AG-HMC150 – The Next Generation Solid State AVCHD Camcorder

The AG-Hplease call MC150: A camera with a Multiple Personality and Capabilities for all Professional markets

v      Independent filmmakers, Film schools & aspiring video artists with creative vision (24P)

v      Event videography with its long record times, low light capability & Time Code synchronization

v      Reusable SD Media appeals to Institutional videographers, Web producers, School Sports

v      Small market news and cable stations switching to HD are demanding low bit rate transmission

v      Legal depositions & Surveillance with its Time Date Stamp, Long Record & Battery times

Noteworthy Appeal of AVCHD

ü       AVCHD is a new HD industry standard, tapeless format introduced by Panasonic and Sony and now

            supported by over 30 manufacturers (Advanced in compression, color and motion prediction)

ü       It utilizes the AVC High Profile codec- Providing the benefit of equal recording quality at about half the

            bit rate of older MPEG-2 used in HDV systems. More record time using less storage space

ü       AVCHD content can be played directly from an SD card in a growing number of affordable devices

ü       Content can be edited and rendered to many different formats for use on other playback devices

ü       Like Digital Still camera files, AVCHD content files can be transferred to and stored on any affordable, data

            storage device including HDD, optical discs, flash drives etc. No format specific deck (like HDV 720p or HDV

            1080i) is needed for ingest

ü       Ultra Solid state reliability – Benefits in Temperature, Humidity, Vibration, Maintenance, No Dropouts

ü       No FF or REW, no camera down time due to clogged tape heads or slipping, hardened pinch rollers

ü       Panasonic’s professional AVCHD camcorders use widely available SD or SDHC cards: 2GB, 4GB, 8GB,

            16GB & 32GB whose trend is increasing capacity and decreasing in cost

ü       Longer recording time for capturing uninterrupted, extended events –between 3 and 12 hours depending on

            bit rate chosen with a 32GB SDHC card

ü       Faster workflow – like digital photography, no ingest, random access to content, lower storage and

            distribution costs

AVCHD Editing

AVCHD editing is now supported on both dual core PC and Intel based Mac platforms and files can be

transferred as uncompressed HD video utilizing a simple HDMI to HD-SDI converter. Recently announced

AVCHD editing support is available in: Apple iMovie, Apple Final Cut Express, Apple Final Cut Pro 6.0.1 &

above, Adobe Premier Pro CS3, Grass Valley EDIUS Pro v4.5, Pinnacle Studio Plus/Ultimate 11 & 12,

Nero7 Premium Reloaded, Ulead Video Studio 11 plus and DVD Movie Factory 6 Plus. An available free

downloadable transcoder is also available to convert content to DVCPRO HD on our website. (Full listing on

Panasonic website:  www.panasonic.com/avccam

This cooler than cool AG-HMC150 drew big crowds at the NAB Show.

Why? Simply because it offers an unheard of Bang for the Buck, in a 1/3” three-chip hand held tapeless

HD camcorder, while retaining the core versatility of the DVX100B. The HMC150 sports a 28mm lens right

out of the box and a new PH Record mode (21 Mbps) which offers higher resolution with a host of recording

formats including 24p. Add to that, amazing low light performance, long record & battery time and professional

Audio capabilities at a price that will make it an instant hit with a wide range of AV Shooters, Indie Creators

and Event Video professionals.

The AG-HMC150 represents a major step forward in the introduction of a next generation solid state HD

camera that extends the six year successful track record of the popular DVX100 plus a lot more. The

HMC150’s lightweight (lightest 1/3” 3CCD available), well-balanced professional design features a high

performance wide-angle Leica 13X zoom lens, 24 and 30 frame progressive capture, both in 720 and 1080

formats, making it perfect for even high level projects. Designed from a clean sheet of paper with much

customer input to our product development engineers, the HMC150 sports a Die Cast Alloy chassis and a

Three year warranty (upon end user registration) that further endorses its reliability.

• Full range of HD formats1080/60i, 1080/30p, 1080/24p (Native); 720/60p, 720/30p, 720/24p (Native)
• Higher bit-rate recording than consumer models (21 Mbps PH Mode)
• Three latest design 1/3” CCD Progressive Imagers
• 13X Wide angle 28 mm lens out of the box (35mm equiv.), MOD .6 M, 72mm Ø

             (Shoot in confined spaces with no need to buy an accessory lens)

• Time Date Stamp for Legal Depositions or surveillance
• Waveform Monitor, Vectorscope plus two Focus displays for accurate, quick focus
• Professional XLR audio input connections
• Time code (DF, NDF, REC RUN, FREE RUN) and USER BIT
• HDMI out, Component Out (mini D terminal), Composite Video Out and RCA Audio Out jacks
• External Time Code Link (Slave & Master Preset) uses the Composite Video Out terminal
• USB 2.0 for file transfer (no need for a VTR)
• 3.5-inch LCD monitor displays thumbnails for quick non-linear access to clips
• Remote control connection for Zoom, Focus, Iris, and start/stop functions
• �� 14 bit A to D converter and 19 bit Image processing
• Cinelike Gamma & DRS Dynamic Range Stretch (Filmmaker requested features)
• Three Neutral Density Filters 1/4, 1/16, 1/64
• Pre-Record (3 Seconds), Digital Zoom 2X / 5X / 10X (in 1080/60i & 720/60p only)
• �� Three User Set Buttons with 11 choices for customizing Camera to Shooter

AG-HMC150

Using the latest in compression technology (AVC High Profile) and widely available SD memory cards as the

recording media, the AG-HMC150 is as easy to use as a digital still camera. The content recorded on the SD

card can be directly played on a growing number of affordable consumer players, including select models of

Playstation 3, Blu-ray players, plasma screens and PC’s. With most NLE systems now supporting AVCHD,

content can be edited and rendered to play in any type of SD or HD playback system

Dynamic Range Stretch

With DRS ON your customer can capture better Video quality when shooting bright, halftone and dark objects in

the same frame. (Bride’s white gown details and the Groom’s shades of tuxedo black.) This clever circuit

estimates the gamma curve and knee slope of each pixel’s brightness and applies the estimate on a real time

basis. The result is more accurate Video with a visually wider dynamic range.

DVX100 users want more …HD in a similar form factor…at a reasonable price

DVX100 users are craving for a camcorder with the same size and key design elements but with the increased

resolution and color quality of the widescreen HD format. With Optical Image Stabilization and Manual & Auto

Focus, the HMC150 appeals to a wide variety of shooters. In the new PH mode, the HMC150’s image quality far

exceeds what is possible with HDV, and at a lower bit rate. At a list price of $3,995 the HMC150 is simply an

incredible value!

Consumers have raised the bar for video quality and the feature-rich HMC150 delivers

Standard definition camcorder sales, both consumer and professional, are declining as the DTV transition nears in

Feb. and consumers purchase HD TVs at an ever-increasing pace. The decline in SD camcorder sales will only

continue. My friend's 80-year-old parents recently needed a new TV and they purchased an HD plasma; they didn't

even consider a lower-cost SD CRT which is becoming scarce. As the consumer camcorder & display market

moves swiftly to High Definition, superior image quality and higher-end features are now a must-have. We’re

confident that the HMC150 will give your customers the higher quality and creative edge they need to stay ahead of

competitive shooters with SD or HDV pro camcorders. The HMC150 will meet and exceed the expectations of

professionals who make their living shooting video.

Professionals Need Great Audio

Two locking XLR inputs at the front, complete with hard switches for Line and Mic with +48V Phantom Power,

Manual level controls, and Internal/External assignment. Up & down volume adjustments can be made to the

internal speaker or stereo headphone output.

Don’t be afraid of the Dark …or of your tape running out

With 14 bit Analog to Digital conversion and 19 bit Video processing, your customers can shoot in low light

situations with virtually no fear of video noise detracting from the highly detailed video. They can also forget

about the 63 minute record time limit of DV & HDV and the need to estimate remaining battery life. The new

Info Data battery system used in the AVCCAM line up updates remaining time left to the minute.

Enhanced Tools to make better Video

MAKEUP! The WFM allows for critical evaluation of too high Luminance levels which can ruin a job, like the

shine on a model’s forehead. The built-in Vectorscope allows for color analysis & matching because it

measures color saturation as gain, and Phase ( Hue ) as the angle. When it comes to critical focus, two

Focus aids are on board. In addition to the Center Zoom which enlarges the center 2X filling the entire the

entire LCD screen, the Histogram display shows fine focus as Amplitude & Frequency, making it easy to see

critical focus.

Competitive Advantages of the AG-HMC150

• Solid state capture and playback eliminates the problems inherent in tape and disc drives, while allowing

      high quality HD content to be captured on affordable, readily available SD cards

• Its 21 Mbps PH mode records far higher picture quality than HDV Tape systems
• MPEG-2 compression works with blocks of only 16 X 16 pixels whereas H.264 compression works with

            blocks down to 4 X 4 pixels. What’s more, AVCHD’s motion prediction is content dependant

• Continuous, silent recording of between 3 and 12 hours with Time Date Stamp is a powerful capability
• No head wear, alignment or cleaning and it carries a Three Year Parts & Labor Warranty
• Lower storage needs & lower distribution costs
• HDMI Digital Output, HD Component Output, and selectable SD 16:9 Output (RCA)
• 28 mm Lens achieves wide angle without having to buy attachments
• Built on a one piece die cast alloy chassis that is compact, well balanced and weighs less than 4.5 lbs.*
• (4.37lbs with Battery , Mic Holder, AG-MC200 Mic and SD Card)
• Immediate Playback, random access & ability to preview shots and delete on location

Free Two Year Warranty Extension with End User Registration (Three Years of Protection*)

No head clogs or tape dropouts. No head alignment needed. To prove our point of Solid State Reliability,

Any End User that registers his/her purchase will receive a Free Two Year Warranty Extension

Making the Parts & Labor Warranty on the AG-HMC150 a total of three years at no extra charge. This card

will already be in the box so you don’t have to do a thing!

        * One Year Parts and Labor + Free Two Year Extension with End User registration. (However certain restrictions apply such as 2 year for CCD’s

          and one year for LCD side screen and LCD in EVF.

>Sid<