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Chapter 1 Overview — Features of recorder/play unit
Features of recorder/play unit
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Various interfaces
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<USB2.0> terminal (host/device) provided
By connecting to a computer via USB 2.0, the P2 card inserted on the camera can be used as mass storage.
The camera also incorporates the USB host function, allowing data on the P2 card to be saved on the hard disk drive connected with USB 2.0 or clips
saved on the hard disk drive to be viewed or written back to the P2 card.
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<LAN> terminal provided
By installing the network function (extra-cost option), metadata can be input from a computer.
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Large-capacity, high-speed transfer, highly reliable P2 card
P2 cards are semiconductor memory that is highly resistant to impact, vibration and temperature changes, and are highly reliable since they have
no parts that rotate or contact other parts when recording or playing back, like on tape or disk, which enables these cards to be repeatedly used for
recording and initialized over a prolonged period of time. Connectors have also been designed for professional use to ensure greater durability when
cards are removed or inserted.
Recorded A/V data is recorded to P2 cards as files for individual cuts that do not require digitizing, which means that they are ready for nonlinear editing
or transfer over a network. Optical disks can be worked on at ease at an amazing transfer speed. The PC card standard is also supported, which means
that PC cards can be plugged in directly to the PC card slot on your computer.*
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The unit is equipped with two P2 card slots, enabling continuous recordings for two P2 cards, and they also provide the following recording capabilities
specific to memory card recorders:
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Card selection:
The recording slot can be selected (switched) in a standby state*
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. When recording material is forwarded immediately after it is recorded for editing or
transmission, recording can be continued by an interruption far shorter than by tape or disk replacement.
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Hot swap recording:
Cards can be replaced even during recording. This capability allows continuous recording without any interruption since recorded cards can be
successively swapped while recording is continued on another card slot.
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Loop recording:
The unit can retain a certain amount of previously recorded material at all times by successively loop recording data into a specified recording area.
*1 The P2 card driver must be installed. For details on the operating environment required for the P2 card driver, visit the support desk at the following website:
http://pro-av.panasonic.net/
*2 Set the [SLOT SEL] function to the <USER> buttons (<USER MAIN>/<USER1>/<USER2>).
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Instant start and secure data protection
Recording is started instantaneously from a standby state. Since recording is automatically performed to free space on the card, there is no need to cue
up blank area as you do for VTRs. Recording can be started immediately even during a preview simply by pressing the <REC> button. In the Normal
mode, recorded data is never lost by it being overwritten. So, you can be rest assured that your data is safe unless files are deleted or the card is
initialized.
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Other features
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Pre-recording:
Critical moments that you might have missed can be recovered. In a standby state, approximately three seconds and approximately seven seconds
of video and audio input to the camera is stored in memory in the HD and SD modes, respectively. This means that video and audio are recorded for
several seconds preceding pressing of the <REC> button.
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One-shot recording:
This function records for the preset time (single frame to one second) at each press of the <REC> button and is handy for producing animations.
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Interval recording:
In this mode, single frames are recorded at a preset interval (two frames to ten minutes). This allows monitoring and observation, and special effects
to be obtained by ultra-undercrank shooting.
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One-clip recording:
This function allows multiple recordings into a combined clip and does not isolate single recording (from recording start to stop). The combined clip can
he handled with ease in transferring or copying, etc. as the clip can be handled as a single thumbnail or as a single clip in editing. Up to 99 recordings
can be combined into a single clip.
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Proxy recording (extra-cost option):
By installing the video encoder board (extra-cost option), video recordings in MPEG4 format or H.264 format and real-time metadata such as time
code data can be recorded to the P2 card and SD memory card simultaneously, in addition to the video and audio of the materials recorded on the
camera. This is effective in checking and editing clips.
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Clip thumbnail preview
Recordings are made as clips (files) for each cut. A thumbnail image and file information are automatically appended to each clip. When previewing on
the viewfinder screen, the clip selected from the thumbnail list display can immediately be played back or the clip data can be checked. This thumbnail
and file information is also displayed on a computer (by P2 Viewer Plus*) or in nonlinear editing software.
* P2 Viewer Plus is viewing software for Windows PCs provided to P2 users by free download.
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Shot marks and text memo
Shot marks which, for example, can help you distinguish OK cuts from reject cuts, are assigned to each clip. Shot marks can be added both during and
after a recording. Only marked clips can be displayed when clips are mounted on a computer (by P2 Viewer Plus).
A function for recording text memos is also provided so that empty tag-like text memos can be registered by pressing the <USER> buttons (<USER
MAIN>/<USER1>/<USER2>) assigned with this function at any locations (up to 100) in a clip during recording or preview. Memos can be searched for
later on a computer (P2 Viewer Plus) to write text to.
In addition, by copying clips by text memo block, only the necessary portions can be extracted from a single clip with the camera.
