Panasonic Broadcast Displays P2 Flash Media Camcorders at NAB

by Tony Fonseca
Published on Apr 18, 2004 12:00 AM



The electronic media market is on the eve of dramatic change as HD poises to replace film and new recording media attempt to take the place of tape. Solid State was all the rage as Panasonic rolled out their new P2 tapeless media system and a variety of P2 products from cameras to computer drives. Making reference to the initial introduction of P2 technology, Panasonic executives mocked those who thought it was all smoke and mirrors. Confident in the technology, leaders of Panasonic made the case for the P2 revolution while their corporate theme 'Ideas for Life' was prominently displayed throughout the presentations.

The advantages of P2 technology were discussed such as its ability to drastically reduce editing time by eliminating the need to capture, and its durable form factor. The P2 cards mount as hard drives and can be used for editing without transferring files to the computer. News networks are particularly sensitive to any product that can expedite work flow and Panasonic announced a plethora of stations that have purchased equipment and participated in pilot programs such as NY1 News, Media General, WNYO-TV, etc.

The current P2 lineup includes the AJ-SPX800 camera, which is essentially the P2 sister to the DVCPRO AJ-SDX900. The AJ-SPX800 is a full bodied ENG/EFP style camera that features 24 frames progressive scan as well as three 16:9 2/3 inch CCDs. Panasonic also presented solutions for managing P2 content. The AJ-PCD10 is a computer mounted drive that accepts five P2 cards at one time. This compact unit can ingest footage from the P2 cards or simply serve as a docking station while the user edits straight from the cards themselves.

P2 was only half of the story today. HD received its fair share of attention from Panasonic as well. Apple's announcement of Final Cut HD and native support for DVCPRO HD, fed right into the HD theme that ran through the Panasonic presentation. This most recent collaboration between Sony and Apple has resulted in the ability for Final Cut Pro users to bring HD into their systems through fire wire thus eliminating much of the need for expensive HD capture hardware.

Panasonic was never a part of the 4 company HDV consortium that is composed of Sony, Sharp, Canon, and JVC but many have wondered if and when Panasonic would jump on the HDV bandwagon. Judging from today's press conference it appears that Panasonic and HDV may never share the same bed. The prototype camera was described as an HD camera and HDV was not mentioned during any part of today's presentation.

On a day that many believed would be the turning point for HDV, it seems that more questions were raised than answered. In the end HDV may turn out to be a transition format. Something the industry needs to bridge the gap between mini DV and HD while we wait for superior tapeless media to become more affordable, flexible, and spacious. Whether or not this is the case, Panasonic has shown us that there is certainly something great waiting on the other side. The products will sell in the $20,000 price range.