Panasonic P2 booklet

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Sony XDCAM EX software
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Panasonic P2 Information

What are the advantages of P2?
The primary advantages of the P2 system over tape or hard drive recording are that there are no moving parts (except for the camera lens), instant recording with no time required for run-up, much less operational noise compared to a tape transport or hard disk recorder, and the ability to withstand an extreme amount of shock and vibration (up to fifteen times the force of gravity). Edit-ready files may be moved from a P2 card to an NLE timeline without the need for a tedious video capture process.

How much material can a P2 card hold?
As a rule of thumb each Gigabyte of storage capacity can hold 4 minutes of DV/DVCPRO, 2 minutes of DVCPRO 50, or 1 minute of DVCPRO HD. The new AVC-Intra codec has two data rates 50 mode and 100 mode. At 50 mode, 2 minutes per GB of storage and 1 minute at 100 mode.

How many P2 cards do I need?
For any project of any length, you could get by with only two cards. They're hot-swappable, so you can record on one card while you remove the other one and download it to a laptop computer or an external drive via an HPMG20E P2 Gear. As long as you have enough hard disk storage with you, it's possible to record continuously simply by alternating the two cards.

What are the Panasonic P2 camcorders?
Panasonic has a full range of P2 camcorders from the innovative AG-HVX201 handheld SD/HD camcorder to the Full resolution AJ-HPX3000 and the newly introduced P2HD VariCam’s AJ-HPX2700 and AJ-HPX3700.
All P2 camcorders offer the same advantages of the P2 format and apart from the AGHPX171 AG-HVX201 are all full-size professional shoulder-mount video cameras which employ three 2/3rd-inch CCDs and a removable broadcast video lens. They have either four or five P2 slots for extended recording times.
The P2 camcorders can record standard definition DVCPRO 50, DVCPRO or DV and high definition DVCPRO HD. The AJ-HPX2100 (optional) and AJ-HPX3000, AJHPX2700, AJHPX3700 has in addition the new AVC-Intra codec.
The AJ range of camcorders has an internal UniSlot wireless mic socket, a PCMCIA slot on top of the camcorder for option cards like the proxy encoder card AJ-YAX800G and a GPS receiver socket for the optional GPS unit AJ-GPS900G.

What is ingestion?
Ingestion is the inputting of data into a system. Since video on a P2 card is no longer "video" in a strict sense, but data, this means we're no longer "capturing video" when we download the contents of a P2 card. Instead we're just moving a huge amount of data from one place to another... removing it from a P2 card and putting it into your field-portable storage system or editing system. This process is called ingestion. The speed at which your system is capable of receiving that data is the ingestion speed.

What types of files are written to a P2 card?
The different formats of video which may be recorded on a P2 card (including DV, DVCPRO, DVCPRO 50 and DVCPRO HD or the new AVC-Intra) are written to the card in a series of edit-ready files called MXF files. These conform to an international SMPTE standard tapeless production.

Which NLE systems are compatible with MXF files?
A wide variety of popular NLE (non-linear editing) software and systems offer direct support or upgradeable plug-in support for MXF, including Avid, Pinnacle, and Canopus, Apple's Final Cut Pro etc.

How do I archive video that was shot on P2?
You have a wide variety of options here... removable hard disk, optical disk, network server, even go back to tape as data if you want. The video is data, and it can be managed, manipulated and archived just like any other electronic data. If you avoid putting it on videotape and keep it in the form of electronic data, then you can take full advantage of the benefits of MXF files, which include a high level of searchability such as time, date, even keywords that you can designate.
The possibilities are nearly endless.

Sony HD Information

XDCAM is the family name for Sony tapeless camcorders and decks. Combining the best of video and IT, XDCAM is ideal for quick turnaround projects where deadlines are tight.

XDCAM EX
An exciting new, low-cost entry point into the world of HD, XDCAM EX records onto “SxS PRO™” memory cards which comply with the ExpressCard™ standard. Up to 100 minutes of HD content can be recorded onto two removable cards. 1080/720 switchable and supporting a variety of standards, including CineAlta 1080/23.98PsF, XDCAM EX makes it fast and easy to shoot, edit and distribute great quality HD.

XDCAM HD
Featuring camcorders with 1/2-inch interchangeable lenses, XDCAM HD offers an elegant path to HD for cost-conscious users looking to switch from analogue or DVCAM. MPEG HD encoding ensures crisp, clear image quality with true 1080-line HD resolution and a choice of 18Mbps, 25Mbps and 35Mbps recording rates. Over 35 partner vendors ensures seamlessly integration with most of today’s popular NLEs.

XDCAM HD 422
XDCAM HD 422 sits at the top of the XDCAM range and is ideal for applications such as ENG, documentary, European TV drama and mainstream entertainment programmes that require a high quality look. Stunning HD picture quality is delivered using 2/3-inch 1920x1080 resolution CCDs, 14 bit A/D conversion and 4:2:2 recording at 50Mbps – while still retaining XDCAM’s market-leading non-linear workflow.

HDCAM
The ideal medium for drama, documentaries, commercials and mainstream television programming, HDCAM has become the High Definition format of choice for discerning users. Already chosen as an “in-house format” by broadcasters around the world, HDCAM offers superb High Definition picture performance while offering a convenient choice of workflow options.

Whether you prefer to post produce in HDCAM or down-convert for editing within existing SD infrastructures, HDCAM offers greater flexibility to match your creative preferences and operational needs. Shoot at 24PsF or 25PsF to give your pictures a prestige, ‘filmic’ look. Alternatively, select 50i or 60i for a more immediate feel, especially with fast-moving action – the choice is yours.

Providing an ideal migration to HD for customers working within Standard Definition budgets, HDCAM future-proofs and increases the international marketability of all your programming.