Panasonic has demonstrated its commitment to industry collaborations, creating added value solutions for the corporate, live events and production industry.
The Japanese manufacturer announced a number of collaborations at IBC 2017 in Amsterdam that help move it beyond hardware in to multi-technology, connected solutions. Building on the success of its remote camera and Studio Camera products, the company has collaborated with industry partners to create robotic systems, new protocols and tracking systems.
It announced a new development collaboration with Vislink and Videosys, which will see the first compatible wireless modules for its studio camera range, making it possible to remotely control the camera and transmit video over an HF band, using an external box with easy, direct-docking on to the camera’s battery plates.
Panasonic announced an HDR update to its studio line-up which includes HDR support both in HD and 4K. HDR offers an enhanced experience thanks to high contrast pictures. From October, the existing HDR capabilities of the AK-UC3000 (4K) and AK-HC5000 (Full HD) studio camera as well as the AK-UB300 (4K) box camera, will be upgraded. The update will give 100% white clip, knee and black gamma adjustment and improved Viewfinder adjustment in order to provide an improved HDR shooting experience.
In live production, Panasonic has announced a partnership with MOVICOM to develop a custom-made 4K-ready pan-tilt head – a companion to the UB300 box camera. It features a state of the art carbon-fibre design, alongside SDI, fibre and Ethernet connectivity, as well as a smooth pan-tilt head – necessary for demanding broadcast applications.
In addition, Panasonic and Antelope signed a European distribution contract for Antelope’s next generation micro-cameras. The Antelope PICO, a miniature 2/3-type broadcast camera system, providing permanent live signal and a slow motion signal up to 350 fps, is on the Panasonic booth alongside the Antelope ULTRA, a super compact 4K camera, with up to 60fps, via a single 12G SDI cable.
Panasonic has also signed an exclusive distribution agreement with AR+, and are now able to offer and support unique robotic systems across Europe. Furthermore, the company has also agreed a collaboration with TECNOPOINT for rail camera systems, ideally suited for the AW-HE130 remote cameras. When combined with the matching PTZ control GUI interface, it is an ideal system for reality TV production and live events.
Panasonic also strengthened its switcher line-up at the Amsterdam event, with the introduction of the AV-HLC100 live production centre, which natively supports NDI. This all-in-one, software based system, is capable of mixing IP and SDI sources, whilst recording, mixing audio, adding graphics and streaming to the internet using RTMP and NDI.
At the top of its switcher range, Panasonic introduced new high end switchers, available from spring/summer 2018. The AV-HS7300 is a powerful and flexible switcher designed for 4K production needs. This was demonstrated on Panasonic’s booth alongside the company’s 4K studio cameras, box cameras and other 4K sources.
Also making a European debut at IBC is Panasonic’s recently announced line-up of professional integrated cameras with built-in Network Device Interface (NDI) support.
The AW-HN40, AW-UN70, and AW-HN130 join Panasonic’s market leading existing PTZ models, while the AW-HN38 is an addition to the PTZ line-up as a high-value, premium quality model. This includes a powerful feature set similar to the AW-HN/HE40, with 22x Zoom, HDMI and native IP connectivity.
With fully integrated support of NDI version 3, it allows users to connect Panasonic professional PTZ cameras directly to an NDI network.
An integration with Live U was also announced at IBC 2017. Live U Solo is now supported by the full range of Panasonic P2 cameras, meaning one touch, live social media streaming direct.
Panasonic also announced a new memory card. The AJ-P2M064BG microP2 card B Series is scheduled to go on sale this month (September 2017) and is compatible with SD cards, enabling use as an SDXC memory card for the Panasonic UX Series, AVC camera recorders and LUMIX digital cameras.
Finally, the Panasonic 360 degree camera, set for release in the Autumn, is also on show. Comprising a camera head and base unit, the system uses four cameras to produce 360-degree video in uncompressed 4K with a 2:1 image format ratio (equi-rectangular video). This camera is ideal for ‘live’ applications as it offers very low latency, highly precise real-time active stitching, and automatic exposure and white balance control.
