HPX170 at B&H at DVinfo.net

Osmany Tellez · June 13th, 2008, 11:40 AM

B&H is advertising the HPX170...with price.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...CAMCORDER.html

Ken Hull · June 13th, 2008, 10:21 PM

Arrrrgh!!! I was expecting this to cost less than the HVX200, since there's no tape drive. Well, back to dreaming about a used HVX200.... or maybe a JVC HD-110.

Ken

Osmany Tellez · June 14th, 2008, 06:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Hull

Arrrrgh!!! I was expecting this to cost less than the HVX200, since there's no tape drive. Well, back to dreaming about a used HVX200.... or maybe a JVC HD-110.

Ken

Yeah. me too, I was surprised. $800 more. ummm I don't know.

David Saraceno · June 14th, 2008, 09:25 AM

I spoke with one of the larger dealers about ordering a HPX170 last Wednesday.

He told me that Panasonic has not set any pricing.

That price is for the HVX200a at MAP.

There is no pricing set for the HPX170

How can Panasonic hope sell the 170 sans tape drive and with near identical features with the HVX200a for MORE MONEY?

George Kroonder · June 14th, 2008, 09:44 AM

I think you have to look at it like this:

With tape drives being prone to breaking down and having (expensve) maintenance, not having one will result in lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and thus a higher price is justified. It's that obvious.

ROFL (yes I laugh at my own jokes).

George/

P.S. My advice? Pony up $500 extra for an EX1.

Barry Green · June 14th, 2008, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Saraceno

How can Panasonic hope sell the 170 sans tape drive and with near identical features with the HVX200a for MORE MONEY?

Again, no price has been set as far as I know. And "near identical" is not accurate at all. HD-SDI, locking firewire, a wider-angle lens, dozens of changes, smaller, lighter, better ergonomics, and a five-year warranty... the HPX170 is going to be the more desirable of the two for anyone who doesn't need tape.

But Jan's said that they should be "comparably priced" so maybe B&H is taking those words and listing it at what they expect the MSRP to be? The MSRP on the HVX200A is $5995 as well.

David Saraceno · June 15th, 2008, 10:09 AM

I meant "near identical" in terms of lower noise, and a better low light sensitivity.

But Barry is right about the improvements.

However, in buying cameras for 15 years now, I've yet to see a price increase when refinements/corrections are made in part as has been done with the HPX170 over the HVX200.

Ergonomics and correcting a poorly designed FW plug are one thing. SDI, more frame rates, etc. again are not substantial cost items. In fact the component out in the HVX200 again was poorly designed. So correcting these items, at least to me, doesn't justify a cost increase when the tape mechanism is gone.

But these are just opinions.

The price is TBA.

Chris Hurd · June 15th, 2008, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Saraceno

SDI... etc. again are not substantial cost items.

On the contrary, SDI is actually quite a substantial cost item. SDI is usually a several-thousand dollar premium. For example, compare pricing between the SDI equipped Canon XL and XH series with their non-SDI counterparts... there's a $3000 price difference between the XH G1 and XL H1S (with SDI) vs. the XH A1 and XL H1A (without SDI).

David Saraceno · June 15th, 2008, 11:32 AM

And BM makes a SDI converters for under $500.00.

The component out was already there.

Changing the output to SDI is not, to me, $3K premium in a $5K cam.

Chris Hurd · June 15th, 2008, 01:48 PM

Regardless of what the premium is to you, I'm stating a fact, not an opinion: SDI output adds a *substantial* amount to the cost of the camera, because it's a value proposition (obviously of little value to you, but we're talking about an entire market here). The Canon examples I've given also include dedicated BNC's for GenLock and TimeCode, so the $3000 price difference isn't all in the SDI jack, but a significant chunk of it is.

Even if you're resigned to using a Component to SDI workaround, you should at least be able to recognize the substantial added value that SDI gives to the camera. If the difference over the HVX really is just $800, that is obviously more than fair considering you've got to spend an additional $3000 to get SDI on the Canons.

The addition of SDI huge -- it's a big deal, and you cannot reasonably claim that the HPX170 has "nearly identical" features as the HVX200 unless you're unable to realize the significance of having SDI on the camera. Those who do recognize its importance will be more than happy to pay $800 for it, which is almost one-quarter of what it costs on other similar camcorders.

June 13th, 2008, 11:40 AM	#1
Osmany Tellez Regular Crew Join Date: May 2008 Location: Panama City Posts: 190	HPX170 at B&H B&H is advertising the HPX170...with price. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...CAMCORDER.html __________________ FCPS2, G5 Dual core 2.0 GHz, 2.5 Ram, Dell 2408, M-audio DX4, DVX 100A, Sachtler DV6, Manfrotto 561B, Zoom H-4, RE-50, AT890 shotgun, steadicam Merlin,

June 13th, 2008, 10:21 PM	#2
Ken Hull Major Player Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 240	Costs more than the HVX200a! Arrrrgh!!! I was expecting this to cost less than the HVX200, since there's no tape drive. Well, back to dreaming about a used HVX200.... or maybe a JVC HD-110. Ken

June 15th, 2008, 01:48 PM	#10
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,369 Images: 513	Regardless of what the premium is to you, I'm stating a fact, not an opinion: SDI output adds a substantial amount to the cost of the camera, because it's a value proposition (obviously of little value to you, but we're talking about an entire market here). The Canon examples I've given also include dedicated BNC's for GenLock and TimeCode, so the $3000 price difference isn't all in the SDI jack, but a significant chunk of it is. Even if you're resigned to using a Component to SDI workaround, you should at least be able to recognize the substantial added value that SDI gives to the camera. If the difference over the HVX really is just $800, that is obviously more than fair considering you've got to spend an additional $3000 to get SDI on the Canons. The addition of SDI huge -- it's a big deal, and you cannot reasonably claim that the HPX170 has "nearly identical" features as the HVX200 unless you're unable to realize the significance of having SDI on the camera. Those who do recognize its importance will be more than happy to pay $800 for it, which is almost one-quarter of what it costs on other similar camcorders. __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

June 14th, 2008, 09:25 AM	#4
David Saraceno Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Inland Northwest Posts: 490	I spoke with one of the larger dealers about ordering a HPX170 last Wednesday. He told me that Panasonic has not set any pricing. That price is for the HVX200a at MAP. There is no pricing set for the HPX170 How can Panasonic hope sell the 170 sans tape drive and with near identical features with the HVX200a for MORE MONEY?

June 14th, 2008, 09:44 AM	#5
George Kroonder Major Player Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Utrecht, NL \| Europe 3rd Rock from the Sun Posts: 612	I think you have to look at it like this: With tape drives being prone to breaking down and having (expensve) maintenance, not having one will result in lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and thus a higher price is justified. It's that obvious. ROFL (yes I laugh at my own jokes). George/ P.S. My advice? Pony up $500 extra for an EX1.

June 15th, 2008, 10:09 AM	#7
David Saraceno Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Inland Northwest Posts: 490	I meant "near identical" in terms of lower noise, and a better low light sensitivity. But Barry is right about the improvements. However, in buying cameras for 15 years now, I've yet to see a price increase when refinements/corrections are made in part as has been done with the HPX170 over the HVX200. Ergonomics and correcting a poorly designed FW plug are one thing. SDI, more frame rates, etc. again are not substantial cost items. In fact the component out in the HVX200 again was poorly designed. So correcting these items, at least to me, doesn't justify a cost increase when the tape mechanism is gone. But these are just opinions. The price is TBA.

June 15th, 2008, 11:32 AM	#9
David Saraceno Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Inland Northwest Posts: 490	And BM makes a SDI converters for under $500.00. The component out was already there. Changing the output to SDI is not, to me, $3K premium in a $5K cam.