely implemented by Panasonic, which introduced their proprietary P2 card system in 2006. Their $6000 AG-HVX200 was the first camcorder to record to solid state removable flash media, allowing for silent camera operation and durability in harsh environments. Panasonic has touted the money-saving attributes of reusable P2 cards over tape stock, but the barriers to entry remain high. The largest currently available P2 has a capacity of 8GB and retails for about $700. P2 supports DVCPRO, DVCPRO 50, and DVCPRO HD but each card holds just 8 minutes of DVCPRO HD footage. The relatively high price of P2 cards has limited adoption of Panasonic’s system primarily to larger organizations and broadcasters.
Ikegami was the first company to introduce tapeless video with their “Editcam” in 1995, the industry’s first HDD-based camcorder. In 2006, they launched the high definition Editcam HD. Toshiba is the pioneer of the world’s first broadcast video server with flash memory. With Ikegami and Toshiba teaming up to offer a new flash memory-based production and post-production system, the battle for tapeless video supremacy is on.
Ikegami and Toshiba will reveal their latest development models on Monday, April 27th at NAB 2007 (National Association of Broadcasters convention) in Las Vegas.