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To: Tobias Ekman who wrote (35332)	2/18/2007 4:17:39 AM
From: Bruno Cipolla	Respond to of 60323

Panasonic Begins Rollout of Pro Products for NAB by David Kender Published on Feb 13, 2007 5:15 PM AG-HPX500 February 13, 2007 – Today in New York City, Panasonic Broadcast warmed the waters for NAB by making several announcements regarding their professional camcorder line. Chief on the agenda was the AG-HPX500, a 2/3” DVCPRO HD camcorder ($14,000 MSRP) and a new horizon for P2 cards – 16GB and 32GB capacities within the year. Panasonic also had a production model of the super-compact AVCHD camcorder, the AG-HSC1U, on display for handling. No further details were given on the AG-HSC1U, which was announced February 5th. The handheld camcorder records to SD and SDHC cards in the AVCHD format, a consumer-aimed derivative of the AVC codec used in their professional models. AVCHD was co-developed by Panasonic and Sony. The AG-HSC1U is, in fact, a duplicate of the HDC-SD1, a Panasonic consumer camcorder, with two key differences – color reproduction closer to their professional models and the inclusion of a portable hard disk drive onto which the SDHC cards can be downloaded. Shipping with a 4GB SDHC card, the AG-HSC1U retails for $2099, scheduled for a March 2007 release. The AG-HPX500 features three 2/3” CCDs. Recording to P2 cards, the camcorder shoots in 32 high definition and standard definition formats in NTSC and PAL, including DVCPRO HD, DVCPRO50, and DVCPRO, and DV. This flexibility, combined with 4:2:2 color sampling, features like over- and undercranking, 8 gamma modes, and an optional 2:3:3:2 pull down certainly appear to make good on the press release claim that it’s a “workhorse camera for a vast range of professional applications.” The AG-HPX500 is scheduled for a May 2007 release at a retail price of $14,000. The AG-HSC1U, up close and personal P2 cards will continue to be an area of expansion for Panasonic. Though the press commented that prices are not falling as quickly as the company had once speculated, Panasonic was quick to point out that the capacities have increased steadily, and that they will have a 32GB P2 card by year’s end. First, a 16GB version will be released, though no release date or price was announced. The 8GB cards currently sell for about $650. P2 cards are comprised of 4 SD cards and a controller in a die-cast frame. A number of news stations have adopted P2, including all thirty-five O&O FOX stations, over competing formats like DVCAM. Panasonic confidently declared 2007 as the year of HD, in which the major news broadcasters finally followed Hollywood in the move to HD. With months to go until the NAB show in April, the major manufacturers will surely push their own formats as the alternate paths to the future of HD. The question remains as to how each will respond to the growing popularity of solid-state memory. camcorderinfo.com