Sorry everyone for a common question for an old camera. However I'm desperate.

Bought an hpx300 off ebay. Live shot/studio use only. Camera came with 09.19 firmare. Never updated from day one I don't think. The engineers on the receiving end said there's TONS of noise in the shot with the HD/SDI bnc output. So bad it's not useable.
I swapped between a prosumer camera and the HPX300 just didn't cut it. So something is wrong. I don't have a P2 card to test with to record video. Not that it matters as I only care about the HD/SDI output.

How big of an SD card do I need to upgrade firmware? According to this site, a card larger than 64g is needed: http://eww.pass.panasonic.co.jp/pro-av/support/content/download/EN/ep2main/soft/hpx300/hpx300verup_e.pdf

Is that correct?

I thought there would be a step by step firmware procedure upgrade somewhere, but the above link is the only one I can find. Also, I only have a Macbook Pro. Can I upgrade the firmware via a Mac or do I need a PC?

Sorry if this has been covered, but it's such a dead forum, I may have missed relevant posts.

Lastly, will the latest firmware upgrade help with "noise" in the video/hd/sdi output?

I'm at a loss here. The Ebay seller is gone and doesn't reply so I'm on my own.

Just need clean output from the camera. It's crap at this point. Ugh.

Thanks in advance.

Hi Mike-

64 MB - not GB.

I'm not sure on the Mac issue, since I'm a PC guy. I bet if you format the card in the camera, then follow the directions for folders on the Mac it should work. Current and last firmware is 9.35.

I've used my 300 on live shots for the Weather Channel and MSNBC without a problem. I've also used it as a B cam for 20/20 and it looked great with good lighting. If you have enough light, make sure you use -3db gain. Also, some scene files are better than others for noise. I sometimes use a modified BBC scene file from Gary Nattrass I found some time ago I believe.

I was working on a multi-camera medical shoot a few years back, and on the scope the 300 blacks were a lot noisier than on a 370. Regular picture looked fine though.

Good luck!

David

I looked at my latest firmware download and the file size is 22mb so a 64mb card or larger will be fine.

As for noise as the other user said you need to set the gain structure on the camera as per the BBC recommended settings although NTSC and 24p was noisier than the PAL 25p settings.

PM me your e-mail address and I will send you the BBC test report for the 300/301 that has some useful information, I don't think it is on-line anymore. I also have some pre-sets that may be useful.

I still use my original HPX301 and it is five years old now!