Revealing the IP-based video platform that it plans to launch in 2020, Panasonic said it expects its open architecture to become central to video production, handling video processing, audio mixing and serving.

Panasonic calls the new platform resolution- and format-independent, and said it uses CPU and GPU processing — leveraging the capabilities inherent in off-the-shelf IT hardware — to increase performance. The system will support uncompressed input and video processing and will simultaneously support both baseband and IP signals, including ST2110 and NDI, with one-frame latency, Panasonic said.

The first product to use the new architecture will be a live IP video switcher for broadcast, Panasonic said.

“This new modular and open architecture platform is a game-changer for many customers involved in high-quality video production and delivery, either live or in the studio, allowing customers to optimize and future-proof their investment while maintaining the ultimate in flexibility,” said Andre Meterian, Panasonic EMEA Director at the Professional Video Systems Business unit, in a pre-IBC statement. “The Live IP Switching application is just the start for this new platform. Its video processing architecture allows users to build and run any kind of application.”

In addition to the IP video switcher, Panasonic demonstrated a range of upcoming hardware at IBC. For example, the company brought along an 8K organic sensor — so described because it incorporates a layer of organic, photoconductive film developed by Fujifilm — that it plans to deploy for the first time at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The sensor has a global shutter design and an electronic ND filter is built in, the company said.

Also on display was the AK-SHB800 8K camera, AK-SHU800 processing unit (both pictured, above) and AK-SFC101 framing control software that’s slated to ship in Europe later this month. The 8K camera can generate four different full-resolution HD signals from a single 8K camera, cropping different areas out of the full image. A single operator will be able to control multiple linked cameras, each with pre-set crops, for multi-camera operation, Panasonic said. The full system will be sold as a kit for approximately €130,000 ($143,000), the company said.

Panasonic AV-UHS500
Panasonic

And a traditional 4K broadcast switcher, the AV-UHS500, is aimed at event staging, outside broadcast vans, and events at educational institutions and conference halls. Scheduled for a February release, the UHS500 has five keyers, including two channels of chroma and two channels of picture-in-picture, and supports optional add-in boards that can increase capacity up to 16 SDI or eight HDMI inputs. It supports up- and down-conversion, HDR/SDR conversions, and Rec. 2020/Rec. 709 conversions.