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Panasonic Doubles Current Recording Capacity With 64-GB P2 Solid-State Memory Card (12/5/2008)

Permits Over an Hour of DVCPRO HD or AVC-Intra 100 on a Single P2 Card

Panasonic has announced a 64-GB P2 solid-state memory card for its popular line of P2 HD and P2 solid-state camcorders and decks. With the arrival of the 64-GB card, Panasonic will again have doubled the storage capacity of its P2 media from the current 32-GB capacity, providing HD recording time dramatically greater than any tape or disc-based system.

The 64-GB P2 card, model AJ-P2C064, is scheduled for initial delivery in Q3 2008, at a price to be announced, and will be offered in addition to the current 32-GB and 16-GB P2 cards.

A 64-GB P2 card is capable of storing more than four hours of DVCPRO footage (64 GB X 4 minutes per GB), more than two hours of DVCPRO 50 or AVC-Intra 50 (64 GB X 2 minutes per GB), or 64 minutes of AVC-Intra 100 or DVCPRO HD. With five 64-GB P2 cards installed, an AJ-HPX3000 P2 HD camcorder can record for 320 minutes in AVC-Intra 100 or DVCPRO HD, and 640 minutes in AVC-Intra 50 or DVCPRO 50.

"Doubling the capacity of P2 media is an important step in our strategy for spreading the huge benefits of tapeless operation throughout the broadcasting industry," said Jaume Rey, director of Panasonic PBITS. "With the expanded recording times offered by 64-GB P2 cards, professionals working in the field or on long-form projects can now take advantage of the most efficient and convenient acquisition platform available."

P2 cards are designed for professional users to offer fast, easy IT-based operation and ultra-high reliability. They are robust and reusable, so that P2 acquisition requires no media consumption, resulting in tremendous savings in media costs.

A P2 card is comprised of its own processor, firmware, a RAID controller, and gigabytes of the highest quality, non-volatile solid-state memory chips. They manage data intelligently, including a write-verification step for every byte of memory that is written to the card for fault-free operation. The P2 card can be connected instantly with laptop PCs and major nonlinear editing systems. Packaged in a rugged die-cast frame, the P2 card is resistant to impact, vibration, shock, dust, and environmental extremes including temperature changes.

The 64-B P2 card will work immediately with all P2 HD camcorders purchased from May 2007 and forward. P2 and P2 HD products purchased prior to that date will need a free, downloadable software upgrade available on the Panasonic Web site. Customers wanting to connect the card to an ExpressCard slot of a laptop can utilise a low-cost PC card-to-ExpressCard adapter.

www.panasonic-broadcast.com

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