DVX100A - Marcy just translated this from the Japanese site

[Barry Green]

There's basically no way this can be real. I think it's more likely a "wish list" being compiled from users, not a product announcement..

First of all, major camera manufacturers are not in the habit of making product announcements on fansite BBS's. Secondly, the camera's only been out a year (it just hit its 1-year anniversary about two weeks ago) so it seems extraordinarily unlikely that they would make such major upgrades so soon. But thirdly, when they start talking about adding a "USER3" button, that pretty much destroys any credibility they had. There is NO WAY that Panasonic is going to re-engineer the body, change the casting and molds, redesign the magnesium alloy chassis, etc. to add another button. (heck, one reason they made the DVC80, according to Steve Golub, product manager for the DVX, was that they needed to leverage the existing molds against another product so they could justify the expense of producing them).

If all the upgrades were software-only (such as 16:9 squeeze) then it might carry more credibility. But when they talk about adding new buttons, I feel quite confident in proclaiming "it ain't so." But I guess we'll find out in a month or two...

[Robert Mann Z.]

But thirdly, when they start talking about adding a "USER3" button, that pretty much destroys any credibility they had....

where does it say that...

[Sean R Allen]

"But thirdly, when they start talking about adding a "USER3" button"

Barry, they very easily could have turned the "Index" button into a User 3 button, and made Index a user assignable task thus not requiring any modifications to the body.

[Joe Garnero]

Who's to say that there isn't already provision for the button in the tooling? All that may be required is to make the knockout, or add an insert, to make the hole through which the button may protrude. It's done quite commonly in the tooling industry to leverage designs and investments.