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MillimeterNAB 2008
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM
Perspective on this year’s show.
The versatile AJ-HPM110 is destined to be a fixture in high-end production. Featuring 24p pulldown removal, native 1080p24 record capability, and six P2 card slots, the rugged-as-hell P2 Mobile can serve as an economical “D5-level” AVC-I recorder/player.
P2 glue
Owing to its remarkable versatility, the Panasonic AJ-HPM110 P2 Mobile portable solid-state drive is what I like to describe as the company's “P2 glue.” With an MSRP of $12,000, the updated HPM110 offers the enhanced flexibility to record and play back AVC-Intra files. For high-end users, the new model also supports a 1080 23.98PsF workflow, facilitating P2 integration into environments that employ a mix of various manufacturers' gear.
While P2 HD will certainly dominate Panasonic's presentation at this year's NAB Show, a parallel story will also emerge: the migration upward of AVCHD into the professional space. Developed jointly by Sony and Panasonic, the long-GOP format had been, until recently, found only in consumer or entry-level prosumer gear. The H.264 variant is implemented at various bit rates up to 13Mbps, offering 164 minutes of running time on a 16GB card.
Propelling AVCHD into the professional space, the AG-HMC150 is the world’s first camcorder to offer higher AVCHD bit rates.
Now, with an eye toward institutional and educational users as well as entry-level broadcasters, Panasonic will introduce a higher-bit-rate AVCHD format. The company's new AVCHD camcorders should offer dramatically improved picture quality, especially when compared to older DV and HDV cameras.
The new pro-level implementation will be available initially in the AG-HMC150 camcorder with 1080i and 720p capability; 24fps/30fps/60fps frame rates; remote zoom, iris, and focus; and a prerecord function that had hitherto only been available in higher-end broadcast camera models.
All of this is great news to educational users, for whom Panasonic's solid-state-based recording system translates into more reliable gear with no moving parts. This is a godsend for many schools, whose students routinely subject the equipment to wide temperature swings, frequent physical shock, and other abuse. The file-based workflow that AVCHD offers also obviates the need for a VCR, another big consideration for budget-conscious school administrators.
More than 30 manufacturers — including Apple, Adobe, and Canopus — currently support AVCHD, which, in addition to its many other attributes, also offers shooters improved compatibility and ease of workflow for web videos and podcasts. (If you're planning to output primarily to a low-bandwidth format, why not pick a small-footprint format for the whole production process and reap the benefits?) The shoulder-mounted AG-HMC70, at $2,495 MSRP, is an excellent reflection of this new AVCHD mindset. It offers a range of pro-level features in a compact package: a 1/4in. 3CCD imager, a 12X optical zoom, a 2GB memory card, dual XLR audio inputs with phantom power, component BNC jacks for easy output to a projector, and a shoulder-mount configuration to improve balance. An expanded $2,995 package with an 8GB card, a larger 5400 mA battery, a case, and an SDHC card reader will also be available in April.
