Panasonic’s AG-AF100 micro-four-thirds camcorder has begun shipping, with the interchangeable lens camera offering native 1080/24p recording for $4,995. The AF100 can record up to 12 hours of footage across two 64GB SDXC cards in PH mode, as well as capturing 2-megapixel stills, and supports ISO 200 to 3200, variable frame rates in 20 steps from 12p to 60p at 60Hz or from 12p to 50p at 50Hz, and can use regular micro-4/3 lenses from still cameras.
Onboard are stereo microphones, but the AF100 also has two mic/lines and twin XLR inputs with phantom power. Other ports include an uncompressed 4:2:2, 8 Bit HD-SDI output, HDMI out and USB 2.0. It’ll shoot for up to 4hrs on a single charge.
Not cheap, then, but considering all you’re getting we’re not surprised that pro and prosumer cinematographers are excited at what the AF100 brings to the table. It’ll have to be good, too; Sony recently unveiled its 3D pro camcorder, which promises similar lens flexibility sometime in 2011.
Press Release:
Panasonic Delivers AG-AF100, the Affordable Large Imager Cinema Camera
Advanced, Custom-Designed 4/3” Sensor Delivers Depth of Field and Field of View Similar to a 35mm Movie Camera; Camcorder Uses Low-Cost Still Camera and Film-Style Lenses
SECAUCUS, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Fulfilling the holiday wishes of filmmakers worldwide, Panasonic Solutions Company today begins deliveries of the AG-AF100, the industry’s first professional micro 4/3-inch video camcorder optimized for high-definition video recording. Available now at a suggested list price of $4,995, the AF100 offers a new level of affordability for HD motion image quality.
Targeted at the film and video production communities, the AF100 delivers film-like shallow depth of field and the wider field of view of a large imager, with the flexibility and cost advantages of a growing line of professional quality, industry-standard micro 4/3-inch lenses, filters, and adapters. The full HD 1080/720 production camera offers superior video handling, native 1080/24p recording, variable frame rates, professional audio capabilities, and compatibility with SDHC and SDXC media.
“The design of the AF100’s advanced, custom-designed 4/3-inch sensor affords depth of field and field of view similar to that of 35mm movie cameras in a more affordable camera,” said Jan Crittenden Livingston, Product Line Business Manager, Panasonic Solutions Company. “What’s more, Panasonic engineering ingenuity has resolved the aliasing and moiré that has haunted the DSLR shooter. In fact, the AF100 was based on what we heard from and saw customers doing: purchasing DSLR cameras because they liked the look of the image, but then agonizing over all of the workarounds required to achieve an acceptable high definition recording.”
The AF100 incorporates a large 4/3-inch, 16:9 MOS imager (with an imaging area just slightly smaller than 35mm cinema film) that minimizes skew with fast imager scanning, and incorporates an optical low pass filter for elimination of aliasing and moiré. The camcorder records 1080 at 60i, 50i, 30P, 25P (Native) and 24P (Native), and 720 at 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p and 24p native in AVCHD’s highest-quality PH mode (maximum 24Mbps). The AF100 also records in AVCCAM’s HA (17Mbps) and HE (6Mbps) modes, 1080i only. Ready for global production standards, the camcorder is 60Hz and 50Hz switchable. Equipped with an interchangeable micro 4/3-inch lens mount, the AF100 can utilize an array of low-cost, widely-available still camera lenses as well as film-style lenses with fixed focal lengths and primes.
Variable frame rates (VFR) are available in 1080p, selectable in 20 steps from 12p to 60p at 60Hz and 20 steps from 12p to 50p at 50Hz. The camcorder has a built-in stereo microphone and features two mic/lines, switchable XLR inputs with +48V Phantom Power capability. It can record 48-kHz/16-bit two-channel digital audio (in PH mode only) and supports LPCM/Dolby-AC3 in any of the modes.
This newest Panasonic AVCCAM camcorder is the first to enjoy the benefits of advanced SDXC media card compatibility in addition to existing SDHC card support. SDXC is the newest SD memory card specification that supports memory capacities above 32GB and up to 2TB. With two SD slots for continuous recording, the AF100 can record up to 12 hours on two 64GB SDXC cards in PH mode, with automatic clip spanning across the two cards. The AF100 offers still image capture as two megapixel (1920 x 1080) still images.
The AF100 features switchable FILM CAM and VIDEO CAM modes, with VFR operable in FILM CAM. The camcorder has a wide ISO gain setting range that allows sensitivity to be set between ISO 200 and ISO 3200 (in FILM CAM), or gain adjusted between 18 dB and-6 dB (in VIDEO CAM). It also offers a focus assist that can be used while recording, which is color-on peaking and a focus bar; area focus and area iris functions that facilitate recording when the subject is off-center; two sets of adjustable zebras; two manual black and white balance choices, and preset White Balance at 3200K, 5600K or variable; and a waveform monitor and vectorscope for more accurate monitoring of broadcast safe levels.
Weighing only 3.5 pounds (without lens or battery), the AF100 is packed with high-end features including Dynamic Range Stretch in all modes and frame rates; six built-in, customizable scene files that are exchangeable for quick and easy matching between multiple cameras; seven built-in gamma curves with four selectable color matrices; a built-in optical ND filter; adjustable shutter speed and Syncro-scan function; and a high-resolution, variable angle color LCD monitor and tiltable viewfinder.
Standard professional interfaces include uncompressed 4:2:2, 8 Bit HD-SDI out, HDMI out and USB 2.0. The AF100 records SMPTE timecode and is able to perform timecode synchronizing via the video output seeing timecode in, and has an internal down-converter facilitating output of SD (480/576) signals.
Other essential features include a wealth of solid-state recording modes (clip thumbnail display, pre-record, intervalometer function that can be set for up to 24 hours); three User Buttons that can be programmed with up to 14 functions each; a Smart Battery interface for recording up to four hours with a 5800mA battery (model VW-VBG6PPK); metadata recording; and a wireless infrared remote controller.
Panasonic will support the AG-AF100 with a three-year limited warranty (one year plus two extra years upon registration) upon registration of the camera with the PASS customer support program.
Take a trip on the root train with Nexus S, emulate your way back into the greatest system ever SEGA Dreamcast – on Android, see Google aspire for a musical future, and translate foreign text in real time with Word Lens for iPhoto! Then just incase you missed it last night, take a peek at this first look at the L1v2 Laser Pico Handheld Projector with none other than your humble narrator, and get your first taste of TRON: LEGACY with a full review by Philip! All this and MORE on SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up!
Panasonic Japan has outed a new HDTV, and if you’ve ever wished for an easy way to archive live TV without messing with a DVR then this could be the VIERA you’ve been waiting for. The Panasonic VIERA TH-L42G3 is a 42-inch set with an IPS LED-backlit Full HD display, but the clever stuff is in the SD card reader in the side. Rather than just allowing you to play back media, as with memory card slots on other HDTVs, this one lets you record it.
That slot will take SD, SDHC and SDXC memory cards – up to 64GB in size – which is good enough for up to five hours of Full HD, 24Mbps video. Alternatively, there’s a USB port to which you can directly hook up an external drive, for even longer storage.
The only problem is that the media files the VIERA creates won’t apparently play on other TVs, computers or mobile devices, which seriously undermines the TH-L42G3′s usefulness as a way to get video onto your smartphone. Other features include an ethernet port for smart TV functionality, two HDMI ports, VIERA Link, video-on-demand connectivity and DLNA. It’ll drop in Japan come January 18 2011, priced at the equivalent of $1,800.
In the medical field, there’s a push to make robots a real presence. Whether that means they take over certain aspects of a particular job, or even just remove the need for a person as a whole, it doesn’t matter. And the new HOSPI robot from Panasonic is one of those robots. While it may not take over an orderlie’s job over night, you can see how a few improvements could indeed put the robot into every hospital in the world.
The HOSPI robot has one job: dispense, and pick up medications from nurses. There are several sensors inside the robot to make sure that it’s able to navigate the lengthy hallways of a hospital without incident, and that includes moving objects, too. And, while other robots in the hospital setting were just starting to see the light of day in some hospitals, Panasonic says that the HOSPI robot is already in full use within 50 hospitals within Japan. Check out the video below to see HOSPI in action.
The portable gaming market is looking like it will get a bit more interesting in 2011, as Panasonic seems intent on launching their own portable console. After being unveiled last month, there were some who believed that it would be a pipe-dream, and never make it out of the gate. But Panasonic doesn’t see it that way, and they’ve moved onto the testing stage for the device, focusing on consumers in the United States.
Recently, Panasonic began sending out emails to US-based consumers, informing them that they had been chosen to test the Jungle, the company’s portable video game console. Panasonic’s spokesman out of Tokyo, Akira Kadota, has confirmed that the emails were sent out to consumers, but would not go into detail about the console. The price, let alone the specifications for the device, are still unknown at this point.
It is known, though, that Panasonic won’t be focusing on the “traditional” video game strategy. Unlike Sony and Nintendo, Panasonic’s Jungle portable gaming device will focus on multiplayer gamers, like Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG). The only title that’s been talked about so far, is a Battlestar Galactica title, which will let you play as either a human, or a Cylon. The console itself will feature a QWERTY keyboard, as well as a touchpad.
Considering it is the day after Thanksgiving, how about a little publicity stunt from Panasonic to tide you over during your extended weekend? Even if batteries are one of the most commonly used items in the world, it seems Panasonic doesn’t think they get enough attention. That’s why they put together the EVOLTA robot, and decided to send the little robot on a 500-kilometer trek across Japan. Luckily enough for the EVOLTA, it made it, and actually did it ahead of schedule.
The EVOLTA robot from Panasonic is a design that’s meant to showcase the power of AA batteries. Indeed, the little robot managed to go quite the distance on only 12-AA batteries. The robot didn’t make the trip from Tokyo to Kyoto by itself, though. No, the ‘bot brought along its team of EVOLTA Sisters for the ride. However, thanks to the infrared signal on board a vehicle in front of EVOLTA, it was perfectly capable of finding its own way.
The robot was also allowed to be carried up stairs, when it came across them. Also, it was decided upon that the robot wouldn’t do any traveling if it were raining out. EVOLTA spent two months on the road, traveling 500-kilometers in total, and made it to Kyoto ahead of schedule, which Panasonic was pretty happy about. You can check out the little robot in the video below.
Oh my goodness! Vudu is back in a big way, yes? This most recent resurgence covers Panasonic’s DMP-BDT350 (with full HD 3D), DMP-BDT300 (with full HD 3D), DMP-BDT100 (with full HD 3D), DMP-BD85, DMP-BD65, and DMP-B500 (the portable Blu-ray disc player). Starting November 24th, all of these devices will get complete access to the Vudu library – that is 4,000+ 1080p movies, all of them streaming, all of them promising to be totally frigging amazing. This system will work something like RedBox, with each title being available for $2 for a two-night rental. Firmware updates are on the way.
Panasonic devices listed already have Panatonic’s IPTV functionality VIERA CAST, and earlier this year they added Netflix, Skype for voice and video calling, Twitter, and Pandora for music. These Blu-ray players seem to be quite outta sight. Edward Lichty, General Manager of VUDU says thusly: “We are proud to partner with Panasonic to offer owners of VIERA CAST-enabled Blu-ray Disc Players access to the industry’s best-in-class streaming movie experience, with immediate access to thousands of titles, including the hottest new releases, all with no subscription required.” Check out the full press release here:
VUDU GOES LIVE ON PANASONIC’S 2010 VIERA CAST-ENABLED BLU-RAY DISC™ PLAYERS
Consumers Gain Instant Streaming Access to VUDU’s Extensive Library of Full HD 1080p Movies Instantly for Rental or Purchase
SECAUCUS, NJ (November 22, 2010) – Panasonic, a leader in Full HD 3D technology and built-in TV web entertainment and movie streaming service, VUDUTM announced that Panasonic’s 2010 line of VIERA CAST™-enabled Blu-ray Disc™ Players1 will offer instant streaming of VUDU’s huge high definition movie library, including more than 4,000 Full HD (1080p) movies, beginning on November 24.
VUDU is a video-on-demand service offering instant streaming (no download time) of movies and TV programs through IPTV-enabled HDTVs and Blu-ray Disc Players with no computer or cable/satellite TV service required, and no subscription or monthly membership fees. VUDU boasts the world’s most extensive library of HD movies from all Hollywood studios and leading independent distributors, and an unmatched new release collection with titles available the same day as the DVD release. The VUDU service also offers a great value to movie renters, with an enormous collection of titles available for only $2 for a two-night rental.
“Connected TV will continue to become an increasingly important feature for consumers and Panasonic is working tirelessly to build upon the already robust entertainment and connectivity experiences our VIERA CAST customers can enjoy,” said Panasonic Corporation of North America Vice President, Merwan Mereby. “The addition of VUDU to our 2010 VIERA CAST offerings gives consumers access to a virtually endless library of TV and High Definition movie content when they want it and instantly streamed into their TV without ever having to leave the couch.”
VUDU is the latest entertainment feature to be added to VIERA CAST, Panasonic’s IPTV functionality. Earlier this year, Panasonic added Netflix, Skype™ voice and video calling2, Twitter3 and Pandora to an already robust list of popular entertainment and information options, including Amazon Video-on-Demand™, You Tube™, Google’s Picasa™ Web Album, FOX Sports4, Bloomberg News and a weather service. Panasonic’s line of VIERA CASTTM-enabled Blu-ray Disc Players allows consumers to turn any flat panel HDTV into an IPTV or connected TV via VIERA CAST. VIERA CAST requires no external box or PC5 and is accessed via a single button on the Blu-ray Disc Player remote control. There is no fee to use the VIERA CAST functionality (some VIERA CAST services such as VUDU, Netflix and Amazon VOD have a separate fee structure). New VUDU customers on VIERA CAST™ will receive a $5.99 credit, enabling them to watch their first HD movie on the service for free.
“Our core mission is to deliver the best selection of movies, at the highest quality possible, directly to the customer’s living room,” said Edward Lichty, General Manager of VUDU. “We are proud to partner with Panasonic to offer owners of VIERA CAST-enabled Blu-ray Disc Players access to the industry’s best-in-class streaming movie experience, with immediate access to thousands of titles, including the hottest new releases, all with no subscription required.”
2010 Panasonic Blu-ray Disc Players Featuring VIERA CAST:
· DMP-BDT350 (Full HD 3D)
· DMP-BDT300 (Full HD 3D)
· DMP-BDT100 (Full HD 3D)
· DMP-BD85
· DMP-BD65
· DMP-B500 (Portable Blu-ray Disc Player)
Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today’s bevy of hand curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the holiday season.
Photos make great mementos for important moments, but a picture of your kid taking her first step or writing his first blog post isn’t quite as meaningful as a full-motion video of the event in question. That’s why a video recorder of some sort is a must-have, and while your average compact camera is capturing better footage than ever, sometimes you need something a little more dedicated. That’s when you need a camcorder, and this year we even have a bunch of 3D models to choose from. Which ones are right for you and for your budget? Click on through to find out.
The tech world has gone 3D crazy over the last year. We have so much 3D gear on the market right now that you can find it all over the place, even if many of us still aren’t buying into the 3D craze. Not too long ago Panasonic whipped out its cool new crazy thin 3D lens for some of its interchangeable lens cameras called the H-FT012.
The thin lens allows the cameras to take 3D pictures and put all the hardware needed for 3D snapping right inside the thin lens. Panasonic has announced that it has a new firmware update that is free for the DMC-G2 point and shoot digital camera. The firmware update enables the 3D image capturing and playing on the camera.
Naturally, you have to buy the optional 3D lens to take advantage of the 3D glory with the camera. That lens was set to ship this month and it’s surprisingly cheap considering it’s 3D at $249.99. The firmware you need if you own a G2 is version 1.1.
Panasonic has a bunch of different 3D TVs and other massive screened HDTVs in its line .The company has now combined a gigantic screen with 3D capability with the unveiling of its new 103-inch TH-P103MT2. The gigantic display supports full HD resolution with 3D capability and has no integrated TV tuner.
That lack of a tuner means you will need a cable or satellite box of some sort for watching your favorite TV shows. Panasonic uses a new dynamic black layer in the screen and better gas discharge tech and more efficiency for the lamination of the screen. All that fancy tech gives the TV a contrast ration of up to 5,000,000:1 and 24Hz image processing.
The screen ships with one one pair of 3D glasses and weighs an insane 320kgs and sucks down 1350 watts of power alone. You could run ten other 40-inch LED TVs for the same power consumption. With that much epic screen space you know this thing won’t be cheap and it isn’t. The price for the screen is about $102,000.
