Panasonic AG-HPG10

The AG-HPG10 P2 Gear is a small, lightweight, battery-powered P2 HD portable recorder/player that's tough enough for rugged field work. With two P2 card slots and a 3.5-inch LCD monitor, P2 Gear allows HD/SD multi-format recording and playback and quick, on-the-spot viewing of P2 content. You can also use P2 Gear for line recording of IEEE 1394 input, outputting a playback signal to a large monitor, or transferring files to an external hard disk drive or nonlinear editor. Add a camera-recorder such as the AG-HPX500 or AG-HVX200, and the P2 Gear brings greater speed, mobility and flexibility to your P2 workflow. HD SDI and SDI input are not supported.

High Speed and Reliability at a Low Cost
Developed for professional use, the P2 card is a compact solid-state memory card that offers superior reliability, large capacity, and high transfer speed. Its outstanding resistance to temperature fluctuation, vibration and impact makes it the superior choice for field recording in harsh conditions. The P2 card has passed insertion/removal tests of more than 30,000 cycles and can be used many times over a long period.

P2 recorders have no transport mechanism or rotating parts, so startup is fast, power consumption is low, and maintenance is reduced. This means both lower costs and less environmental impact. P2 can reduce production time too. P2 files can be transferred directly to IT (PC-based) systems, edited with nonlinear editors and transferred via networks, without digitizing.

P2HD Multi-Format Viewing
Equipped with two P2 card slots and an LCD monitor, P2 Gear lets you quickly and easily view content on P2 cards. Its multi-format and multi-codec capabilities mean that you can play back P2 files of any format recorded with an AG-HVX200 or AG-HPX500 camera-recorder. You can display, play back, and view recordings in DVCPRO HD, as well as in SD in DVCPRO50, DVCPRO and DV. P2 Gear also supports 50/60-Hz operation.

SDI and Analog Output
P2 Gear comes equipped to provide SDI output (HD/SD and four embedded audio channels supported), component and composite video output, and audio output (CH1/CH2 pin jacks). This makes it easy to preview recorded images on a large external monitor. In broadcasting applications, P2 Gear can be used for microwave feeds from field locations.

Clip Copying and Editing
P2 records a scene as a clip (file). To play back or delete a clip, or to check its metadata (file information) or add or delete a shot marker, just select the clip from the thumbnail display. P2 Gear also provides a number of functions that are convenient in the field, including:

• Clip Copy: The two card slots let you copy clips from one P2 card to another. Copy only the usable scenes, and you can use the card's capacity more effectively.
• Thumbnail Image Change: By default, the first image in a clip is used as the thumbnail. At a desired location within a clip, you can change the thumbnail to a different image.
• Clip Metadata Edit: A clip's metadata can contain such information as the camera operator's name, reporter's name and shooting location. P2 Gear lets you check this information and edit the text.
• Text Memo: When recording or previewing a clip, you can attach a memo (similar to a bookmark) at a desired location (up to 100 locations on a frame basis). Later you can display or delete a memo, or add a new one. The simplified editing function lets you copy a segment between memos and create a new clip. Text information can be added to a memo using P2 Gear or a PC (with P2 Viewer).
• Shot Marker: During or after recording, you can mark each clip with OK, NG or other designation.

Down-Conversion/Cross-Conversion Output
During playback, P2 Gear can down-convert 1080 or 720 (HD) to 480 (SD) and output it, letting you view HD content on an SD monitor. The image aspect can be selected from squeeze, letterbox and side cut. P2 Gear can also cross-convert 720 to 1080 for HD transmission.

IEEE 1394 Line Recording and Hot-Swap Recording
P2 Gear can provide degradation-free recording from IEEE 1394 (6-pin) digital streaming input. It supports the IEEE 1394 synchro function of Panasonic camera-recorders and allows backup recording in any of three ways (set on the camera): recording with P2 Gear only, simultaneous recording linked with camera operation, and continuous recording from when the camera's media becomes full. Using the 1394 input on P2 Gear, when a DVCPRO HD VTR such as the AJ-HD1400 is used as the source player, P2 Gear can easily perform media conversion, copying from tape to card.

Because P2 card starts up quickly, has high access speed and requires no cuing, P2 gear begins recording instantly. It also prevents accidental overwriting, so recordings are safe. The dual card slots let you hot-swap P2 cards, so you can make continuous recordings without roll-change errors. Two 16GB P2 cards (AJ-P2C016RG) can store up to 32 minutes of HD recording or up to 128 minutes of SD (DVCPRO/DV) recording. P2 Gear supports HD/SD multi-format, multi-codec recording.

USB 2.0 Interface with a Host Function
The USB 2.0 interface includes both host and device modes, for flexible interfacing with an external hard drive and PC-based nonlinear editor.

• External hard drive: USB 2.0 (host) lets you copy files between a P2 card and hard drive and make backup copies of video clips. USB bus power (5 V, 0.5A) is provided to power the external drive. Within the USB interface, there is an ability to make 23 partitions and it is possible to rename those partitions.
• Nonlinear Editor: USB 2.0 (device) connection lets you upload and download files, just as you would with a P2 drive.

IEEE 1394 Interface for PC Connection
Use P2 Gear to copy files from a P2 card to an IEEE 1394-equipped external hard disk drive. If your time-line needs to be recorded back to a P2 Card you can also do this via the 1394 input on P2 Gear

Play Back Variable Frame-Rate Sources
P2 Gear supports the variable frame-rate recording widely used in creative video production. Use P2 Gear for on-the-spot previewing of slow-motion and other special effects recorded in 720pN (native) mode with the AG-HPX500 or AG-HVX200 camera-recorder.

Simplified Waveform and Vectorscope Display
P2 Gear has a built-in Waveform and Vectorscope display that many will find to be very useful in making a judgment call on the recorded material, or the incoming signal. A single touch of the function key displays the waveform and vectors of a playback video signal or IEEE 1394 input video signal. (Vectors are shown on the right side of the image, wave form on the bottom)

Repeat Playback
For presentations and demonstrations, use P2 Gear for repeated playback of a selected clip or multiple clips (The clips must be in the same format). Playback is seamless, with no need for rewinding or cuing. There is no wear or image deterioration even after extended hours of continuous playback.

Resume Playback
If you press the Stop key during playback, P2 Gear temporarily "bookmarks" the stop position until another operation is performed. When you press the Play key, playback resumes at the bookmarked position. (The bookmark memory is reset when the power is turned off. Also, the resume playback function is factory-set to OFF. To use it, you must activate it using the menu screen.)

Small, Lightweight and Fully Mobile
P2 Gear main unit weighs just 1.1 kilograms (2.5 lbs) and is small enough to use with one hand. Thanks to its rugged construction, it's tough enough to withstand rigorous field use. A powerful 5400-mAh battery pack mounts to the main unit's back. P2 Gear can also use the AG-HVX200's battery, or plug it into an ordinary AC outlet using the adaptor provided.