Indeed! Thanks for that Derrick, I'll have to check it out. Was there much of a price difference between the 174 and the 171 they were able to order for you? And can you still get warranty service in SA on your 171?
Would you like the HPX170 to be PAL/NTSC switchable?
- Thread starter Jason Ramsey
- Start date
Indeed! Thanks for that Derrick, I'll have to check it out. Was there much of a price difference between the 174 and the 171 they were able to order for you? And can you still get warranty service in SA on your 171?
Hi Fritz,
The 172 has always shipped with a 16GB card in Australia. I think you'll find pricing here very reasonable with the current exchange rate.
CW-35
Well-known member
I honestly don't feel that you can receive an honest answer to this question. It's a great one though and I believe very complex from a sales perspective. I've been given a range of varying "answers" to this that have ranged from possible answers to personally insulting. I probably wouldn't even attempt to post here what I think my estimation of what the correct answer is, because it would just be my opinion & I don't work or represent Panasonic and it would obviously be "wrong."
The irony for me for this "sometime in the future possible upgrade" is that I was on the fence between the EX1 & the 170 when I thought/was told that the upgrade would be immediately available, & went with the 170 and then had a ton of PAL work to do - and had to rent an EX1 and left my 170 sitting in its box. Now I do not have any PAL work, I am not sure that I would go for the upgrade now in lieu of simply picking up an EX1 or PAL camera instead of further dealing with the upgrade hassle.
I definitely made the wrong purchase choice for my needs based on bad/deceptive info and I am simply dealing with it. I know my concerns for this camera have been far less since I stopped concerning myself about adding PAL to it as the availability date will probably continue to slip.
but yes, the 170 should simply be PAL/NTSC out of the box, just like the 171. Geez.
The irony for me for this "sometime in the future possible upgrade" is that I was on the fence between the EX1 & the 170 when I thought/was told that the upgrade would be immediately available, & went with the 170 and then had a ton of PAL work to do - and had to rent an EX1 and left my 170 sitting in its box. Now I do not have any PAL work, I am not sure that I would go for the upgrade now in lieu of simply picking up an EX1 or PAL camera instead of further dealing with the upgrade hassle.
I definitely made the wrong purchase choice for my needs based on bad/deceptive info and I am simply dealing with it. I know my concerns for this camera have been far less since I stopped concerning myself about adding PAL to it as the availability date will probably continue to slip.
but yes, the 170 should simply be PAL/NTSC out of the box, just like the 171. Geez.
And if you buy a new camera, how do you get the one that is PAL/NTSC capable, to be sure?
CW-35
Well-known member
I'm not sure I understand what you are asking?
In the US, you have to buy the 170 and send it in to Panasonic for the upgrade which is an additional $500 plus shipping.
The 171 is NTSC/PAL out of the box but cannot be purchased in the US but I wouldn't be shocked to see B&H selling it 6 months from now.
In the US, you have to buy the 170 and send it in to Panasonic for the upgrade which is an additional $500 plus shipping.
The 171 is NTSC/PAL out of the box but cannot be purchased in the US but I wouldn't be shocked to see B&H selling it 6 months from now.
puredrifting
Major Contributor
CW:
So it keeps your Panasonic 5 year warranty, correct?
And it was $500.00 plus shipping? Yeesh. If I were buying today instead of last year, I would just order a 171 from U.K., the prices I have seen over there seem to be so much better. Yeah, no U.S. warranty but I have a feeling that the 170/171 are going to be pretty reliable anyway.
That's a bummer you had to wait so long and had to fork out more $$ but at least you have the capabilities you need now.
Dan
So it keeps your Panasonic 5 year warranty, correct?
And it was $500.00 plus shipping? Yeesh. If I were buying today instead of last year, I would just order a 171 from U.K., the prices I have seen over there seem to be so much better. Yeah, no U.S. warranty but I have a feeling that the 170/171 are going to be pretty reliable anyway.
That's a bummer you had to wait so long and had to fork out more $$ but at least you have the capabilities you need now.
Dan
CW-35
Well-known member
You know, I didn't get any paperwork with it other than one form that I signed but I am assuming the 5 year LIMITED warranty is still intact.
i had one moment of panic today testing it out as I thought the camera had just been upgraded to PAL and didn't do NTSC any more. That would have been funny.
Yes, I did the $500 cost.
Yes, I think you could get the 171 probably cheaper than what I went through with this and have the functionality out of the box. I essentially paid $5750 USD for the 171 with a US limited warranty and a 16 GB P2 card. I am not sure what the technical issues may be down the road and there is no guarantee an issue the camera might have would even be covered with the US warranty with all of its exclusions. I would anticipate dust/dirt in the lens at some point as my DVX100 had that issue several times.
With all due respect to the various companies & users, if I had to do it over again, I would have simply bought an EX1. I was very PAL busy in Sept/Oct and the camera would have paid for itself. I rented an EX1 during that period and my 170 just sat in its box...
But I have a switchable camera now and I hopefully can make use of it soon but have nothing on the books at the moment for PAL. I will continue to test the camera thought and make sure it is working correctly.
i had one moment of panic today testing it out as I thought the camera had just been upgraded to PAL and didn't do NTSC any more. That would have been funny.
Yes, I did the $500 cost.
Yes, I think you could get the 171 probably cheaper than what I went through with this and have the functionality out of the box. I essentially paid $5750 USD for the 171 with a US limited warranty and a 16 GB P2 card. I am not sure what the technical issues may be down the road and there is no guarantee an issue the camera might have would even be covered with the US warranty with all of its exclusions. I would anticipate dust/dirt in the lens at some point as my DVX100 had that issue several times.
With all due respect to the various companies & users, if I had to do it over again, I would have simply bought an EX1. I was very PAL busy in Sept/Oct and the camera would have paid for itself. I rented an EX1 during that period and my 170 just sat in its box...
But I have a switchable camera now and I hopefully can make use of it soon but have nothing on the books at the moment for PAL. I will continue to test the camera thought and make sure it is working correctly.
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christianfilmmaker
New member
PAL/NTSC switchable
PAL/NTSC switchable
Hey guys, I feel your pain and want to help. My dad and I both just purchased two of the Panasonic AG-HPX171E from London. It's the PAL/NTSC switchable version of the 170. I've personally checked it out and used the camera in both 50hz and 59.94hz and they both work. We called Panasonic before we purchased theses and sure enough they were real. We purchased each camera for around 3990.00 British Pounds and it included two 32GB P2 cards. Check out Mitcorp.com. Ask for the international Sales rep. We both purchased from James. Please tell them Larry Burns Jr. sent you. Have fun and it's a whole lot cheaper than going the 500 route.
God Bless,
Larry[MOVIEHD][/MOVIEHD]
PAL/NTSC switchable
Hey guys, I feel your pain and want to help. My dad and I both just purchased two of the Panasonic AG-HPX171E from London. It's the PAL/NTSC switchable version of the 170. I've personally checked it out and used the camera in both 50hz and 59.94hz and they both work. We called Panasonic before we purchased theses and sure enough they were real. We purchased each camera for around 3990.00 British Pounds and it included two 32GB P2 cards. Check out Mitcorp.com. Ask for the international Sales rep. We both purchased from James. Please tell them Larry Burns Jr. sent you. Have fun and it's a whole lot cheaper than going the 500 route.
God Bless,
Larry[MOVIEHD][/MOVIEHD]
puredrifting
Major Contributor
Wow, that is a great deal!
Did you have to pay VAT or is that just for UK residents?
Also, which state are you in and how much was shipping/customs?
Thanks,
Dan
Did you have to pay VAT or is that just for UK residents?
Also, which state are you in and how much was shipping/customs?
Thanks,
Dan
I'm sorry, but this has got to be the most ridiculous question, and the fact that it was made into a Sticky? lol, come on.
#1 - People who buy the HPX are looking to shoot in HD. You dont buy the HPX to shoot in SD. Yes, you can, but most ppl who own one do not, they just buy a SD camera for that, and since there is no such thing as PAL or NTSC in HD, then why are we even having this discussion? You can just shoot in NTSC 60p or 60i at all times, then export to NTSC or PAL customers when in post/editing phase. If you shoot in NTSC (60/30) you can always export a PAL HD version (25/50)
#2 - Secondly...why need the option? Again, the only person who needed this solution would be someone who bought the HPX just to shoot SD, -AND- will be traveling all over the world shooting -AND- giving raw video to his/her clients unedited...lol. anyone here fit that description? Come on...people who buy the HPX shoot in HD, then downscale later for their SD clients.
Please tell me that nobody here bought an HPX and is shooting primarily in SD...?
#1 - People who buy the HPX are looking to shoot in HD. You dont buy the HPX to shoot in SD. Yes, you can, but most ppl who own one do not, they just buy a SD camera for that, and since there is no such thing as PAL or NTSC in HD, then why are we even having this discussion? You can just shoot in NTSC 60p or 60i at all times, then export to NTSC or PAL customers when in post/editing phase. If you shoot in NTSC (60/30) you can always export a PAL HD version (25/50)
#2 - Secondly...why need the option? Again, the only person who needed this solution would be someone who bought the HPX just to shoot SD, -AND- will be traveling all over the world shooting -AND- giving raw video to his/her clients unedited...lol. anyone here fit that description? Come on...people who buy the HPX shoot in HD, then downscale later for their SD clients.
Please tell me that nobody here bought an HPX and is shooting primarily in SD...?
countrymatters
Member
uhhhhhhh - I am. Your second point is almost the exact criteria for which I bought the HPX. I travel all over the world shooting and for the foreseeable future, will be delivering in SD. We initially offered a live HD broadcast and most of the broadcasters we were pitching the show to felt that HD would be a drawback - so what did we learn? That most of the world isn't ready for HD on a mass scale or at least not willing to pay the difference.
Why would I buy the HPX if I'm shooting SD?? Because I needed a PAL/NTSC camera - is there an alternative option within the same price range? I don't think so... Also, I will be using the 720p mode for shooting time lapses and slo mos etc... and I wanted to get away from using tape - again, name another camera that can do all this?? Sony EX-1 was the only other possibility, but I didn't want Long GOP and I didn't want to render down to SD constantly.
Do you think the world of broadcast is simpler now with HD and that you can just render out to this or that and that it will look good??? NTSC/PAL was easy compared to what we have now - I'm amazed you think it is as simple and effortless as you describe in your first point. 1080/60i converted to 1080/50i via satellite looks like poo (at least that's been our experience).
I guess I'm in the idiot camp because this "ridiculous" question (NTSC/PAL compatible) was the single BIGGEST reason I bought an 171 from a dealer in the UK (the 170 doesn't do both). Some people actually do travel for work and don't want to rent. If I had buckets of money, I would have bought a 3000, but since I don't, I bought the 171. In short, I don't think it's ridiculous at all, in fact, for me, it was a deal breaker not to have it.
Why would I buy the HPX if I'm shooting SD?? Because I needed a PAL/NTSC camera - is there an alternative option within the same price range? I don't think so... Also, I will be using the 720p mode for shooting time lapses and slo mos etc... and I wanted to get away from using tape - again, name another camera that can do all this?? Sony EX-1 was the only other possibility, but I didn't want Long GOP and I didn't want to render down to SD constantly.
Do you think the world of broadcast is simpler now with HD and that you can just render out to this or that and that it will look good??? NTSC/PAL was easy compared to what we have now - I'm amazed you think it is as simple and effortless as you describe in your first point. 1080/60i converted to 1080/50i via satellite looks like poo (at least that's been our experience).
I guess I'm in the idiot camp because this "ridiculous" question (NTSC/PAL compatible) was the single BIGGEST reason I bought an 171 from a dealer in the UK (the 170 doesn't do both). Some people actually do travel for work and don't want to rent. If I had buckets of money, I would have bought a 3000, but since I don't, I bought the 171. In short, I don't think it's ridiculous at all, in fact, for me, it was a deal breaker not to have it.
Jason Ramsey
Admin
dude...
The question referred to the camera being switchable across all of it's recording formats, not just the SD ones... Now, that would truly be pointless.
Yes, of course, the proper terminology is 50hz/60hz for HD... However, as stated the question was not only asking for SD formats. And, "PAL" land and "NTSC" land is something everyone can comprehend....
The poll was started b/c panny was trying to gauge the interest in offering such a feature, and they requested such a poll be made...
Seems everyone else got the intent of the question but you....
Later,
Jason
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Jan_Crittenden
Veteran
Just to be clear, the AG-HPX170 can be switchable with an upgrade in the US on US cameras to US customers.
Thanks,
Jan
CW-35
Well-known member
just noticed that B&H is selling, or at least taking orders for, the Panasonic AG-HPX171E PAL P2HD Solid-State Camcorder which is basically the NTSC/PAL version out of the box of the 170 for $5500...
comes with P2 card, warranty, etc...
It is certainly interesting to see this potentially available for a variety of reasons...
comes with P2 card, warranty, etc...
It is certainly interesting to see this potentially available for a variety of reasons...