A slate of price cuts on existing SD equipment, including the popular
SDX900, will precede upcoming NAB product launches of new P2-based HD
equipment, company officials told Film & Video. “We still consider
[DVCPRO 50] a very viable format,” said Robert Harris, Panasonic VP of
marketing and product development, explaining that the price reductions
will reposition DVCPRO 50 products at close to what he called
“DVCAM-level.” Panasonic didn’t say exactly which products would be
affected, or what the new prices would be, but said details will be
announced within a few days.
The company’s big pre-NAB announcement is the AJ-HPC2000, the first
shoulder-mount P2 HD camcorder, which uses three progressive 2/3-inch
CCDs and records at 720p, 1080i and 480i. Panasonic will have a working
model at NAB, but the camera isn’t scheduled to ship until November.
The price hasn’t been announced, but Harris said it’s expected to be
much cheaper than a Sony HDCAM and “probably a little more” than the
$26,000 XDCAM HD.
Panasonic's AJ-HPC2000 shoulder-mount P2 HD camcorder.
The AJ-HPS1500 P2 HD studio recorder is being described as the P2
card’s entrée to the IT-style network — it has five P2 slots, two
removable hard-disk slots, and a variety of I/O options (including
HD-SDI, gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0 and FireWire). And the AJ-HPM100,
nicknamed the “P2 Mobile,” is a field recorder with six P2 slots and,
again, a wide array of ins and outs, including HD/SD SDI, analog
composite and analog HD component. Like the HPC2000, both will ship in
November.
The price of P2 media is continuing to drop — an 8 GB card now sells
for just $1400 after a markdown in December — but Panasonic reps got
cagey when asked about the roadmap for introducing a 16 GB model. Well,
they have to hold something back for the show — look for news on the
P2-capacity front to be announced in Las Vegas in April.
Also new is the AJ-HC1500 ($19,950), an HD box camera that’s switchable
between 1080i and 720p, due in April; the AG-DVC20 ($1850) a
shoulder-mounted, three-chip addition to the MiniDV line-up, shipping
in June; and the BT-LH2600 ($4950), a 26-inch LCD monitor that will be
displayed at Panasonic’s new, CRT-free NAB booth (Harris calls latency
a “non-issue” with new LCD displays), also slated for June. Speaking of
flat screens at the company’s booth, be sure to get a load of
Panasonic’s 103-inch (!) plasma display while you’re there.
For all the details on Panasonic’s NAB pre-announcements, visit Press
Release City at StudioDaily.com.
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