Panasonic Pro Video

DVX100 10th Anniversary - Panasonic Super Meeting

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 18:52:32 +0900

We recently held an event in Tokyo called Panasonic Super Meeting, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the release of the DVX100. We held the event to mark ten years of DVX100 cameras in action, and invited around 500 people, largely users of the camera, to join us. In addition to sharing thoughts and memories of the DVX100, we also took the opportunity to introduce our new products to the attendees.

As I said in my opening remarks at the event, I think I can brag a bit and say that the DVX100 really was an industry-changing product. Since it was released and dominated ten years ago, offering features new to that range of products, such as 24p and cinema-like gamma, we have continued to pull the palm camcorder industry forward, with groundbreaking products such as the first memory-based camcorder in the HVX200, the first large-sensor camcorder in the AF100, and our current lineup featuring the “three brothers” - the HPX250, and AC160/AC130. Our most recent addition to the industry is the AC90. It has a form reminiscent of the original DVX100, and while the image quality has been increased by an incredible degree, the price is about 1/3 what the DVX100 was at release.

Along with our customers, we also feel clearly that technology has advanced rapidly over the last ten years, and will continue to do so. As with the DVX100, we are proud of the advances that the AC90 represents, and are happy that it is starting to be widely recognized throughout the world.

We gave away three units of the AC90 at the event the other day, and all the winners were extremely happy. I can’t wait to see what they create with their new cameras!

Visit our Facebook page to see more photos of the event!

P2 Viewer Plus

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 10:59:00 +0900

Today I would like to introduce the our new software for viewing P2 footage. With a load of new features, we have named it P2 Viewer Plus.

The first point to which I would like to draw your attention is the all new GUI, which has been completely redesigned based on user feedback, for the purpose of better usability. We believe the new software will be extremely useful for our P2 users to streamline viewing and copying of P2 files, and editing of metadata.

We have made the software available for the latest Windows and Mac operating systems, and will be offering premium features for sale, starting with the ingest feature, which aids with bulk copying of P2 files.

I think we have outfitted the software with a range of new features that befits the “Plus” name, and I hope that all of our P2 users will give it a try, and provide feedback so that we can make it even better. Visit our homepage to learn more or download the software, and please let us know what you think via our support form or our Facebook page.

About the HC3800

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 10:58:00 +0900

Today I would like to introduce another new product that we have recently announced, the AK-HC3800 studio camera, and the supporting camera system.

The HC3800 camera features three 2/3” CCD sensors, a high sensitivity of F12 (50Hz/F11 at 59.94Hz), a 16 bit A/D converter, and 60dB signal to noise ratio.

The HCU200 is a rack-mountable camera control unit with two main SDI outputs, two additional picture monitor SDI outputs, and two SDI and one VBS channel for return video.

HRP200 remote operation panel, which can operate the CCU from 50m away currently, and will support IP control for further distances in early 2013.

The HVC70 is a 7” LCD colour viewfinder with SWVGA (1,024 x 600) resolution.

This system, which features important mainstays of Panasonic cameras such as CAC (chromatic aberration compensation) and DRS (dynamic range stretch), a 2X digital extender, and a weight of just 3.7kg, is available at quite a reasonable price. We are happy to be able to expand the options for customers looking for camera systems!

Please contact your local Panasonic representatives for price details and demonstrations, and let us know what you think via our Facebook page.

About the AC90

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 18:26:13 +0900

Today I would like to introduce our new compact palm camcorder, the AC90, set to be released in October. It features 1/4” 3MOS sensors, an F1.5 lens, and 12X optical zoom (250X digital). We also carefully considered the form factor, including dual SD card slots, a stylish look, and compact body, allowing easy, professional shooting. The new 5-axis stabilizer enables unprecedented steady shooting.

Further advantages to this camera are the three separate manual lens rings for focus, zoom, and iris. Also, have you heard of NSC (nano surface coating)? It is a Panasonic exclusive lens coating technology that drastically reduces reflections on lens surfaces, eliminating unnecessary ghosting.

We have also managed to provide it at a price that I think delivers excellent cost performance. Please read more about it on our website, and let us know what you think of it via our Facebook page.

About the HPX600

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 00:54:10 +0900

IBC marked the first appearance of a working sample of the HPX600, our new shoulder camcorder, for which we have high hopes. Its strengths are easily recognized, starting with acheiving a weight of 3kg, lightest among 2/3” camcorders in its class.

Additionally, it excels with through its variety of IT interfaces. With wireless, USB, and ethernet connectivity, the HPX600 enables speedier camera work. It is also ready to be upgraded to AVC-Ultra in the future, and holds many special features for users.

Customers to whom we have shown this high-sensitiviy and high-resolution camera have been almost unanimous in their praise. There are a variety of special features, such as the improved flash band compensation that fixes one of the major drawbacks of CMOS sensors, that make this a product with great cost performance. I urge you to learn more about this wonderful camera on the web, and check it out in person as soon as you have a chance!

IBC Show 2012

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 15:33:40 +0900

Panasonic’s booth features three main areas, each with a simple message: a live studio area, a camera area, and an AVC-Ultra area.

The studio area features our new HC3800 studio camera,

the camera corner features our new HPX600 and AC90 camcorders,

and the AVC-Ultra corner displays the new AVC-Ultra codec family, from the transfer-prioritized AVC Long-G, to AVC-Intra 444, which provides the ultimate in image quality.

Also featured in our booth is a variety of footage, including 3D footage from the London Olympics. Our goal for this show was to present our concepts as simply as possible. If you are at the show in Amsterdam, please visit our booth, at Stand C45, Hall 9!

Olympic Support Team - 6

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 16:50:45 +0900

Our Olympic support team has been very busy with the games going on every day, but I recently received this report about the public viewing of the games in London, and thought I would share:

There are numerous spots around the city where events are being shown on large screens.

They are free, with concerts and other events happening simultaneously, so thousands of people have been converging in some cases. I have attended a few of the sessions, and of course being the host country, whenever a British athlete appears, the crowd gets extremely excited. I have never experienced watching anything with such a large crowd, but the ability to cheer and share emotion together is really amazing, and matches the intensity of the Olympics.

Seeing so many people together watching the images that our equipment is helping to capture really made me feel proud, and renewed my focus to ensure everything goes well at these Games. I hope everyone around the world is enjoying watching the Olympics, whether at home or at a public viewing.

Olympic Support Team - 5

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 10:06:00 +0900

With one day left to go, our support team at the Olympics has been busy! Below is a report from the team member focused on ensuring the first 3D Olympics is successful.

A rehearsal of the opening ceremony was held on the evening of the 25th. I took the picture below while helping out in the 3D broadcast truck. I recommend everyone watch the show - the rehearsal was amazing!

There are 4 units of 3DP1 to be used to shoot the opening ceremonies. The feeds from two of the units are sent back to the truck via optical fiber, while the other two are set up for Steadicam use as seen below, and their feeds will be transmitted wirelessly.

I can’t wait to see the 3D Olympic footage these cameras produce!

Olympic Support Team - 4

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 10:18:00 +0900

I’m headed to London today to attend the opening ceremony and other events at the Games, and look forward to meeting up with the support team that has been working so hard. Here is another of their entries:

Although I have been in London since July 16th, I have been spending all my time in the IBC and our hotel, and haven’t been able to experience the city at all. I finally had a day off today, so I took a walk around London.

I headed first for central London, and was near Trafalgar Square, when what should I run into, but a video crew with a 3DP1!

I came across the crew just as they had finished shooting and were packing up. Of course I am happy to see our products in use at the IBC, but I felt extremely happy to chance upon a product in public that I had a hand in making.

Next, I headed to a park near Big Ben. Here I ran into Wenlock, one of the Olympic mascots, this one decorated apparently in an homage to Westminster Abbey.

Wenlock has a single eye, which looks much like a camera lens. I wish that for this “3D Olympics” there was a character with two eyes as well.

This one is designed with a map of London, and was located at the exit of the park.

Also, Olympic-only lanes have opened on the roads, there are advertisements all over the city, and various souvenir shops are opening all the time. We are less than three days away from the start of the Olympics, and the excitement is really starting to build!

Olympic Support Team - 3

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 16:57:11 +0900

Here is the third installment from the Olympics, this one from an employee about visiting the archive room in the IBS last Friday.

I was called to the archive room with a request to arrange cleaning for the 70 HD1400 decks being used there. They will be used to record and provide archived footage to broadcasters throughout the games.

Arriving at the archive room, I could see that the early arriving operators had already begun working. They were extremely serious, and I know from previous events that their tone and choice of words will become much rougher as we approach the start of the Games. It’s a high pressure situation, which ends up being completely transparent to viewers because of the highly-skilled workers and quality equipment used.

Olympic Support Team - 2

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 14:58:00 +0900

This is the second installment of our support crew’s blog from the London Olympics. Today, about the first set of camera crews arriving at the IBC.

After some initial comments, the cameras were handed over.

The crews examined them very carefully, ensuring there were no problems and confirming their operation, asking us many detailed questions in the process.

After checking, the equipment was all packed away, and the crews headed off to get started on their work at the Games.

To all the camera crews I want to say: thank you for a great day, and I look forward to working with you over the next month!

Olympic Support Team - 1

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 20:04:00 +0900

As I explained previously, this year’s London Olympics will mark the 10th Olympics at which a Panasonic recording format is the official format. This year, more Panasonic products will be used than ever before to send more hours of footage than ever before, to homes around the world. The London Olympics will also be the first to be broadcast live in 3D. In addition to providing products to the broadcasters, we are also providing on-location support to them, from a service office in the International Broadcasting Centre, staffed by a team of our technicians.

Over the next little while, in the runup and duration of the Olympics, I will be introducing some of their stories from London, so we can all appreciate the atmosphere of the Olympics and some of the behind-the-scenes work that goes in to making the broadcasts a success.

Today is the first impressions of one of our team members on his first visit to the IBC:

We took the train early in the morning to Stratford Station, the nearest station to the IBC. On the right side of the picture is the reception window.

I handed over my safety course completion certificate, accreditation, and passport, posed for a picture, had my fingerprints and biometrics registered.

From there, it was a walk and bus ride(s) to the IBC. The distance was not short, making for very good exercise so early in the morning. On the way I came across two of the London Olympic mascots, but am sorry to say I do not know their names (note to self: learn mascot names).

Finally I arrived at the Panasonic Room at the IBC.

By this point, my under-exercised body was starting to tire. Inside the IBC is like a maze, so I have determined not to walk anywhere without somewhere who knows where they’re going, as I would be unable to return. The IBC is still rather quiet, with very few people even in the main hallways.

Broadcast Asia

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 11:48:36 +0900

I recently was in Singapore to attend the Broadcast Asia show, held from June 19-22.

While other booths at the show were traditional trade-show layouts, this year we chose to create an entertaining booth outside the traditional show area, featuring a three floor studio. In addition to displaying our products, our booth featured live music, dance, and other arts. I think it was popular with visitors, and we were able to present a compelling image of our company.

The product we displayed was focused mostly on the three pillars of AVC-Ultra Family, wireless solutions (LiveU, Eye-Fi, Smart Viera, Teradek), and new products (HPX600, 4K camera, etc.).

Many customers came not only from India and the main ASEAN countries, but also some of the up and coming countries such as Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. We were happy to have a full and successful three days of discussions and meetings

Panasonic at the London Olympics

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 16:49:58 +0900

There are now less than two months until the London Olympics. Panasonic expresses our support for the Olympic movement by being a TOP Partner for the Olympic Games, but our contribution to the upcoming Games will also be represented by our products being used to transmit the events worldwide. More Panasonic products will be in used in London than at any other Olympics in history.

Especially important is that this Olympics will be the first “3D Olympics” - the first time for events to be broadcast live in 3D. In addition to providing our full line of HD equipment to facilitate transmission of images along each step from London to viewers’ homes around the world, we will also be contributing to the realization of a 3D Olympics by forming a technical 3D partnership with Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS).

A lot of you may already be aware, but the official recording format of the Olympics is P2 DVCPRO series. For production this year, we have supplied 300 P2HD/DVCPRO HD recorders, 100 P2HD camcorders, 1000 monitors, and 30 3D camcorders. Additionally, in addition the DVCPRO HD series that has been long used for the Olympics, this year will also see the addition of the higher quality AVC-Intra format and a file-based workflow to Olympic production. This will mark the 10th Olympic Games for which a Panasonic recording format is the official format.

Shooting the Solar Eclipse

Mon, 21 May 2012 16:54:00 +0900

In Japan today we had the rare opportunity to witness an annular eclipse of the sun. Osaka, where are offices are located, was in the expected viewing area, so the only concern was the weather.

Luckily, we were able to catch peaks of the sun through the clouds, including when the eclipse was at its peak. I had expected that it would get quite dark at the peak, and was surprised at how bright it remained.

We felt that this was too good a chance to be missed, and so took the opportunity to record the eclipse using our AF100 and AC160 cameras, in conjunction with the filters from the special glasses made to view the eclipse. I hope viewing the video will give you an idea of the experience of watching this rare event.

To view all the photos from the shoot, please visit our Facebook page. If you made your own video of the eclipse, please post a link there for us all to see!

Panasonic Reliability - Part Four

Thu, 17 May 2012 14:21:00 +0900

Today is the final installment of Osamu Teshima’s introduction of our Quality Assurance program.

In a difference from consumer products, the video and audio interfaces of professional video equipment are used quite frequently. The ports themselves are rated to be usable for an extremely long time, but we also perform final tests of their strengths after they are included in the final product. This video shows the XLR professional audio signal interface being tested.

The video is divided into before and after. ‘Before’ shows how we used to perform this test, and ‘After’ shows how we now perform it.

It all happens very fast, and is difficult to catch, so the first half of the video is playing in slow motion. An XLR cable attached to an iron ball is attached to the camcorder, then the iron ball is swung around to ensure that the strength of the connector is sufficient. As you can see, it was a rather dangerous method for the engineer involved.

In order to improve safety and ensure uniformity throughout multiple tests, we developed dedicated testing equipment. The ‘After’ video shows the same testing being done with the newly developed apparatus. Now we are able to perform this test without putting ourselves in danger.

Thank you for your attention to this introduction of some our tests to improve reliability. We pledge to continue working hard to provide our professional customers with products they can rely on with peace of mind.

Panasonic Reliability - Part Three

Wed, 09 May 2012 16:31:47 +0900

Today is the third installment of Osamu Teshima’s introduction of our quality assurance testing.

Next I will introduce P2 card reliability tests.

P2 is media developed specifically to be the ultimate in reliability for use in professional video. Along with the reliability of the card itself, starting with its physical strength, the same standards are necessary in the unit into which the card will be inserted. The following video is of a P2 card being repeatedly inserted and removed from a P2 drive to test the reliability and durability of both. After cycling the card in and out more times than we would expect our customers to ever need to, we test to ensure that both card and drive are still working correctly.

We also test the reliability of our camera recorders with a P2 card inserted. This video shows that test. By listening to the audio it is easy to tell, but the card is inserted into the camera recorder and then both receive a jolt.

Panasonic Reliability - Part Two

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:57:14 +0900

Previously I introduced Osamu Teshima, head of our quality assurance group. This is his second entry, regarding LCD and viewfinder testing.

Most pro camcorders have an EVF (Electronic Viewfinder) attached. These viewfinders are designed to be able to rotate, and this rotating mechanism breaking would cause great trouble. Causing inconvenience for our users is the thing we want most to avoid. This rotating mechanism is one of the major factors to which we pay close attention when testing reliability. We created the machine seen in the video to repeatedly rotate the EVF to simulate rotation cycles far beyond what we expect our customers to require in actual use, in order to check the reliability of the rotation mechanism. As we perform this test, we monitor the unit to ensure that there is no damage done to the rotating mechanism or connections.

We also perform tests opening and closing the LCD in a similar fashion to the above EVF testing.

New at NAB

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:01:18 +0900

Finally, NAB is about to start.

The theme of our booth this year is “AVC Ultra - Ready for the Next Generation”

Today we revealed the next stage in the progression of the P2HD series, which has been a driving force in the advancement of file-based broadcast and production systems.

In addition to the current AVC-Intra 100 and 50, AVC-Ultra, our new codec, will add support for next generation 4K with AVC-Intra444, and AVC-Long G, which makes possible highly efficient and affordable full HD production. We have already added the low bitrate AVC-Proxy, which allows for operation and browsing via the internet, for use with time-sensitive transmissions. We will provide specific solutions to address the image quality and efficiency needs of all professional users.

Next, the cameras that will include the rapidly evolving AVC-Ultra codec:

First is the 4K Varicam. With a small recording pack that harnesses AVC-Intra444 to its full potential, a modular form that optimizes field operability, and a sensor that faithfully reproduces a full 4K frame. We expect it to be welcomed in the world of 4K2K mastering.

Next is the shoulder mount AG-HPX600. Although 2/3” size with very high sensitivity, it is extremely low-weight. It is also expandable to AVC-Ultra. Users for whom future network environments are important will able to add AVC-LongG when available.

This is the arrival of a next generation camera that puts a focus on IT connectivity.