PANASONIC ANNOUNCES ADVANCED PROFESSIONAL
AVCHD AG-HMC150 HANDHELD HD CAMCORDER

SECAUCUS, NJ (February 13, 2008) – Panasonic announces a new addition to its growing professional AVCHD product line that capitalizes on the phenomenal success of its popular DV-based AG-DVX100. The new, affordable AG-HMC150 handheld is scheduled for shipment later this year.

The HMC150 is designed to provide enhanced HD production capabilities for video enthusiasts who desire professional features, extended recording capability and the fast, simple and highly reliable workflow offered by tapeless, solid-state recording. The HMC150 features three native 16:9 progressive 1/3” CCD imagers with an optical image stabilization (O.I.S.) function to ensure stable shooting and a 28mm Leica Dicomar wide-angle zoom lens (35MM equivalent). The HMC150 handheld offers 1080i and 720p recording at 13Mbps, comparable to current HDV compression formats with bit rates of 25Mbps. In addition, an enhanced mode with a higher bit rate is planned to be incorporated into the HMC150 for higher-level use. It supports a full range of HD formats including 1080/60i, 1080/50i, 1080/30p, 1080/25p, 1080/24p native; 720/60p, 720/50p, 720/30p, 720/25p, 720/24p native; and it is 50Hz/59.94Hz switchable.

The advanced handheld utilizes the second-generation long GOP HD standard called AVCHD. Based on MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 high profile encoding, AVCHD provides a near doubling of bandwidth efficiency and considerably improved video performance over the older MPEG-2 compression used in HDV formats. Announced by Panasonic and Sony, this industry standard format is now supported by over 30 companies and implemented in numerous camcorders, NLE systems and consumer HD playback devices.

The HMC150 offers professional HD performance with the simplicity of a digital still camera. Since the solid-state handheld records onto SD and SDHC memory cards, professionals can benefit from the reliability and random access of tapeless recording and capitalize on the cost advantages, widespread availability, and growing capacity of standard SD consumer cards. Using the newly announced 32GB SDHC memory card and the camcorder’s 6Mbps recording mode, users can acquire up to 12 hours of HD video and audio on a single SD card.

Additional features of the HMC150 include professional XLR audio input connections and a wide range of data and signal interfaces including HDMI out, USB2.0, component out (D terminal), composite out and RCA audio out jacks, a 3.5-inch LCD monitor to display thumbnail images for quick viewing and playback, and a Time Code/User Bits menu. The camera also has remote jacks for focus iris and start/stop functions, a pre-record feature that allows the camera to capture footage occurring immediately before real-time recording begins, and a time/date stamp menu option for documentation purposes.

Panasonic’s AVCHD camera line brings the benefits of solid-state recording to budget-conscious professionals. Like digital still photography, recording onto SD/SDHC card offers a fast and simple IT-compatible workflow with ultra-reliable performance and resistance to shock, vibration and extreme temperatures and weather. SD and SDHC memory cards are inexpensive and widely available and can be reused repeatedly. Since AVCHD records video as digital data files, content can be transferred and stored on affordable, high-capacity hard disk drives (HDD) and optical storage media and transferred to future storage media as technology advances.

The HMC150 will be available this fall at a price to be announced.

About Panasonic Broadcast

Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems Co. is a leading supplier of broadcast and professional video products and systems. Panasonic Broadcast is a unit company of Panasonic Corporation of North America. The company is the North American headquarters of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (NYSE: MC) of Japan, and the hub of its U.S. marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. For more information on Panasonic Broadcast products, access the company’s web site at www.panasonic.com/broadcast.

Panasonic AG-HMC70, Industry’s First Professional
AVCHD Shoulder-mount Camcorder, Ships In April

An Affordable, Second Generation Professional HD Camcorder

SECAUCUS, NJ (February 13, 2008) – Panasonic announced today that the AG-HMC70, the industry’s first AVCHD shoulder-mount camcorder, will be available in April at a suggested list price of $2,495. Joining the AG-HSC1U handheld in Panasonic’s professional AVCHD line-up, the HMC70 provides institutional customers, event videographers, and web content producers full high definition quality, professional audio and video connectivity, and the fast production workflow offered by tapeless SD card recording. Used to capture important events or send live widescreen video to a projector or flat screen display, the HMC70 is as easy to use as a digital still camera.

“The HMC70 is the latest product in our professional AVCHD camcorder line,” said Robert Harris, Vice President of Marketing, Panasonic Broadcast. ”AVCHD is a new industry-standard camera recording format, introduced by Panasonic and Sony, and now supported by over 30 different manufacturers.”

"This second generation HD format utilizes MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 compression and offers significant improvements in bandwidth efficiency and image quality over older MPEG-2 based systems such as HDV,” Harris said. “Implemented by Panasonic in professional camcorders using standard consumer SD cards, the Panasonic Professional AVCHD camcorder line offers a highly affordable HD video recording solution with tremendous advantages over older tape based products. Unlike HDV, AVCHD content can be captured on a standard SD card and played immediately in a growing number of inexpensive consumer products such as Blu-ray players, game machines, computers, and plasma displays. Now supported by most of the leading NLE products, AVCHD content can also be edited and rendered to almost any format or media. It is a fast and easy way for schools, churches, and businesses to enjoy the advantages of high definition video recording.”

The HMC70 utilizes the AVCHD High Profile video codec, which offers similar image quality to HDV 1080i but uses about half the bandwidth. This means longer recording times and half the storage requirement. Since the HMC70 uses standard SD cards, unlike tape, recording capacity will increase with higher capacity reusable cards, offers random access without fast forward or rewinding, and content is immediately available to editing systems without the ingest delay and additional cost of a playback deck.

The HMC70’s 3-CCD ¼” progressive image system captures 1080i HD, 16:9 images with excellent sensitivity, superb color reproduction and resolution. The camera is equipped with a 12X 38.5mm to 462mm (35mm equivalent) Leica Dicomar™ wide-angle zoom lens, one-push Auto Focus, and integrated Optical Image Stabilization (O.I.S.) that ensures stable images, critical to high definition video display. Professionals can also capture 2.1 Megapixel still images with the camcorder, even during video recording.

With the release of higher-capacity SD cards, professionals have the ability to continuously record for hours. Users can record in one of the camera’s three recording modes – 6Mbps, 9Mbps or 13Mbps. The HMC70 can record over 2.6 hours at 13Mbps, the HMC70’s highest quality mode, or up to 6 hours at 6Mbps, the camera’s extended recording mode -- all on just one 16GB SDHC memory card. In addition, solid-state SD card recording eliminates mechanical wear associated with tape, optical disc, or hard drive based systems.

The HMC70 has a professional, yet lightweight, shoulder mount design that enables exceptionally stable shooting during long recording sessions. The HMC70 is equipped with Y/Pb/Pr BNC connections for playback or live feeds to video projectors or large displays for presenter magnification use in auditoriums and other large venues. It also has high quality audio features such as two locking XLR inputs with switches for mic/line, +48V Phantom Power, Auto/Manual level, mic attenuation, and front/rear assignment. It also features a headphone volume control to match the camera’s output to the shooters’ stereo headphones.

AVCHD editing is currently supported by numerous leading NLE companies on both PC and Mac platforms. In addition, AVCHD can be easily converted to P2 DVCPRO HD for editing on existing systems using a free AVCHD transcoder available on the Panasonic Broadcast web site, or transferred as uncompressed HD video utilizing a simple HDMI to HD-SDI converter.

The HMC70 comes standard with HD Writer software and a 2GB SD card. Optional accessories include a VW-VBG260 battery pack (7.2V 2,640mAh), VW-VBG6 battery pack (7.2V 5,800mAh), VW-AD20 AC adaptor, VW-LDC102 Light, VW-LF43N Filter Kit, VW-W4307H Wide Conversion Lens and a VW-T4314H Tele Conversion Lens.

About AVCHD

Panasonic’s AVCHD camera line brings the benefits of solid-state recording to budget-conscious professionals. Based on MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 technology, AVCHD delivers twice the recording efficiency of older MPEG-2 codec technologies like HDV, ensuring crisp and clear HD images with exceptional color and motion performance. Like digital still photography, recording onto an SD/SDHC card offers a fast and simple IT-compatible workflow, with ultra-reliable performance due to resistance to shock, vibration and extreme temperatures and weather. SD and SDHC memory cards are inexpensive and widely available and can be reused repeatedly. Since AVCHD records video as digital data files, content can be transferred and stored on affordable, high-capacity hard disk drives (HDD) and optical storage media and transferred to new ones as advanced technology is introduced in the future.

HARMONIC’S RHOZET™ CARBON CODER TO SUPPORT
PANASONIC AVC-INTRA HD TECHNOLOGY

SUNNYVALE, CALIF. — FEBRUARY 19, 2008 — Harmonic Inc. (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced that its market-leading Rhozet™ Carbon Coder™ video transcoding solution will support Panasonic’s high-performance AVC-Intra high definition (HD) compression technology. Rhozet Carbon Coder will provide real-time transcoding of HD material using the AVC-Intra codec as a standard feature. Developed to provide greater image quality and flexibility in broadcast HD production, this intra-frame compression technology enables highly efficient compression without compromising HD quality. Carbon Coder with AVC-Intra support will be available in April 2008.

“The AVC-Intra format is fast gaining ground with broadcasters, offering significantly better compression efficiency than older codec families yet maintaining very high picture quality,” said David Trescot, Vice President of the Rhozet Business Unit at Harmonic Inc. “Support for AVC-Intra confirms our commitment to deliver the format support our customers require, for broadcast, broadband or mobile applications.”

The AVC-Intra compression scheme complies with the MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) open standard, and provides 10bit 4:2:2 full-raster compression at the same bit-rate as DVCPRO HD and achieves DVCPRO HD quality at half the bit-rate, effectively creating a new level of HD production while lowering storage and distribution costs. The intra-frame approach captures and preserves the greatest amount of information while offering greater flexibility. Unlike long GOP approaches, AVC-Intra was explicitly designed and optimized for broadcast and production use rather than low bandwidth distribution.

Harmonic’s Rhozet Carbon Coder is a universal transcoding application that facilitates the transfer of media between a variety of platforms, including acquisition, editing, playout, archive, the Internet and mobile devices. Carbon Coder can run as a stand-alone application or as part of a multi-node, fully-automated rendering farm. Carbon Coder provides high-performance, scalable and cost-effective transcoding for a broad range of business environments, from specialized studios to enterprise-scale installations. Carbon Coder solutions have been deployed by more than 100 customers including Amazon.com, Ascent Media, BT, CBS, Channel 10 Israel, Detroit Public Television, Entertainment Television, MSN, MTV Networks, News Broadcasting Japan, ProSieiben.Sat1, Sony, Technicolor, Telekom Austria, The FeedRoom, thePlatform, The Weather Channel, TVAzteca, and Yahoo!. For more information about Carbon Coder please visit www.rhozet.com.

About Harmonic Inc.

Harmonic Inc. is a leading provider of versatile and high performance video solutions that enable service providers to efficiently deliver the next generation of broadcast and on-demand services including high definition, video-on-demand, network personal video recording and time-shifted TV. Cable, satellite, broadcast and telecom service providers can increase revenues and lower operational expenditures by using Harmonic’s digital video, broadband optical access and software solutions to offer consumers the compelling and personalized viewing experience that is driving the business models of the future.

Rhozet, a business unit of Harmonic Inc., is dedicated to providing accelerated high-quality media transcoding solutions. The Rhozet solutions are offered in both off-the-shelf and customized software configurations for the production and content delivery markets. For more information about Rhozet technology please visit www.rhozet.com.

Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California with R&D, sales and system integration centers worldwide. The Company’s customers, including many of the world’s largest communications providers, deliver services in virtually every country. Visit www.harmonicinc.com for more information.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27(A) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21(E) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including statements related to: Carbon Coder’s expected support of Panasonic’s AVC-Intra HD compression technology, the expected ability to provide real-time transcoding of HD material, AVC-Intra gaining ground fast with broadcasters, Harmonic’s commitment to deliver the format support that customers require, and the availability of Carbon Coder with AVC-Intra support in April 2008.

Our expectations and beliefs regarding the features, benefits and availability of Harmonic’s Carbon Coder video transcoding solution with support of Panasonic’s AVC-Intra high definition compression technology may not materialize, and actual results could differ materially from those projected. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to other risks and uncertainties, including those more fully described in Harmonic’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including its recent Reports filed on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. Harmonic does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements.

EDITOR’S NOTE – Product and company names used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

PANASONIC ANNOUNCES 64GB SOLID-STATE P2 MEMORY
CARD, DOUBLING CURRENT RECORDING CAPACITY

Permits Over an Hour of DVCPRO HD or AVC-Intra 100 on a Single P2 Card

SECAUCUS, NJ (February 13, 2008) – Panasonic has announced a 64GB P2 solid-state memory card for its popular line of P2 HD and P2 solid-state camcorders and decks. With the arrival of the 64GB card in the fall, Panasonic will again have doubled the storage capacity of its P2 card from the current 32GB capacity, providing HD recording time dramatically greater than any tape or disc-based system.

The 64GB P2 card, model AJ-P2C064, is scheduled for initial deliveries in fall of 2008 at a price to be announced. The new 64GB P2 card will be offered in addition to the current 32GB and 16GB P2 card.

A 64GB P2 card is capable of storing over four hours of DVCPRO footage (64 GB X 4 minutes per GB), or more than two hour of DVCPRO50, AVC-Intra 50 (64 GB X 2 minutes per GB) or 64 minutes of AVC-Intra 100 or DVCPRO HD. With five 64GB P2 cards installed, an AJ-HPX3000 P2 HD camcorder can record for 320 minutes in AVC-Intra 100 or DVCPRO HD (400 minutes in 1080/24pN) and 640 minutes (800 minutes in 24pN) in AVC-Intra 50 or DVCPRO 50.

“With these incredible recording times, the 64GB P2 card will minimize or eliminate the need for video professionals to switch out media on-set while working on long-form projects,” said Robert Harris, Vice President of Marketing, Panasonic Broadcast. “The P2 strategy, first introduced in 2004, called for P2 cards to double in capacity every year. With the introduction of a 64GB P2 card later this year, Panasonic is on track to fulfill this promise.”

P2 cards are designed for professional users to offer fast, easy IT-based operations and ultra high reliability. They are reusable so that P2 acquisition requires no media consumption, resulting in tremendous savings in media costs.

A P2 card is comprised of its own processor, firmware, a RAID controller, and gigabytes of the highest-quality nonvolatile solid-state memory chips. They manage data intelligently including a write-verification step for every byte of memory that is written to the card for fault-free operation. The P2 card can be connected instantly with laptop PCs and major non-linear editing systems. Packaged in a rugged, die-cast frame, the P2 card is resistant to impact, vibration, shock, dust and environmental extremes including temperature changes.

The 64GB P2 card will work immediately with all P2 HD camcorders purchased from May 2007 forward. P2 and P2 HD products purchased prior to that date will need a free, downloadable software upgrade available on the Panasonic website. Customers wanting to connect the card to an ExpressCard slot of a laptop can utilize a low cost PC card-to-ExpressCard adapter.

PANASONIC ANNOUNCES CRT PERFORMANCE
IN A NEW 17” LCD PRODUCTION MONITOR

120 Hz. BT-LH1760 Features Stunning Picture Quality

SECAUCUS, NJ (February 13, 2008) – Panasonic announced a revolutionary enhancement in the performance of high-quality production LCD monitors – the 120Hz 17” BT-LH1760. The new monitor offers wide off-axis viewing and color reproduction, and provides the motion handling and latency advantages formerly provided only in CRT monitors. The LH1760 is a widescreen high definition display that delivers impressive color reproduction and now offers a vectorscope function in addition to Panasonic’s standard built-in waveform monitoring function.

Utilizing a new In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel with 1280 x 768-pixel native resolution, the LH1760 produces faithful color reproduction with twice the response speed of other currently available professional LCD monitors, so images appear crystal clear, precise and true-to-life, even when displaying fast motion content.

The LH1760 features a 120Hz refresh rate*, double that of standard 60Hz LCD monitors. This enables the monitor to handle fast motion content exceptionally well, minimizing image blur to a level never before seen in a professional LCD display.

In addition, this high performance production monitor is equipped with a built-in waveform monitor and vectorscope that display all picture lines for signal level monitoring. For critical HD focusing and comparison, the LH1760 comes with valuable functions such as Pixel-to-Pixel matching, which allows the user to see an input signal pixel by pixel without any resizing, and Split Screen/Freeze Frame (live input vs. freeze frame).

The LH1760 features an array of input/outputs to support virtually any production task including DVI-D input, two auto-switching HD-SDI/SDI inputs, component video (Y/Pb/Pr), RGB, PC RGB, external sync, speaker and headphone outputs. Additional standard features include embedded audio, time code, closed caption, and an eight-channel audio level meter (via SDI).

Inheriting the rugged design of Panasonic’s line of production-tough monitors, the rack-mountable LH1760 is thin, lightweight and durable, with a die-cast aluminum build. The compact monitor has low energy consumption and, because there is no need for a fan, offers quiet operation.

The LH1760 will be available in April 2008 at a suggested list price under $5,000.

The high-performance LH1760 joins Panasonic’s BT family of production LCD monitors, which includes the 7.9” BT-LH80W, 8.4” BT-LH900A, 17” BT-LH1700W and 26” BT-LH2600W models.

PANASONIC TO SHIP THE COMPACT AK-HC1800 2/3"
2.2M MULTI-PURPOSE HD CAMERA THIS APRIL

SECAUCUS, NJ (February 13, 2008) – Today, Panasonic announced plans to ship its compact AK-HC1800 HD multi-purpose camera this April. This new addition to Panasonic’s line of premium high definition cameras is equipped with 2.2-megapixel 3-CCDs that provide native 1080i video capture for high-level, high definition production.

The HC1800 is a high-end HD video solution for applications ranging from news studio use and weather forecasting to sports. It delivers high resolution HD output in 1080/59.94i and incorporates an advanced single-channel transfer system and spatial offset processing features that reduce aliasing and provide finer resolution. The camera has a high sensitivity of F10 (at 2000 lx) and a signal-to-noise ratio of 60dB, which ensures images are crisp and accurate.

The HC1800 incorporates a host of innovative technology signature to Panasonic’s multi-purpose camera line, including a 14-bit A/D converter with a 38-bit digital signal processor (DSP) for pristine high resolution images and a 12-axis color correction circuit that allows for fine adjustments of hue and saturation. It also offers professionals advanced color enhancing gamma functions including CineGamma™ curve, which reproduces images that match the look of film, as well as a Dynamic Range Stretching (DRS) function that greatly improves results when shooting high contrast scenes with varying degrees of illumination.

The camera also features an “intelligent” function that when enabled, automatically adjusts color temperature response and image settings - such as iris control, variable gain and ND filters - according to changes in the environment. This is a particularly important feature for tower camera applications, where the camera is mounted in distant locations often on high buildings or rooftops.

The remote controllable HC1800 is configurable with Panasonic’s comprehensive line of high performance indoor/outdoor pan-tilt systems, including the AW-PH400, AW-PH405, the AW-PH650 outdoor pan/tilt head, pan-tilt controllers and camera control units.

The compact, 3.3-pound camera unit comes equipped with a standard HD SDI output for flexible operation in remote studio production, sports and tower camera applications. It also features genlock, a mini 15-pin connector, tally function, iris and zoom/focus controls, motor driven optical filters (Clear, 1/4ND, 1/16ND, 1/64ND), DC 12V operation and a low power consumption of 12 watts.

The HC1800 will ship in April at a suggested list price of $28,000.

PANASONIC ANNOUNCES AW-HE100, HIGH QUALITY
INTEGRATED PAN/TILT/ZOOM HD/SD CAMERA

HD/SD Camera System offers Easy Integration and Precision Control

SECAUCUS, NJ (February 13, 2008) – Panasonic announced today the new AW-HE100 multi-format HD/SD camera that features an integrated pan-tilt-zoom mechanism with a unique ergonomic-design. The all-in-one HE100 combines outstanding image quality, super smooth pan/tilt/zoom operation and flexible system configuration.

Perfect for an array of applications ranging from high-resolution distance learning and videoconferencing, to broadcast and event staging, the HE100 provides incredible quality and easy integration for high definition and standard definition production environments. The camera supports 1080i, 720p and 480i formats and can simultaneously output both HD and SD signals. The camera features three progressive 1/3” IT CCDs, a 14-bit A/D converter, and a 19-bit digital signal processor to produce incredibly clean, high resolution images in a wide range of lighting conditions and environments.

The HE100 incorporates a broadcast quality HD 13x auto/manual focus zoom lens with a fast f1.6 maximum aperture, and wide angle focal length of 4.2mm (35mm equivalent: 32.5mm). The integrated PTZ unit has a highly accurate True-Servo pan-tilt head that offers precise, fast, fluid movement in all directions, with an exceptional range of 350 degrees (pan) and 250 degrees (tilt). Able to smoothly follow a wide range of both slow and fast moving objects without visually distracting vibration, the camera delivers a maximum pan/tilt speed of 60 degrees a second. The unit operates in virtual silence, with a noise rating of NC30 (at 30/s motion), NC35 (at 60/s motion).

The AW-HE100 comes standard with a variety of outputs including HD/SD analog component and composite video and is equipped with RS-422 connectivity for precise remote control. An optional HD/SD SDI card is available for critical production applications. Other valuable standard features include programmable auto-image flip, three-step gamma correction, seven-step chroma level adjustment, up to 100 pre-set memories, electronic shutter (1/120 to 1/2000 a sec) with synchro scan, tally light, a ceiling mounting bracket, and an easy -to-use wireless remote that controls up to four HE100 cameras.

The AW-HE100 can easily be integrated with Panasonic’s AK-HC1500 convertible HD camera and SD convertible cameras, and is compatible with a wide range of professional RS-422 control systems including Panasonic’s pan-tilt controllers such as the AW-RP555, AW-RP655, and AW-RP400 (with the AW-IF400), to provide control from remote distances of up to 3,280 ft. The HE100 can also easily be controlled via a desktop or laptop computer.

The HE100 weighs about 14.3 pounds and can be surface or ceiling mounted.

The HE100 will be available in April at a suggested list price of $8,790. Optional accessories include an AW-HHD100 SDI output board, which provides two HD/SD-SDI outputs (BNC) for HD/SD switching.

wow, lots of new info. Thanks.

The AG-HMC150 sounds sweet, but two things bug me:

1. No internal (swappable?) hard drive in addition to SD. This makes the camera even more expensive, and honestly, not as convenient as Panasonic would like us to think.

2. 13 mbps for 1080/60i (1440x1080) is not enough. We've seen it on other cameras and quality was not even better than the HV20 which is a $700 camera. Panasonic should give at least 18 mbps to 1080/60i and 24 mbps (full AVCHD spec) to 1080/24p/30p (1920x1080).

And 1080/60p would have been nice too, at around 40 mbps (even if they had to go over the AVCHD spec). But I understand that it might be a bit early for 1080/60p (the next big version of Bluray will support that, but that'd be in years from now).

Thanks for your posting Chris!

The AG-HMC150 sounds sweet, but two things bug me:

1. No internal (swappable?) hard drive in addition to SD. This makes the camera even more expensive, and honestly, not as convenient as Panasonic would like us to think.



I'm sorry but in the prosumer to pro space that won't happen and doesn't make much sense. SD is more than big enough and more than cheap enough. The point is to get away from moving parts, not add more. Convenience goes down when you've got to bring in your camera because the hard drive is toast.


2. 13 mbps for 1080/60i (1440x1080) is not enough. We've seen it on other cameras and quality was not even better than the HV20 which is a $700 camera. Panasonic should give at least 18 mbps to 1080/60i and 24 mbps (full AVCHD spec) to 1080/24p/30p (1920x1080).

13mbps avchd on current panasonics is 1920x1080. Avchd is currently known to be used all the way up to 17mbps on the new canons.(When the reviews come in we'll probably see this as tying hdv)
Panasonic knows the market for this camera wants more which is why they said:
"In addition, an enhanced mode with a higher bit rate is planned to be incorporated into the HMC150 for higher-level use." It's pretty certain that it won't be a ful 24mbps though, and it probably won't need to, around 20mbps is pretty realistic and will almost definitely beats hdv.


And 1080/60p would have been nice too

That frame rate at 1080p makes no sense, no can even support that, at any budget level and we're most likely talking about a sub $5000 camera.

at around 40 mbps (even if they had to go over the AVCHD spec).

There is, it's called DVCPRO HD, for that you need P2 cards. There's already a camera that does that.

But I understand that it might be a bit early for 1080/60p (the next big version of Bluray will support that, but that'd be in years from now).

So if you know 1080/60p is impossible why even suggest it? 4k res would be "nice" but obviously isn't happening so I've got no reason to even mention it, especially at this price level.

Something tells me that Panasonic is keeping a few new camera secret until the show. None of these cams use P2, so that tells me that none of these are the HXV replacement. I'm curious to see what they trot out at the show. Their version of "one more thing..."

Something tells me that Panasonic is keeping a few new camera secret until the show. None of these cams use P2, so that tells me that none of these are the HXV replacement. I'm curious to see what they trot out at the show. Their version of "one more thing..."

Yeah panasonic has been clear this isn't replacing the hvx. The lower number in the model is a nod to that. Basically above the dvx below the hvx.

A new hvx would be sweet, or at least an "a" model to address some issues. Like that crappy lcd!

We are definitely close to saying goodbye to tapes in the coming NAB. I wonder what Canon and JVC will bring us this year. Hopefully some new HDV cameras with multiple compact flash slots.

>I'm sorry but in the prosumer to pro space that won't happen and doesn't make much sense.

Sorry, but I do not agree with you at all. Having a hard drive for AVCHD is pretty standard, especially for such an expensive camera (compared to the consumer ones). The RED does hard drives, and in fact that it's main medium. The reason why Panasonic went SD only it's because it's a major flash manufacturer and wants yo to BUY, buy more, and even more, SD cards.

"In addition, an enhanced mode with a higher bit rate is planned to be incorporated into the HMC150 for higher-level use."The consumer-grade Panasonic SD9 supports 17 mbps, FWIW. I suspect that would be the minimum for "enhanced mode."

None of these cams use P2, so that tells me that none of these are the HXV replacement.

I think the 150 is actually the replacement for the DVX100.

Sounds sweet to me.

Here's hoping for 24Mbps (I know, but one can dream), higher than 12x zoom (14x? 20x? hell, Canon did THAT), time lapse (like in the 100a) and, oh, I don't know, under $3500 CDN?

One can dream.

Yes, one can dream.

sincerely,


ian

The reason why Panasonic went SD only it's because it's a major flash manufacturer and wants yo to BUY, buy more, and even more, SD cards.

Eugenia,

But you don't really need to buy more and more and MORE SD cards.

Say the 150 has...4 slots (for arguments sake).

You only need one 2 Gb SD card, but you could spring for more and kit out with four 2Gb (or 4, or 8, or 12, or 16Gb if you desire) cards per camera and you're done. No more tape, either. Just swap and dump.

I wonder if Panasonic will offer a hard-drive to dump to like they have for P2 cards?

Doesn't one of the consumer AVCHD cams from Panny come with a 40Gb hard-drive unit to "dump" to?

No more tape. Yay!

sincerely,


ian

1. No internal (swappable?) hard drive in addition to SD. This makes the camera even more expensive...Actually the lack of a hard drive makes it *less* expensive.

13 mbps for 1080/60i (1440x1080) is not enough. We've seen it on other cameras and quality was not even better than the HV20 which is a $700 camera.Bit rate does not determine image quality; the efficiency of the image processor does. The HV20 has Canon's Digic DV II processor, which is the key to its high image quality.

And 1080/60p would have been nice too, at around 40 mbps (even if they had to go over the AVCHD spec).Then it wouldn't be an AVCHD camcorder.

Press releases now updated with product photos -- sorry I didn't have these ready before I left the house yesterday (had to bail out early to take the wife to the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo for V-Day).

What is Panasonic thinking??? They're coming out with a consumer AVCHD camera (HDC-SD9) that will record at 17mbps, but limiting the newly announced "professional" AVCHD cameras to 13mbps???

I would assume that this is temporary. Still, it's odd.

I think you guys need to read the the AG-HMC150 press release more carefully. It says "In addition, an enhanced mode with a higher bit rate is planned to be incorporated into the HMC150 for higher-level use."

Thank you Chris. I did indeed miss that. It makes the HMC-150 a heck of a lot more interesting to consider. I sure hope they are talking about 17+mbps (theoretically comparable quality to 35mpbs MPEG 2). That could be a heck of a camera if the CCDs are high quality (and truly high res).

I think AG-HMC150 will be well accepted. Sounds great for the second cam.

It also has an HDMI port, hopefully HDMI 1.3b supporting 10-bit (or better) 4:2:2. I just hope the CCDs are better than 960 x 540.

It would be nice if Panasonic would give us a ballpark idea of what kind of price tag to expect on the HMC-150. This could be a sweet camera for shooting 720p.

The price will have to be a lot less than the Sony Z7 which has both SD and tape recording capability. May be by the fall Sony will have FX1/FX7 replacement too!!!

Ron Evans

It ends up having all of the recording formats that I expected (http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?p=823036#post823036) but I’d be surprised if it gets released with only one memory card slot. Still, using flash over a standard hard drive is a great idea because of the reliability.

I just hope the CCDs are better than 960 x 540.I'd be willing to bet that they are using their 960x540 1/3" chips.

Anyone know the minimum specs for the SDHC media?

I've never used SDHC media before and was surprised to see that the most expensive card I can find (on a non-sponsor site that I can't list) is a $75 16GB card. That's a big deal. At that price I can afford to buy several cards and not worry about dumping anything in the field. Oh, and by the way, it says this media is Class6 whatever that means.
Anyone know if a card that cheap is fast enough to be used in one of these things? If not, how much is a 16GB card that is fast enough?
Pardon my ignorance about this stuff.

If it's Class 4 or 6 then it should be fast enough for AVCHD. Avoid no-name or off-name brands. Watch out for counterfeit branding. If you're not buying from a DV Info Net sponsor, make sure it's a reputable dealer. Personally I use SanDisk cards but Lexar and Kingston are good names too.

I'd be willing to bet that they are using their 960x540 1/3" chips.Probably, but Crave (http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9872212-1.html) says they're new chips.

...then a 16gig SD card should hold nearly an hour and a half of HD video.

Do I have the numbers correct?

Right now Kingston's 16gig Class4 cards are about $200 but the prices are dropping so quickly and you could always pick up smaller cards if you wanted or shoot at a lower rate and extend your card's capacity. Hell, in Canada the Kingston 8gig class4 is $79 and the 4gig class6 is $37. Pick up a handful of them. That and/or dump to a HDD or some sort of portable SD card dumper which I'm sure must be in the works from somebody.

Ooh. And PLEASE have more than one SD slot in this camera. Geez.

Regardless.

No. More. Tape.

Yeeesssss.

ian

Probably, but Crave (http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9872212-1.html) says they're new chips.That could be good news. Maybe I lost my bet!

I think Crave's estimated price (at least, street price) is too high. Based on the model number and AVCHD data rate, it should be noticeably lower than the P2 HXV-200.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if they were roughly the same price, wouldn't most everybody here choose the HVX-200? (Maybe I'm missing something.)

That could be good news. Maybe I lost my bet!

I think Crave's estimated price (at least, street price) is too high. Based on the model number and AVCHD data rate, it should be noticeably lower than the P2 HXV-200.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if they were roughly the same price, wouldn't most everybody here choose the HVX-200? (Maybe I'm missing something.)

Or the Sony Z7?

I took a look at the price quoted on that site and I think they're just plain wrong. I can see the HVX replacement coming in at $6000+ but not this thing. Most likely it'll be competing with the V1u and come in $3500+.
It had better come in at this price range or I'll be disappointed. I just hope they don't price this thing too high because it's HD. It's time for that to go away since HD is now the standard (who really buys SD anymore?) and just a few years ago, the equivalent SD cams in the prosumer range went for $2500 to $3500. I do find it frustrating that the prosumer price-tag has shifted upwards by a few thousand these days. I'd love to see it come back down to where it was. Who knows if that will happen.

So for recording times at 17mb setting (if it has one) you can expect an hour+ to fit on a 16gb card that should cost somewhere around $150 or less (maybe even half that) by the time this thing hits the streets. If the 17mb setting looks as good as HDV (please) then this will be a big deal for event guys like myself.
Even if this thing only had one slot (booo) that shouldn't be a problem. Just pop in a fresh card before the service starts or at the beginning of the reception or whatever and go. Just monitor your record time and switch cards at a slow moment if you need to be ready for something you know is coming up that you can't miss. It'll be much like shooting to tape in this regard and lord knows we've all figured out how to deal with that by now.

***EDIT***
I may have to amend my numbers a bit. Since I don't know how good the off brand media is, I did a search for Panasonic SDHC 16GB Class 6 cards and the lowest price at a major retailer I could find was around $250. I'm guessing when these cameras hit the streets we'll find lower priced off brand stuff that works with them, but for now since I don't know any better I'll assume this is what a 16gb card will run.
Does Panasonic's smaller AVCHD cams do 17mb? Maybe I can do a little research into what media people are using with those cameras.

I think Crave's estimated price (at least, street price) is too high. Based on the model number and AVCHD data rate, it should be noticeably lower than the P2 HXV-200.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if they were roughly the same price, wouldn't most everybody here choose the HVX-200? (Maybe I'm missing something.)
We don't yet know the HMC150's top AVCHD data rate. It could be as high as 20-24 Mbps (Panasonic may not even know it yet as they may still be working on it). But, yeah, if their prices are similar, I suppose that most people would choose the HVX, which in addition to HD supports DVCPro 50 and, on tape, DV (which could be a deal breaker for those who have to hand a tape off to a client after shooting). However, we also don't know the HMC150's zoom range, the resolution or light sensitivity of its CCDs, or which version of HDMI it supports (10-bit 4:2:2 at full 1,920 x 1,080 over HDMI 1.3 would be nice). But as Jan Crittenden has said, Panasonic views the camera as the DVX's successor, which places the HMC150 in a somewhat lower target market than the HVX's (although obviously there is considerable overlap). I would therefore assume that the HMC150's price will be lower.

Does AVCHD support variable frame rates like the P2 cams?

If this is to be the DVX replacement, then I fully expect it to be a darn good camera. The DVX was the class of the prosumer SD cams (when compared to the PD170, GL2 etc) and was priced at the top end of that category. So if it is to compete with the XHA1 or V1u then I fully expect it to fall into that price range or around $3,500 to $4,500. We'll see.

I took a look at the price quoted on that site and I think they're just plain wrong.Yeah, I think it's a given that they're wrong.

Now maybe you can understand why outside links like that frustrate me so much, when the info posted here on DV Info Net is usually much more accurate. I think I'm going to get a little more aggressive about disallowing outside links like that, for two reasons. First, we already have that news. You don't need to look for it elsewhere. It was right here at DV Info Net all along. Second, there's too much inaccuracy and misinformation coming from these other web sources.

I've already stopped incoming links from a notoriously horrible site that's purely commercial driven and thoroughly riddled with technical inaccuracy. Looks like it's time to expand this policy a bit further.

If I can just get some of you guys trained to look here first for industry news, I'd have a lot less heartburn. Knock off these outside links; you're not helping anyone with them, in fact by posting that junk you're just spreading misinformation. Thanks in advance,

...the HMC70 is listed at Vistek in Canada for $2500 CDN.

<conjecture>All things being equal I would imagine the 150 will MSRP around $3800 but street south of $3500.</conjecture>

At least I'm hoping that's what it'll be.

Please, Panasonic?



ian

Seems reasonable to me Ian. Spec-wise the HMC150 falls between the DVX100 and HVX200, so I imagine the price will too. I think your numbers are pretty sound.

Can anyone weigh in on whether the AVCHD codec supports variable frame rates like the P2 cameras?

Well that answers a major part of the question anyway- not a low cost replacement for the P2 cams for me. Too bad. I have really grown accustomed to the flexibility of the p2 cams.

The brochure for the AG-HMC70 is now available on the Panasonic website.

http://catalog2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ModelDetail?displayTab=O&storeId=11201&catalogId=13051&itemId=227663&catGroupId=14571&surfModel=AG-HMC70

Ken

Panasonic put out a press release (http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prModelDetail?storeId=11301&catalogId=13251&itemId=224663&modelNo=Content02122008093054595&surfModel=Content02122008093054595) about their new 32GB SDHC (class 6) card coming out in April.
Here's the part I'm not so happy about:
The new SDHC Memory Card will have a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $699.

Ouch! So much for cheap media. Man.

Panasonic put out a press release (http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prModelDetail?storeId=11301&catalogId=13251&itemId=224663&modelNo=Content02122008093054595&surfModel=Content02122008093054595) about their new 32GB SDHC (class 6) card coming out in April.
Here's the part I'm not so happy about:


Ouch! So much for cheap media. Man.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220254

16GB Class 6 for $75

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211245

16GB SDHC for $60, will be $30 in 3 months.

Use these cards all the time.

Matthew,
What cameras are you using the cheaper off-brand SD cards in? How high of a bit-rate are you recording at?

I don't know that I'd call A-Data or Patriot "off brand." They've both been making reliable RAM memory for computers for awhile.