The price you'll pay for 24P HD

[The_Video_Guy]

Since all this speculation and waiting for the release of the new Panasonic cam... I can't imagine that this can be good for DVX sales at the moment.

More future predicting here but how many here will go the HD over SD route and at what price?! *Clearly the under $10,000 is a pretty generic range... one would think not to cut into DVX sales a price of around 5 - 6 g's would be about right... but if it is around 6g's, how many here would go new panasonic over the DVX if the cam is over 6'gs? *It will be interesting to see if the jump to HD with Panasonic specs/price will push people HD or hinder them.

[Barry_Green]

It all depends on the features...

[The_Video_Guy]

K... P2, DVCPRO HD, 720P 24P basically the DVX with those features and native 16x9 chips... No 60P, not for broadcast... for the indie... any thoughts?

[Flintstone]

I'll go for 6K, but why drop the 60P? That's what I'm looking for in a 720p cam!

[Gary_McClurg]

I'm figuring around 6k for the camera, the other costs will be the P2 cards and the docking station.

[Neil Rowe]

docking station?

[Flintstone]

I suppose the docking station is to read the P2 cards on a desktop.

[Neil Rowe]

..you can do that right from the camera. all you would need is a firewire or USB cable.. whatever they use.. id assume firewire. i suppose it would be easier/nicer to buy a little pcmcia card reader for your desktop though. they run 100.00 and under for 2slot front bay PCI driven models.

[GlowMatt]

I bet Panasonic peeps are watching this thread VERY CAREFULLY.

[alpi69]

i just got my DVX. IMO it is better to wait for the second generation of such technology jumps. which means about 1,5 years from now.

and still nobody (other than real filmmakers who go to the bigscreen) could tell me a way to distribute the DVCPro-HD material and how you backup your P2-footage without millions of gigabytes in disks or another tapesystem yet again.
i do not think this hype right now hinders the DVX sales as much as the XL2 coming out did in summer.

[Zig_Zigman]

I think Panny has to match Sony at $4995.00, no other choice.

[David Jimerson]

At $6K I'd go for it, if the feature set is what I want -- assuming it really does act like the DVX in HD.

[mr._guiyotinne]

There is a psicollogical barrier when yo say or write 6000 $, even 5900 does have it too. I wish 5590$. It´s breaking the five thousand bar but not reaching the six top. and there is no six on it... ;D

[The_Video_Guy]

i do not think this hype right now hinders the DVX sales as much as the XL2 coming out did in summer.
Did the XL2 hinder the DVX sales much at all? *I would doubt that since there was such a big price gap still. *I think the Sony has hindered it more cause it's in it's direct price range.

Ya I was wonder who would bring that up... 5999.99 just sounds better than 6 g's for some reason. :)


I'll go for 6K, but why drop the 60P? *That's what I'm looking for in a 720p cam!
I agree.. I really hope that the implement 60P but from what I gather that feature alone may drive up the price significantly. *Cams offering 60P at the moment are pretty steep. *I hope they do cause I think where Sony drew the line with CF24, that could be a snub to the broacast market if they don't implement 60P.

I don't know... if it were 6 grand I'm going to really need to be sold on something that it can do that my Sony can't...(codec specs aside) This P2 workflow looks promising and would have some serious advantages if proper/large storage media was released soon... 50 gig blue ray discs this summer for archiving footage would be nice... video on cards marketed right could be the feature to put end to linear video as we know it... *fingers crossed*... *:)

[geffy]

market price same as the sony..........

[DJ_HD]

This is a great topic. I hope panasonic is paying attention because I am probably the type of customer they are looking for. Just like politics, I'm a swing voter. I do not own a digital camera at the moment. I have a Super 16 camera. I'm to the point where I would like to get an entry level prosumer HD camera. I would have purchased the Sony Z1 but I want 24P. (60P would be nice though.) If Sony changed the Z1 to 24P I would buy it. From what I've read the Pan. camera might be a perfect fit. That being said here's my observation:

I would be willing to spend $4995.00 for the camera without any P2 cards. (Basic entry level.) But I would prefer to buy a package that includes at least one P2 card. For this I would spend $6K. I would also spend an additional $1K-2K for misc. accesories. (P2 card reader, additional firewire drives etc.) Though if the chip is 1/2" instead of 1/3" I would be willing to spend an addition $1,000.00. So in summary:

Basic entry level $4995.00 (No P2 cards.)
Mid level $5995.00 (Incl. P2 Cards)
Mid Upper level $5995.00 (1/2" chip, no P2)
Upper end level $6995.00 (1/2" chip, w/ P2)
High end level $7995.00 (1/2" chip, P2, 60P)

So I suppose in theory I would potential spend $10k but not a penny more. Though I hope they would have an entry level camera/ and a package offer. I would like to own a camera that put me in a league between Pan. SD 3/4" chip and the DVX100. A new level for the prosumer. A league of our own. ;)

[yellowdog]

I'm still buying a dvx100a. I just got my tax return and lo and behold, just enough to pay for the camera! Can't afford to swing for all the hidden costs of moving to Hd at the moment, and none of my current or prospective clients have even asked for it, let alone widescreen.
David

[Gary_McClurg]

I think somewhere Jan said that it'd be close to the price with the Sony. When I said 6k I was thinking it'd be little under that.

Docking station has been used as a term before we got word of the 60g hard drive to download to.

[chi_red]

5000 would be great...

[Barry_Green]

Regarding 60p -- that would be totally awesome, true frame-accurate slow motion at a wonderful slow speed, no resolution loss...

Don't know if we'll get it, but I'd think that it'd be more likely that we *would* get it than that we wouldn't. Why? 'Cause there's some shooting situations where you just need that "immediacy" look. And you can't get 60i in the 1280x720 format, so I'd bet on 60p. Of course, it may not happen -- JVC's HD1 didn't support 720/60p, so maybe there's some reason they can't do it. But I'd say they probably will, because Panasonic understands what we need to make a living, and sometimes you need that "reality" look. And "making a living" will be a more important consideration with a more expensive camera.

[Pascal_Parvex]

I hope the new Panasonic will be 9999.99$. Why? Because then they could put as much quality and features (PAL/NTSC switchable?) in it as possible for this price, and it will not cannibalize the 2000-5000$ range cameras. And everybody who wants to get the dream film camera can buy the HDX. It is possible to get 10K from somewhere if you really want to.

I wait for the AG-HDX100A :)

[Neil Rowe]

crossing my fingers your hunch is right barry, 60p would be very very nice. ;)

[Isaac_Brody]

I hope you're right Barry. I noticed that the SPX800 doesn't do 60P, only 60i. It would be awesome if the HDX gave us that feature.

[Neil Rowe]

..i wonder if it will only do high def in 24p or 30p, and will have 24p, 30p, and 60i in standrad def modes.

[soarprod]

I can see 60p working on p2 card but not on tape. The extra data could only be managed on a adjustable data rate device like p2. ;D

[Flintstone]

The HDV spec supports 720p 60p, so if Panasonic removes 60p from it's DCVProHD codec on the HDX, then it should not be called DVCProHD, and they'd be shooting themselves in the foot. *Hey! *100mbps is not that bad! *After all, 720p's native frame rate is 60p. *If JVC did not implement 60p on it's 720p mode, then that is not Panasonic's problem, not should they try to "emulate" JVC in that regard; those 2 JVC cams were afterall first-generation tryouts. *Besides, how can 480/60p on the JVC's be of any real native use, unless post-processed in some other format? (uprezed to 720p, or downrate to 60i)

[ChuckS]

Fred, I'm not sure I understand your point. DVCProHD is not HDV so it dosn't have to conform to that spec. I doubt this camera will have 60p, the SPX800 does have 60p if you look in the menu it's called the AjHDC27F. How many $65K Vericams do you think they would sell if the SPX800 had 60p?

[Barry_Green]

The SPX doesn't have 60p because the format it uses (DVCPRO-50) doesn't have any provision for 60p. It's just not possible.

[Flintstone]

I was mearly making a comparison to HDV, and not equating it to DVCProHD. *My point is they should not remove a feature that is, for a lack of better term, available in the competing format. *By the way, the SPX800 is an SD DVCPro50 camcorder, not and HD camcorder, so it is normal that you will not see 60p on it, ever.

EDIT: Damn, Barry beat me to the point! ;D

[ChuckS]

My Bad, good pont Barry and Fred. I should have said the AJHDX400.

[Barry_Green]

The HDX400 is an interlaced camera, it only shoots 60i.

DVCPRO-HD is capable of recording both 1080i and also 720p. They have cameras in their lineup that do both (obviously the HDX400 for 60i, and the VariCam for 60p).

[vandeha]

i know it is too late now, but i would definitely pay $10,000 if this HDX has a longer len and 3 1/2" ccds, adding on top of what Barry had listed.