Need help understanding workflown of P2

[Toke]

Which camera under $100k isn’t primarily for ENG-use?

[Jeff Carpenter]

We use our DSR-390 for all sorts of training films in a way that would be considered EFP, not ENG. These products are meant for DVD to be shown to classes of new employees. We certainly don’t need anything better than that for what we do.

I’d imagine that MOST corporate EFP work is done with sub-$100K cameras.

[Jeff Carpenter]

I forgot to mention…I realize you’re talking about HD cameras, but my point is that we could easily move to a HVR-Z1U and use it for what we’re doing now. We have no reason to do that now, but I’m certain that such a move would give us sufficient quality for training films.

[Deleted User]

[sacci] “I have to admit that I have not even considered a P2 way of life. I can see it for news or some quick applications but I don’t see how a production company could use a tapeless system. How do people use this system in a small production company where one would shoot several tapes in an outing? Is everyone making tape backups of all the footage? or is this really a news only application.”

Hi Sacci: You ask good questions & raise valid concerns. However, most of these topics have already been discussed here recently. This is a very new COW forum, so it shouldn’t take too long to read the message archive if you start now. 🙂

Jan Crittendon, Panasonic’s Product Manager for their new P2 products, recently assured us that the company will soon start _major_ marketing (advertising/selling) “the P2 lifestyle” (my phrase) to just about every kind of current and pontential “pro” and “prosumer” video production users _and_ their clients. Panasonic has already been marketing their midrange P2 camera & post production systems to the TV news production folks for some time. Now, with a new lower-cost camera system coming out this NAB, they’re gunning for the rest of us. So stay tuned for that.

When you get a chance to read the post archive here, you’ll see Panasonic has proposed answers to your question about how to handle low-to-moderate volume shooting (their portable P2-to-harddrive storage unit is one answer, their P2-to-laptop/desktop functionality is another). I’m sure more info about these and other products will be discussed here & at NAB, and I suspect high-volume shooting will be addressed further, too.

In addition to whatever Panasonic proposes for how P2 “should” be used, or how they “position” P2, actual users will find their own ways to make it work for them. Some will use P2 to shoot TV news, others will shoot corporate videos with P2, some will shoot short & long “films” on P2, there’ll be at least a few P2 wedding shooters, and many other variations.

Hold onto your wallets: The P2 Era starts in earnest 4/18/05! 😉

All the best,

– Peter

[Toke]

I do also some low-cost multicamera EFP productions and that brings me the question,
where are all cheap prosumer class videomixers for the digital age?
Back in the days it was quite nice to use eg. Panny’s s-video mixers, but now if
you want dv or hd quality, I don’t know any alternatives.

There is sony’s anycast station, but that’s $15k!

Or is there any software for this if you just add more fw-ports to your pc or mac?
Even VideoToaster is quite expensive and AFAIK it still doesn’t handle hd.

[Richert Goyette]

Peter:

What a great response to a new visitor! You are absolutely correct that the information is here but your response was very professional and will probably make Sacci a regular visitor.

Thanks for taking the time.

Rich Goyette

[Deleted User]

[toke lahti] “… where are all cheap prosumer class videomixers for the digital age? Back in the days it was quite nice to use eg. Panny’s s-video mixers, but now if you want dv or hd quality, I don’t know any alternatives. There is sony’s anycast station, but that’s $15k! …”

This is veering off-topic, but there are DV (Firewire) video mixer/switchers available from several vendors, including Focus:
https://www.focusinfo.com/products/mx4dv/mx4dv.htm

… and DataVideo:
https://www.datavideo.us/products/mixers_editors.htm

At a HD products seminar I attended last week, a Sony rep demonstrated their AnyCast system. Apparently Sony is considering adding HDV compatibility to it, but hasn’t made a final decision. The current version of AnyCast (meaning the version they’ll talk about at NAB this month) is pretty cool for DV applications:
https://bssc.sel.sony.com/BroadcastandBusiness/info/anycastnew.shtml

HD cams which have analog component outputs might be used with pro video switchers, but most of these require genlockable cameras. I don’t believe any of the current pre-NAB HDV cams are genlockable.

Likewise, higher-end HD cameras may feature built-in or optional HD-SDI outputs and genlocking, which in turn might be connected to high-end switchers.

I suspect more announcements along all these lines will be forthcoming at NAB this month.

All the best,

– Peter

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