Panasonic announced it will begin deliveries this month of its new AJ-HPX3000, the industry’s first native 1080p one-piece camcorder to acquire mastering-quality high definition video. With three 2/3″ high-density 2.2-megapixel CCDs, the HPX3000 captures cinema-quality images in full-raster 1920 x 1080 resolution with 4:2:2 10-bit sampling, utilizing the powerful, new
AVC-Intra codec.

Designed for episodic television, filmmaking and commercial production where mastering quality is essential, the HPX3000 records in industry-standard DVCPRO HD at 1080 in 24p, 25p, 30p, 50i and 60i, and in AVC-Intra. AVC-Intra, the industry’s most advanced compression technology, is a professional
intra-frame video codec with bit rates of 50 and 100Mbps, utilizing the Hi-10 and Hi-422 profiles of H.264 respectively. AVC-Intra provides high-quality 10-bit intra-frame encoding in two modes: AVC-Intra 100 for full-raster mastering video quality, and AVC-Intra 50 Mbps for DVCPRO HD quality at half the bit rate, thereby doubling the record time on a P2 card. For added flexibility, the camera can also produce standard definition recordings in DVCPRO50, and is 60/50-Hz switchable for worldwide use.

The HPX3000 offers intuitive film camera-like operation and its superb performance is enhanced with advanced 14-bit A/D conversion and a 12-pole matrix color correction function. Additional high-end features include six advanced gamma settings, including Film-Rec mode (made popular by the VariCam); a Chromatic Aberration Compensation (CAC) function that corrects for lateral chromatic aberration in lenses; film-like shutter controls; built-in scan reverse and a proxy video encoder. The HPX3000 has a high sensitivity of F10 at 1,000 lux in 1080i, and a minimum illumination of .064 lx (at +56db gain-up).

The camera offers five card slots and with five 16 GB P2 cards installed, you can record up to 100 minutes in AVC-Intra 100 at 1080/24p, 200 minutes in AVC-Intra 50 at 1080/24p, 160 minutes in other AVC-Intra 50 formats, and 80 minutes in other AVC-Intra 100 or DVCPRO HD formats. Recording times will double with the release of Panasonic's 32GB P2 card in November.

In addition to offering P2 HD’s no-moving-parts reliability and innovative recording modes, the HPX3000’s solid-state benefits result in a fast file-based workflow, providing immediate access to video content from all cards simultaneously for confidence viewing.

For creative picture enhancing, the camera has a three-level Dynamic Range Stretch (DRS) function that varies the gamma correction to match the contrast within the image. A Scan Reverse function allows the HPX3000 to use an ultra prime lens or an anamorphic lens adapter to create a 2.35:1 aspect image for wide-screen cinematic shooting without image cropping. In addition, the camera offers dual optical filter wheels for separate control of ND and CC, and a flip-out, 3.5-inch color LCD monitor for easy viewing. Available interfaces include IEEE 1394A in/out, USB 2.0 in/out, genlock in with HD Tri-Level Sync or VBS in, and SMPTE time code in/out. An HD/SD-SDI input for external line recording is offered as an option.

The HPX3000 can record full 48-kHz/16-bit digital audio on all four channels, and is equipped with an RCU terminal for connecting the optional AJ-RC10G remote control unit for superb image and control adjustment.

To lower total ownership costs, Panasonic is offering a five-year limited warranty (Panasonic Broadcast’s normal 1-year basic warranty plus an extended warranty for years two through five).

The AJ-HPX3000 is available this month at a suggested list price of $48,000.