Canadian HVX-200 price drop

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... and the point is, it's getting faster.

Think about the innovation in the last year. One year ago we had basically only the FX1 on the market. Now there's an HD100, which is already replaced by the HD110, and superseded by the HD200 and HD250. Sony's putting out a V1U that looks by all accounts to be a better product than the Z1, definitely sharper than the Z1, with real 24p, for $1000 less than the Z1. Canon went from no HD cameras to having the XLH1, XHA1, XHG1, and MV10. Panasonic launched the HVX and brougth variable frame rates, 1080 & 720, tapeless acquisition and 4:2:2 to the market. This is all, basically, in just the last year.

Look at the $27,000 market. One year ago the SDX900 was the only thing worth buying. Now it's fallen in price by over $11,000 and there's an HDX900, and now there's a new HPX500 high-def variable-frame-rate 2/3" 1080 & 720 camera coming that's probably going to be less expensive than the SDX900 is at today's price! Then there's XDCAM-HD, Infinity, Red... all this stuff is hitting at that roughly-$20,000 price point. And no telling what next year will bring.

And all this equipment will probably be looking fairly obsolete a year from now! :)
 
(I was applying Moore's law and assuming that the pace of introduction will accelerate...) :thumbsup:

And actually, let's go back into reality-check mode. As long as they're making great pictures, they'll never be obsolete. I did a training session a month or so ago at one of the largest cable television network conglomerates, to teach them how to use their DVX cameras. Not HVXs, not high-def. They don't care, they don't need it, broadcast TV is still an SD 4:3 medium. David Theis came to our DVX BootCamp to talk about how they use DVXs every day on MTV and other broadcast and cable networks.

It's only obsolete if A) it doesn't do the job you need done, or B) the client demands something different (for whatever reason). HVXs and XHA1s and HD100s will still be delivering great HD images five years from now (although, unquestionably, there will be more powerful/cheaper tools introduced along the way!)
 
Is everyone ignoring the real arguement or something because Media Productions Canada is right?

I find it incredible and exremely hypocritical that in the same thread where people are saying "be quiet prices drop" they're saying "how do I get MY free p2 card?"

Wow.

You guys tell him not to complain because the company is taking care of you, but you have to remember they're not taking care of him. I know that Panasonic US and Can are separate but that doesn't mean that it's still not ****ed up.

Currently in Canada an 8gb p2 card is 1399cad or 1225usd.

To get what you guys get for $5299.95usd he technically has to spend $7398canadian which is equal to $6479american.

Plus he paid an extra $1000 dollars (875usd) on top of that!

I think he has more than enough right to be upset about it.
 
No doubt there is not parity among the various divisions. Singapore/Asia Pacific is giving away the free 8GB card too. NZ and Singapore/Asia Pacific and America are giving away the book too. Europe and Canada don't get any of those things. Europe did do a promotion where they gave away a free bag, we didn't get that.

In an ideal situation, it'd be nice if everyone got the same deal or same promotion. A lot of what this thread has been dealing with is that "it's a different world, the old business models don't necessarily apply anymore." Well, the same is true for how products like this get marketed, and I don't know that the segmented territorial approach makes the most sense anymore. Just like with movies getting released a year later over there vs. over here, that kind of thing doesn't make any sense anymore now that we're in an instant-communication internet age. So it seems reasonable that if customers are customers, they should be able to get the same deal that other customers get.

Unfortunately that's not the way it is right now (and, truth be told, I don't know that equal treatment is always the best, because Jan in the US is exceptionally aggressive we get some great deals... if everyone was required to be treated equally, would they be treated at the level Jan treats us? Or at the level Canada/Europe treats their customers? Who's to say?) It seems like some of the deals we get are to combat gray-market importing, so if that incentive to us to buy US-authorized product were taken away, would the great deals just disappear? And everyone loses?
 
My objection is that I just don't like companies treating new customers substantially differently than existing customers.

It's like saying, we aren't appreciative for your long time loyalty.

MTC
 
Which again begs the question -- are prices never allowed to go down then? Once somebody buys it at a certain price, does that mean all future sales must be at that same price? No improvements, no new features, no whatever?

Or does it mean that forever from that moment forward, any changes in the product must be offered to all prior customers too, for free? Companies would go out of business in short order if they had to do that.
 
Time frame is important however.

The launch of the HVX200 was troublesome, and many people waited months to get the cam. We didn't get ours until April even though we ordered long before that. We couldn't even get cards, because they weren't available.

We bought authorized, as everyone should.

Now roughly five and half months later, Panasonic offers this pretty decent detail -- in part to defer grey market purchases.

Give those who bought this year an discount on a p2 8Gb card at least -- at cost or price of 4 Gb.

That's great customer loyalty, and Panasonic loses nothing and gains great customer appreciation.
 
Barry_Green said:
Do you have evidence of slow sales?
Click to expand...

Well, Panasonic's gray import problem extensively documented in this forum and others seems abundant testimony to the fact that more HVX200's are being manufactured than the market is consuming. I've never had the impression that the sharp decline in HVX200 market pricing is spawned from Panasonic's desire to contribute to humanity.

Clearance pricing on discontinued products is to be expected, as are occasional "sales" and "promotions" on current products. Unless the HVX200 is nearing extinction, its market price collapse seemingly orchestrated by Panasonic seems unbecoming of a camera fully competitive with HDV cameras at any price.
 
Market price collapse?

It's going for about $5300. Same price it was going for when it was introduced. Only real difference is they're now giving away a card, which is a great bonus, and probably necessary to combat the two new entries that are going to be about $1400 lower.

What "market price collapse?"

And if there's a gray market import problem, doesn't that imply that there are a lot of cameras being sold? Just not authorized ones, but people are actively buying...
 
Barry:

You can't shoot HD with the cam without a card or Firestore for all practical purposes. You need a p2 card.

Give one away with a purchase, and the actual purchase price of a functional HD cam is lowered by about $1200.00.

I don't know how you can argue with that.
 
There are posts on this thread that make me think that some of you want to take leagal action because Panny lowered their prices...ABSURD!!!

I was an early adopter and paid close to full price as is common whenever a new product appears. I have purchased tons of gear in the last 30 years at a high price for the ability to have the item in my hands NOW!! I have almost (yes almost) never regretted doing that because I did my research and decided on that particular product as the best for the situation. I have had many happy clients over the years becuase they realized I knew what to buy, AND WHEN!! And they have compensated me in kind.

I am happy with Panasonic. They make a great product and understand market forces. They are also not unresponsive to their customers. (Thank you Jan)

Now get to work on that money making project!
 
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