Be on the lookout as Panasonic has just received distribution copies of a demo disc for the HMC-150 Camcorder, to be distributed ASAP. It was produced by Bernie Mitchell of Silver Platter Productions. It provides a pretty good overview of the camera. I have no idea how to get a copy until they promote it through channels, but it's on its way.

I got an advance copy as I live near Bernie, worked on it, and he gave a demo to a class I teach in filmmaking. Hell of a camera, better than it has a right to be at the street price, and no nasty habits. Even compositing looks good. That h.264 codec, though cpu hungry, makes a really pretty and robust picture.

Thanks for this news, Paul -- hope they'll have it distributed before NAB.

Meanwhile you can have a look at this DVD put on you tube in 2 parts. Unfortunatly it is in french, but an image is said to be worth a thousands words....
YouTube - Panasonic AG-HMC151 DVD de présentation part1/2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sBFtvKtL4o)

YouTube - Panasonic AG-HMC151 Promovideo Content 1/2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbMcVJ2bN9Q&feature=PlayList&p=D2A4DDF02E99D6B9&index=4)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yV9zwM9A08&NR=1

In English.

Obviously not talking about reoslution from these samples but the IQ itself is simply amazing.. very discovery channel-ish look in these videos.. I would love to see it at a higher resolution. Let me know if you find them anywhere else or where I can order the DVD.

I read about this DVD from the Panasonic newsletter I received several weeks ago. I've been anxiously waiting for it. Do you have any idea as to how I can get it? Will they just send it to registered folks? Or do we order it from the Panasonic website??

Sorry I have no distribution info, but it is in the pipeline, should be any day for announcement. The french demo clips referred to above looked quite nice, but I think the US will be more informative

I picked one up at Broadcast Video Expo in London in February. I think it was from the Holdan stand. Richard Payne is the guy to talk to at Holden's about the 151.

It is a very good DVD and above the normal standard of promotional stuff.

I purchased a US version of the HMC150 DVD on ebay.. don't know if it's the one you guys are talking about, but judging from the Youtube videos, the European version has a much, much higher production value. I was hoping to see some good landscape shots in the US DVD but there were only a handful of 3 or 4 second long clips - basically an elaborate infomercial with only very general brochure-level information, not really useful for people who already own an HMC or have done some research on it..

Possible but likely not the new DVD I worked on. Yes, the landscapes presented therein are brief, but it's not demo footage for comparative purposes, it's a sales tool. It is not intended for current owners or as a training device. The DVD has a picture of the camera on front, is predominantly purple, and is labeled "Panasonic AG-HMC150, Next Generation Affordable HD"

In addition to various landscapes, and the afore mentioned music video, (seen shot in part by Mike Figgis), there are illustrations of the various possible applications for the camera. This one is, at last mention, a sales demo to be freely distributed by Panasonic. YMMV.

iPaul