Panasonic announced
the expansion of its Professional AVCCAM line of professional
solid state high definition products with the introductions of the
AG-HMR10 handheld, battery-operated field recorder/player and the
AG-HCK10 compact, multi-purpose camera head.
Offering the
unbeatable combination of high quality, low cost and extreme
mobility, the new AVCCAM recorder and camera utilize advanced
compression (MPEG-4/AVC High-Profile) and are ideal for
applications in video production, sports coaching,
healthcare, law enforcement, remote operation/ surveillance,
and much more. Equipped with an HD-SDI input and output, the HMR10
recorder is also suitable for back-up recording from any
HD-SDI-enabled camera or for use in studio or event
production. .
Designed for use
with the HMR10 recorder, the small HCK10 camera head features three
1/4” native HD resolution MOS imagers. Iris, focus, zoom
control and power are supplied from the HMR10 recorder. Cables
connecting the camera to recorder will be available in lengths up
to 10 meters .
The HMR10 provides
the flexibility of low cost, SD memory card based recording and
full 1080 and 720 resolution capture in a small, portable unit.
Utilizing AVCHD, an MPEG-4 /AVC Hi Profile-based format, the HMR10
provides a near doubling of bandwidth efficiency with improved
video performance over the older MPEG-2 compression used in HDV
formats. SD cards containing AVCCAM recordings can be played
directly in a growing number of affordable Panasonic Blu-ray
players, Sony PlayStation 3®* game machines, PCs and other
devices.
The handheld unit
records stunning full HD 1920x1080 resolution images in three
recording modes – the highest quality PH mode* (average 21
Mbps/max. 24 Mbps), HA mode (approx.17 Mbps) and HG mode (approx.13
Mbps). The HE mode (approx. 6 Mbps) records at 1440x1080. The HMR10
records in HD formats including 1080/60i, 1080/50i, 720/60p and
720/50p.
With the HMR10,
users can capitalize on the cost advantages, reliability and
widespread availability of SD and SDHC memory cards. Using just one
32GB SDHC memory card, a user can record three hours of full
resolution 1920x1080 video and audio in PH mode, four hours at HA
mode and 5.3 hours at HG mode. In the HE mode, the camera can
record up to 12 hours of 1440x1080 HD content – all on a
single 32GB SDHC card.
The HMR10 comes
standard with interface connections including the HD-SDI in/out,
HDMI out and USB 2.0. Professional audio features include an
internal speaker and headphone mini jack. Compact and lightweight,
the handheld unit has a built-in 3.5-inch colour LCD monitor that
displays content in thumbnail images for quick viewing. The HMR10
operates on battery or 7.3V DC power.
For editing or
playback, professionals can instantly transfer content from the SD
Card to Mac or PC computers with an SD/SDHC card reader or by
connecting the HMR10 recorder directly via its USB 2.0
interface.
AVCHD is supported
by wide range of editing options including Apple Final Cut Pro
6.0.5, Adobe Premier Pro CS4, Grass Valley Edius PRO v4.5, Pinnacle
Studio Plus 11, Pinnacle Studio Ultimate 12, Nero7 Premium
Reloaded, Apple iMovie, Ulead Video Studio 11 plus and DVD Movie
Factory 6 Plus. In addition, a free transcoder, available for
download from the Panasonic Broadcast web site, will convert AVCHD
files to DVCPRO HD and downconverted DV files for use with most
existing professional editing packages.
Panasonic’s
AVCCAM series brings the benefits of solid-state recording to
budget-conscious professionals. Like digital still photography,
recording onto SD/SDHC cards offers a fast and simple, file-based
workflow with ultra-reliable performance and resistance to shock,
vibration and extreme temperatures and weather. SD and SDHC memory
cards are inexpensive, widely available and can be reused
repeatedly. Since AVCHD records video as digital data files,
content can be transferred and stored on affordable, high-capacity
hard disk drives (HDD) or optical storage media and transferred to
future storage media as technology advances.
