Portable P2 Deck - Mockup at DVExpo
 

I was at the Panasonic booth today talking to one of the floor reps about this new toy. They didn't have any literature about it yet, so everything I'm about to say came from talking to the rep and examining the mockup.

It's similar in size to the P2 Store, but with 2 slots and a flip up screen.
Connectors:
P2 slots
SD slot
FW400 in/out (2)
FW800 in/out
RCA audio out (one channel 1, one channel 2)
HD/SD-SDI out
BNC out
Component out (D connector)

Features:
-Play back from cards /view thumbnail (like in MCR mode on the HVX)
-1394 Host mode- for offload to an external HDD (thru 6-pin FW, so bus power is possible!)
-1394 Device mode- for offload to computer, etc
-Can be used as an edit deck: Firewire passthrough to SDI, Component, and BNC
-Powered by a camcorder battery like the P2 Store.

According to the rep, it's supposed to release next summer for... wait for it....... $400-$500.

If these specs are correct, this could replace the need for a laptop in the field and an edit deck in post.... to an extent.

That would be sweetness!!
Any more poop anywhere on this??
Thanks

No kidding; if all that functionality translates into the real product especially at that price-point it would be one of the biggest "must haves" for any P2 workflow. Can't wait.

Were you able to snap any pics (or allowed to) of the mock-up, Matt? Does Panny have any web-lit on it yet?

Here we go... just a few quick shots reaching through a crowd.

I'm not sure about any web lit... didn't catch a model #. The rep said there would be more info sometime early next year.

That and the Cineporter would be cool.

I hope the sales rep did not forget an extra 0 in the price of that unit :)
in any case this is definitely the missing link in P2 field recording.
very interesting, thanks for the news and pictures matt.

Matt, thanks a bunch for the pics -- your report is much appreciated! Cheers,

Matt, that looks really exciting. Thanks for posting the info. I really believe that Panasonic will have a tough time over the next year with P2. A simple, cheap device like this might be the "loss leader" that keeps people buying into the rest of the line. Sure hope so. They make such good cameras. I just hope people continue to use them. Hear, hear, to the future of Panasonic.

No problem guys, glad to contribute.

If anyone reading this is going to DVExpo these next two days, might be worth suggesting a headphone jack to the reps... it just occured to me on the drive home that there wasn't one on the mockup.

I stoped by DVExpo after seeing this post and asked the Pana guy about it, he said it was 'below 5k'. Five THOUSAND I asked, and yes, not 500. ;(

He said it had similar features to the HVX200 except no camera. Seemed high to me. . .Sorry. . .

So it doesn't have a hard drive... it just functions as a playback and import device? And it costs ~$4k?!!!

What's the point? Why not just get another HVX200 for that price?

It doesn't even have the expensive parts of a camera. No offense to Vince, but I'm believing Matt's story.

It's just got to be true!

Sam,
Yes, according to the rep I talked to, there is no internal hard drive. Personally I like their thinking--- you can choose the size of the external drive as well as whether or not it bus powered. It would be smart to add a USB2 port however. There wasn't one on the mockup.

And yeah, I agree that $4-5k for a playback-only device is WAY too much considering the price of the HVX, though somehow it wouldn't surprise me if that is accurate. Around $1000 would make sense, but 500 would be perfect! :)

Charging $5k seems like the same kind of logic as charging $1800 for a 60GB P2 Store...

I think the sale rep meant you can buy that plastic mockup unit for $500 :)

Well $500 is still under $5K !