Panasonic Presents "Future of Image" with Its Latest Audio Visual Products and Solutions at BIRTV 2018

Beijing, China - The 27th Beijing International Radio, TV and Film Exhibition (BIRTV 2018) was held on Aug. 22-25 at the China International Exhibition Center (CIEC) in Beijing.

Panasonic designed the display with the key concept of the "100th anniversary of Panasonic" under the theme of "Centennial Panasonic Image the Future," presenting to the audience Panasonic's audio-visual systems, projectors, commercial flat panel displays and audio products.

Panasonic's exhibition platform was located at Booth 3001 in the 3rd building of the CIEC. Employing a creative circular design, the platform could simultaneously move up and forward, so that the exhibits were shown in the desired angle and the audience could see them from appropriate positions. Panasonic revealed a series of new models in the exhibition as follows:

Star Products Area

AJ-PX5100 is a new model of camcorder equipped with a memory card. This is Panasonic's newest shoulder-mount camcorder realized in the main unit, much lighter and smaller than the previous model, and complete with exchangeable lenses. Incorporating the real-time messenger protocol (RTMP) function, this camcorder is to be used primarily by media for interviews in news reporting and producing documentaries and other special feature stories.

Media Processor

A totally new IP architecture video switcher equipped with an array of functional application firmware, multiple MoIP units and baseband interface options not only by itself satisfies basic needs in audio visual production but also copes with cumbersome high-end productions involving superimposing and the expansion of multiple images. While it performs the basic operations of the HD 2ME switcher, it can also constitute a monolithic 4K multi-ME switcher. Furthermore, this processor has the functions of a multiple image splitter, video frame storage, IP-SDI gateway and TICO Codec, breaking new ground for video switchers incorporating information technology.

At the area showing the production flow of the MoIP unit, visitors could see the distributed and well-managed assembly of the Media Processor systems. Stackable cases can be expanded by modules, enabling flexible installation of functional firmware according to the demands of each system. Combination of various modules achieves different levels of system functions while it satisfies basic functions of virtualization and data center.

8K ROI Area

The ROI system can output HD images of two different scenes by selecting tracking cuts of subjects of interest from the panoramic image recorded by the 8K camera. At the site of an NBA game in the United States, Panasonic already succeeded in the traditional 6-channel relay broadcasting by using the ROI system with three 8K cameras operated by only two staff members.

P2 Cast Area

The development of mobile broadband networks has greatly contributed to the conventional news report production, enabling timely news reports to be made much more easily. Through the 4G networks and cloud platforms, news reports can be released more efficiently and quickly.

Panasonic's P2 Cast started early with a high perspective, and has become more sophisticated and stable, inviting more customers and business partners to recognize and use it. News reports will grow larger in number and volume, of which more stories will be broadcasted live. Low code files and QoS video streams provided by Panasonic ENG cameras as well as their easy network connections will bring about dramatic changes in the production flow of news reports. Such functions as rough editing of low code files, EDL management, and high bit-rate data migration make the news report production no longer a process involving movement of data between multiple storage media but a process of recording and broadcasting taking place almost simultaneously with editing work done on the cloud platform. Because QoS video streaming enables high-resolution images to be transmitted via comparatively narrow bands, ENG cameras managed by P2 Cast will send QoS video streams via 4G mobile broadband public networks to the news material receiver in the broadcasting station or will directly air what they shoot.

4K Visual Products Area

Products whose images are of cinema quality put on display include EVA1, some of the Varicam line of models, and such hand-held 4K cameras as AG-DVX200, AG-UX180 and AG-UX90. A room for HDR shooting in a dark environment was also open so that visitors could experience the highly sensitive and super-wide dynamic range of the EVA1 camera.

Studio Recording Camera Area

Among the systems used at production sites, a leading 4K camera for studio use is AK-UC4000, which has received the BIRTV 2018 Award for Selected Products for Superiority in Product, Technology and Applications.

The AK-UC4000 standard model is equipped with an interface applicable to 12G-SDI and QUAD 3G-SDI, and can have an interface comprised of MoIP and 12G-SDI added as an option. Among the Panasonic 12G production systems, exhibits selected for this year's BIRTV were all the lines of 4K system products used at NHK's on-site broadcasting studio during the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, as well as the AV-HS8300 switcher, the AV-WM8400 rooting switcher and the AV-PF8000 line of peripherals (including 12G-SDI splitter, frame synchronizer, multiplexing and demultiplexing device, and QUAD 3G to 12G converter).

Also on display was AJ-URD1000, a P2-4K camera, and the latest HEVC video coding algorithm based on the H.265, which will greatly improve the recording efficiency of 4K/8K videos.

360-degree VR Area

NDI Solution Area

The Network Device Interface transmits video, audio, and control signals and at the same time supports POE electric power supply, through the network cables. It can deliver clear images with a short delay time over a narrow band. Panasonic has already been successful in applying this technology to video transmission and Web broadcasting.

Panasonic also brought in a 4K engineering projector and a large screen exclusively designed for a 4K display to this exhibition. By offering visual image solutions from multiple angles, Panasonic tried to raise customer satisfaction to the utmost level.

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