Panasonic unveils AJ-PD500 MicroP2 Half-Rack Recorder with AVC-ULTRA Recording

* AVC-Intra200 Option Delivers Master-Quality Recording, Virtually Lossless Compression *

SECAUCUS, NJ (March 20, 2013) -- Panasonic today announced the AJ-PD500, its first P2 HD recorder with native AVC-ULTRA recording and built-in microP2 card slots. The PD500 is also the first P2 deck that will record in full-resolution, 10-bit 1080/60p (in AVC-Intra100).

Its range of format choices (including AVC-LongG and AVC-Proxy as standard, and AVC-Intra200 and AVCHD playback as options) and variety of professional I/Os make the PD500 ideal for implementations such as production, post-production, long-form documentaries, live event systems, satellite facilities, reality television, news trucks, and as a redundant playback/record device in news facilities.

Panasonic’s AVC-ULTRA offers master-quality and/or low-bit-rate 10-bit, 4:2:2 recording in Full HD to meet a variety of user needs from mastering to transmission. AVC-LongG, designed for applications where file size is critical, offers up to 10-bit, 4:2:2 sampled recording in a much smaller file size, saving storage cost and transfer times over MPEG-2 while maintaining equal or better video quality. The PD500 incorporates a selection of AVC-LongG quality levels, including AVC-LongG50 (10-bit, 4:2:2) and AVC-LongG25 (4:2:2, 10-bit).”

AVC-Intra200 recording, at twice the bit rate per frame of AVC-Intra100, is virtually lossless, delivering a master quality codec in an affordable, file-based half-rack recorder. AVC-Intra200 recordings are suitable for network-level programming, film-outs, and higher levels of color correction, as well as green screen and compositing. Also, recording premium programming in AVC-Intra200 today will facilitate up-rezzing to higher-level formats in the future. Addressing the need for high-speed file exchange, AVC-Proxy encodes are made in parallel with higher bandwidth production formats. AVC-Proxy enables fast, efficient offline editing, at bit-rates from 3.5 megabits down to 800 kilobits per second.

The PD500 has two built-in slots for the company’s new microP2 cards, which have an SD card form factor (see separate news release). The PD500 also has two standard P2 card slots,* as well as an SD card slot for proxy/metadata and AVCHD recording. 12V battery-operated, the PD500’s rugged, half-rack design holds up to the demands of field production, yet at under 4 1/2 pounds it is small and light for easy transport.

Other powerful features include an intuitive, multi-control jog dial; native 1080 24p recording; 1080/24PsF input/output; a super-fast USB 3.0 interface; four channel AES/EBU Digital audio (on BNC I/Os) and two-channel analog audio (on XLR I/Os). This ultra-reliable, dedicated deck allows users to play back and review footage on its 3.5-inch, 16:9 LCD screen; manage clip files and metadata; record full resolution, 10-bit quality content from a wide range of Panasonic and non-Panasonic cameras via its HD-SDI input; and back up data onto external hard disk drives. The unit plays back HD/SD content automatically (no need to change settings) and is internationally operable in 50Hz or 60Hz.

The PD500’s “SuperSpeed” USB 3.0 host interface permits super-fast transfer rates of up to 4.8Gbps. This allows users to easily transfer content to low-cost hard disk drives or solid-state drives for a fast and safe deliverable to clients. When attached to a computer, the USB device mode allows the PD500 to become a two-card microP2 or P2 drive. In addition, users can connect a hard drive to the PD500, allowing the preview of non-real-time content. This functionality allows for the confirmation of content copied to a drive, and for the reviewing of previously-shot content on a drive.

The recorder’s HDMI output enables the transmission of uncompressed digital data to an array of consumer playback devices (video projectors, digital televisions). The deck offers an RS-422A control, thereby allowing it to be controlled as a video source by nonlinear editing systems and color correction systems. The PD500 features 3G-SDI for 1080/60 input/output, and Gigabit Ethernet connectivity for network use. The PD500 also includes a headphone jack and speaker, timecode in/out and a reference sync input.

Additional valuable features include up/down conversion, a USB keyboard connection for easy metadata input, waveform and vectorscope display functions, and a selection from among various functions for allocation to six user buttons.

The PD500 will be available this fall, with a suggested list price of under $14,000 in USA.

Please refer to " AJ-PD500 brochure (Preliminary)pdf " for details.