WIESBADEN, Germany - 18 Sept. 2007 - Panasonic announced the availability of the AJ-HPX3000, a five-slot P2 HD camcorder capable of producing full-quality 1920x1080 high-definition images, optimal HD recording quality, in a one-piece camcorder. This is the first camcorder to achieve native full HD in 4:2:2, 10 bit without pre filter.

The new HPX3000G also conforms to the EBU requirement to provide a common production broadcast platform in HDD5 quality, in addition to offering industry-standard DVCPRO50/HD content compatibility for high-end television, film, and commercial productions. Again, this is a first in a shoulder-mounted camcorder.

Along with Panasonic's other new P2 HD products, the HPX3000 comes with a free five-year limited warranty, giving owners of the camera even more peace of mind. A user simply fills in an on-line registration form to gain coverage of this product for a full five years (subject to certain conditions). This service is another first for the industry.

In terms of quality and efficiency in a compact unit, the HPX3000 is ideal for all areas of high-end production ? from digital cinema to commercials and television drama.

The inclusion of AVC-I (H.264 compliant) gives this camcorder a significantly better compression scheme than the much older MPEG-2 and offers DVCPRO HD quality at half the bandwidth, creating substantial savings in both storage and distribution, not to mention increasing the capacity of P2 mobile storage devices. This means a single 32 GB P2 card can record more than an hour of HD content. With all five slots in use, the HPX3000 can record continuously for more than five hours without the need to transfer content onto a hard drive.

The AJ-HPX3000 uses three newly developed high-density 2.2-million-pixel CCDs, 14-bit A/D conversion and 12-pole matrix colour correction to produce stunning 4:2:2, 10-bit 1920x1080 HD images. Its AVC-Intra recording capability is offered in two switchable modes, 100M mode for near D-5 HD quality, and 50M for situations where high bandwidth efficiency is also important. The camera is 50/60-Hz switchable for use around the world and offers superb 1080 recordings in DVCPRO HD in 30p, 60i, 50i, and at 24p (over 60i) and 25p (over 50i), as well as SD recording in DVCPRO50.

Equipped with five P2 card slots and a side-mounted, 3.5-inch colour LCD monitor, this P2 HD camcorder combines high performance and high reliability, with solid-state P2 technology. Unlike tape- or disc-based systems, it has no moving parts and offers immediate access to recorded digital content for an efficient IT-based workflow. The AJ-HPX3000 is equipped with five 32GB P2 cards to allow extended recording time of 320 minutes in AVC-Intra 50, 160 minutes in AVC-Intra 100, and 160 minutes in DVCPRO HD.

The AJ-HPX3000's performance is enhanced by innovative technologies such as a Chromatic Aberration Compensation (CAC) function that fixes registration errors and minimizes lateral chromatic aberration in lenses. Multiple advanced gamma settings, including VariCam's noted Film-Rec mode, provide filmmakers with versatility when shooting. The AJ-HPX3000 achieves a high F10 sensitivity at 2,000 lux (at 1080i) and a minimum illumination of .064 lux (at +56db gain-up).

The AJ-HPX3000 comes standard with professional input/output options including industry-standard IT interfaces such as USB 2 host and device, IEEE 1394A for high-speed file transfer, line recordings and uploading to nonlinear editing systems, and optional HD/SD-SDI. Features that add flexibility include genlock input for HD Tri-Level Sync or VBS input use, SMPTE timecode, two-wheel optical filters (ND and CC) and an optional HD/SD-SDI input for external line recording.

Key operational benefits include instant recording start-up, clip thumbnail view for immediate access to video content on all cards, and a host of recording modes, including continuous, card selector, hot swapping, loop-record, pre-record, one-shot, and interval. For added convenience, scene file, programmable user buttons, user menu, and focus-assist functions are included.

All P2 HD core products offer solid-state, high definition recording without the mechanical wear and environmental limitations of tape, hard disk, and optical disc-based systems. P2 HD ensures the highest reliability, especially in challenging conditions. P2 HD products are durable and low-maintenance. They offer immediate access to recorded video and metadata without the need for digitising, ingesting, or creating proxy files as well as offering immediate connectivity to existing IT infrastructures, the speed, ease of use and portability of P2 cards, and interoperability with leading NLE systems.

The AJ-HPX3000 will be available this month at a recommended retail price of 49,900 euros including the five-year limited warranty program.