Panasonic NAB announcements! SDHC P2 adapter, HPX600, HPX255 w/ CCU & more...!

[Zach Love]

Panasonic NAB 2012 Show - Professional Video Solutions for the Real World

Partial run down:

MicroP2 "SD" cards 32GB & 64GB

MicroP2 adapter for SD cards. Paid firmware upgrade needed for legacy P2 hardware. Quoted limited to 50mbps = 720PN30. (In my humble opinion about 3-4 years over due, but glad to see it a reality.)

HPX600 2/3" MOS lightweight shoulder P2 camera $16k / $18k w/ viewfinder.

HPX255 = HPX250 with ability to connect to CCU

New 18.5" HD Monitor

Firmware upgrades:
AF100 (paid) for 1080p60


HPX250, AC130 & AC160 get "Turbo Focus"

Current AC130 / AC160 owners can get the "Turbo Focus" firmware / hardware upgrade for $300
New owners will get a AC130A or AC160A with upgrades installed.
Panasonic USA Pressroom

[David Heath]

Originally Posted by Zach Love

MicroP2 "SD" cards 32GB & 64GB

MicroP2 adapter for SD cards. Paid firmware upgrade needed for legacy P2 hardware. Quoted limited to 50mbps = 720PN30. (In my humble opinion about 3-4 years over due, but glad to see it a reality.)

It's worth emphasising there are two separate parts to that.

The "MicroP2" cards are new, and seem to have the profile of an SD card, but with high speed performance:

The microP2 card will ensure high-speed transfer, high reliability and the writing assurance of all P2 frame rates, formats and codecs, as well as Panasonic’s newest compression platform, up to the AVC-Intra200 mode of AVC-ULTRA, which will be available within 2013.

It seems that SEPARATELY there is an adaptor to enable the use of MicroP2 cards and SDHC class 10 cards in legacy P2 equipment. Worth emphasising that the 50Mbs restriction seems to be only when the SDHC cards are used - not MicroP2.

Furthering the versatility of the microP2 card adaptor, its design allows Class 10 or high-quality SD cards (at bit rates only up to 50Mbps) to be used in P2 products in emergency situations.

I can't help wondering why "MicroP2" is named as such? The press announcement ( For Journalists ) states "a new series of memory cards called microP2 card, which have an SD card form factor". Sounds like a high performance SD card with a fancy name to me......

[Jack Zhang]

AVC-Ultra mentioned, but still, no hard date for full implementation.

IMHO, it's still vaporware.

[Zach Love]

Originally Posted by David Heath

It's worth emphasising there are two separate parts to that.

Yep, & for people not wanting to click through the link, ETA is 2013. Uhg, really? The designed the AC130/160 & HPX250 in a years time, didn't realize a microP2 card & micro P2 adapter took the same amount of time

Originally Posted by David Heath

Sounds like a high performance SD card with a fancy name to me......

"Really really really fast SDHC" just doesn't roll off the tongue the same way.

[Sanjin Svajger]

Originally Posted by David Heath

I can't help wondering why "MicroP2" is named as such? The press announcement ( For Journalists ) states "a new series of memory cards called microP2 card, which have an SD card form factor". Sounds like a high performance SD card with a fancy name to me......

David, it's because in essence they are small P2 cards, ie. MicroP2:) They have raided 4 chips inside those small cards! The only downside as I see it compared to the original P2 cards is theirs roughness! They are big and sturdy, which is something that can't be said for small SD cards.

Anyway, I really do hope that these cards wont cost as much as the big P2 cards do.

And I really don't like the fact that Panasonic has limited the card adaptor to 50Mbs when using 3rd party cards. But, if that's the way they want to play it... I was just wondering why aren't we using PCMCIA to SD card adaptors with these cameras? I've never tried it my self. But I just figured that they don't work. Right?

[Ian Liuzzi-Fedun]

As we know it was 4 raided SD cards that sucked not modern ones that don't suck. Today the stuff after Class 10 (when it comes out) will be able to support up to DVCPro HD 1080p or AVC Intra 100. The reason it is taking Panasonic so long to make this stuff is because they obviously don't want to give up their monopoly on P2 cards. If anyone else has an idea then fill me in.

[Lee Mullen]

Originally Posted by Zach Love

Firmware upgrades:
AF100 (paid) for 1080p60/50

Old and dissappointing news. :(

[Zach Love]

[QUOTE=Ian Liuzzi-Fedun;1754769If anyone else has an idea then fill me in.[/QUOTE]

P2 cards are more than just fast media. P2 cards do parity checking, error Correction or Concealment. And they have a Raid controller.

This means, in short, that P2 cards should be the most reliable flash memory cards on the market. P2 cards are kind of like wearing a belt & suspenders to make sure your pants don't fall down.

While I can believe that is a reason for the massive price difference, I feel that you can have much cheaper SDHC, CF or SSD cards / drives that are very reliable & will probably do you just fine. Not as secure as belt & suspenders, but if you get a good belt & keep your belt in good condition, you'll probably do fine w/o suspenders too.

[David Heath]

Originally Posted by Zach Love

P2 cards are more than just fast media. P2 cards do parity checking, error Correction or Concealment. And they have a Raid controller.

When P2 cards were first developed, then using multiple cards with RAID controller in a single package was the only way it was possible to achieve the speeds necessary for pro video. That combined with special selection of the fastest cards within a batch. The parity checking etc was a neccessary part of getting the system working AT ALL.

This means, in short, that P2 cards should be the most reliable flash memory cards on the market. P2 cards are kind of like wearing a belt & suspenders to make sure your pants don't fall down.

No - because with more modern solid state technology, it's possible to easily get adequate speed within a single chip so no need for RAID controllers or other bits of electronics within the package. That doesn't neccessaily mean other systems must be any less reliable - it just means that some of the electronics that HAS to be in each and every P2 card can now be in the host device. Likewise many memory chips are now getting a lot cleverer - more control going on to each bit of silicon.

Which is far more efficient, without losing any of the reliability.

From what I hear, P2 cards are indeed very reliable in their own right. (Though not 100% - and 4 SD cards raided means 4x the chance of an individual failure) But so are all the competitors, as long as you don't buy unbranded consumer grade - there's really little in it. The concept behind P2 - solid state recording - was good, but with hindsight it came out too early and saddled Panasonic with legacy issues.

Hopefully microP2 will get them out of the hole. But I still wonder just what is the difference between microP2 and high-spec SDXC? Or is there very little difference apart from name and price tag? :-)

The vast majority of data loss I've heard of has come down to finger trouble in one way or the other - typically formatting an unbacked up card by error. Absolute card reliability is very secondary to that.