Panasonic AG-HPX300 Menu Information

FAQ

Get answers to frequently asked questions about

P2 HD, the most advanced solid-state

video production format.

when it counts

General

What is P2 HD?

P2 HD is a full production quality, high definition recording system that utilizes removable solid state memory cards.
This approach eliminates the mechanical wear and environmental limitations of tape, hard disk, and optical disc based
systems. P2 HD ensures the highest reliability, especially in challenging conditions of extreme temperature, shock, and
vibration. P2 HD products provide a significant reduction in maintenance costs, longer useful product life, and immediate
access to recorded video (no need to digitize, ingest or create proxy video files) and metadata. Compatible with PCs and
existing file-based IT infrastructures, P2 HD content is recorded as independent frames, can be randomly accessed and
easily transferred to, or archived onto low-cost consumer media such as hard drives or other affordable current IT storage
technology and future based systems as well. P2 HD systems offer long record times and can be upgraded with higher
capacity cards.

How does P2 record?

P2 cards record the same way that digital still cameras record onto memory cards – they store the footage as pre-digitized
computer files. Instead of recording the video as “video data,” they record the footage as computer data files. These files
are instantly editable and can be transferred to other computer storage media directly, without the restrictions of needing
proprietary video decks or having to wait for real-time transfers. In fact, you can edit footage directly from a P2 Card,
without having to transfer to a computer at all. Because P2 Cards record in universally interchangeable MXF data files, they
are immediately usable by properly-configured Windows and Macintosh computers. The P2 Cards eliminate the need for
VTRs, they eliminate the need for proprietary video hardware to read or transfer their contents, and they eliminate the need
to “capture” or “digitize” your footage.

As for the actual recordings themselves, P2 Cards record footage in the MXF (Material eXchange Format), a SMPTE-codified
cross-platform universal file format. The MXF files use operational pattern OP-Atom, which means that each element of
the footage (the audio tracks, the video footage, an “icon” or thumbnail, and the descriptive metadata) all get stored in their
own sub-directories. The MXF file format is supported by nearly every major nonlinear editing program, and file conversion
utilities exist to convert MXF files into other types of files if needed.

The P2 Card itself uses the FAT32 file system, which makes the card compatible with both Macintosh and Windows
systems.

P2 Card

What’s inside a P2 card?

P2 Cards are high-precision micro-computers with their own processors, firmware, a RAID controller, and gigabytes of the
highest-quality zero-fault solid-state memory chips. A P2 Card is an intelligent device that manages the data files, and even
does a write-verification step for every byte of memory that gets written to the card (thus assuring fault-free operation).
Early P2 Cards were manufactured using actual SD memory cards in a striped RAID array, thus increasing the performance
far beyond any individual memory chip’s speed. The newest generation of P2 Cards dispenses with using individual SD
memory cards and actually uses the core memory components.

2 3

What sizes of P2 cards are available?

P2 Cards have been manufactured in 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB capacities. The current cards offered on the market
are 16GB and 32GB in size.

What’s the recording capacity of P2 cards?

In order to answer the question of how much recording time a P2 Card is capable of, you have to determine two factors:
what recording format you will use, and what capacity of P2 Card you’re planning on using. The calculation is quite simple
after that.

For DVCPRO or DV, the data rate is 4 minutes per gigabyte
For DVCPRO50 or AVC-Intra 50, the data rate is 2 minutes per gigabyte
For DVCPRO HD or AVC Intra 100, the data rate is 1 minute per gigabyte

A 32GB P2 Card is capable of storing over two hours of DVCPRO footage (32 gigabytes X 4 minutes per GB), or more than
one hour of DVCPRO50 (32 GB X 2 minutes per GB) or 32 minutes of AVC-Intra 100 or DVCPRO-HD.

Please note, even more storage capacity is available in DVCPRO-HD 720P and AVC-Intra 720P and 1080P modes. Please
review the included charts for further information.

32GB P2 Card DVCPRO Storage Totals (minutes per card)

1080 / HD 720 / HD SD

Model 60i/30/24p 50i/25p 60p/30p/24p 50p/25p 30pN 25pN 24pN DVCPRO50 DVCPRO/DV
AJ-HPX2000 32 32 32 32 64 64 80 64 128
AJ-HPM100 32 32 32 32 ** ** ** 64 128
AG-HPX500 32 32 32 32 64 64 80 64 128
AG-HVX200 32 X 32 X 64 X 80 64 128
AJ-SPX800*** X X X X X X X 64 128
AJ-SPC700*** X X X X X X X 64 128

32GB P2 Card AVC-Intra Storage Totals (minutes per card)

AVC-INTRA 100 AVC-INTRA 50

Frame rates /

formats

Frame rates /

formats

AJ-HPX3000 32 32 40 64 64 80
AJ-HPX2000 32 32 40 80 64 64 64 80 160 128
AJ-HPM100 32 32 40 80 64 64 64 80 160 128

1080/

60i/30p*

720/60p 720/50p

1080/

50i/25p*

1080/

24p*

720/
24p*

720/ 25p*/

30p*

1080/

60i/30p*

720/60p 720/50P

1080/

50i/25p*

1080/

24p*

720/
24p*

16GB P2 Card DVCPRO Storage Totals (minutes per card)

720/

25p*/

30p*

1080 / HD 720 / HD SD

Model 60i/30/24p 50i/25p 60p/30p/24p 50p/25p 30pN 25pN 24pN DVCPRO50 DVCPRO/DV
AJ-HPX2000 16 16 16 16 32 32 40 32 64
AJ-HPM100 16 16 16 16 ** ** ** 32 64
AG-HPX500 16 16 16 16 32 32 40 32 64
AG-HVX200 16 X 16 X 32 X 40 32 64
AJ-SPX800*** X X X X X X X 32 64
AJ-SPC700*** X X X X X X X 32 64