All-nighter at ExCeL London – Live Multi-cam Music Festival

We provided a 5 camera flyaway PPU setup for an all night music festival at ExCeL London recently. We used a mixture of Panasonic HPX371 and HPX500 cameras and recorded the live cut on an AJA Ki Pro whilst streaming live.

Here’s a few pics from the night:

Please see our Facebook page for more images from the night 

Filming The Stranglers – Multi-camera Music PPU Setup

We were called in to shoot The Stranglers Convention 2011 – The Weekend in Black for a DVD. 

We used our multi-camera PPU, The Trickbox®, and 5 Panasonic P2 cameras – a mixture of HPX371‘s and HPX500′s. We were filming on and off all day and night so the file-based workflow and P2 card management was busy, plus we were encoding a H.264 live as we went for a quick turnaround for the web.

Here’s a few images from The Stranglers Convention 2011 but see the Trickbox FaceBook page for more.

See our FaceBook page for more images from The Stranglers Convention 2011

Hands on Demo with the New Panasonic AG-HPX251

At Visuals showroom, we had a chance to get a bit of hands on time with the new Panasonic AG-HPX251 / AG-HPX250.

As big Panasonic P2 users – and a particular fan of the Panasonic HPX371 camera, we were excited by the news at NAB 2011 of the release of the HPX251 – a very similar camera to the HPX371 but in a smaller form factor. Think Sony EX3 size and style.

So, the specs… The Panasonic AG-HPX1 is switchable between SD and HD – that’s full HD, 1920 x 1080, 10 bit, 4:2:2 processing, with the widely recognised AVC-Intra recording format. It also does DVCPRO HD if that’s your thing. But the important thing here is that you don’t need an external portable tapeless recorder to make up for poor in camera recording compression. AVC-Intra 100 is a fantastic codec that’s recognised by broadcasters. The HPX371 camera has made it’s way onto the BBC approved camera list with the same codec. Will the HPX251 join it?

The main differences between the HPX251 and the HPX371 is that the HPX251 doesn’t have an interchangeable lens – it has a wide 28mm to 588mm (35mm equivalent) 21X HD lens – suitable for most shooting situations. The HPX251 has the usual inputs and outputs you’d want and expect, making it suitable for small scale multi-camera productions – HD SDI out, genlock in, timecode out etc. A handy feature is the HDMI output – there’s a lot of good quality, cost effective camera top monitors/viewfinders out there with HDMI inputs so the AG-HPX251 could be used in a studio configuration. Or the HDMI output could be used as monitor output for the director – or some other important person!

The one downside we could see with the HPX251 is that there isn’t an option to connect an RCP, remote control panel – just LANC style controls.

Well, we’re a big fan of the Panasonic AG-HPX251 – for those situations where you need a small, light, portable camera, or there just isn’t enough budget for a bigger camera, the HPX251 fits the bill. And at around £4,000 (+ VAT), it’s keenly priced.

Looking forward to seeing what Panasonic will announce at IBC 2011…

Here’s the Panasonic AG-HPX251 Brochure

Filming the One Love Peace Festival – Wembley Arena

Trickbox TV were proud to be asked to handle the multi-camera recording of the One Love Peace Festival at Wembley Arena. We used our multi-camera portable production unit - The Trickbox® and three Panasonic AG-HPX371 cameras.

Commemorating the 30th anniversary of the passing of Bob Marley and supporting the fight against gun and knife crime, the theme of the 2011 One Love Peace Festival was ‘Throw Away your Guns, Throw Away your Knives and Save a Life’

It was a great day, packed full of bands like Aswad, Levi Roots (with a remixed version of Reggae Reggae Sauce!), Sean Paul, Busta Rhymes and Shaggy. It was a long hard day for the crew, with a fairly big rig – 100 metre camera cable runs. But it was great fun.

See more photos from the One Love Peace Festival on our Facebook page

New Equipment Launched At NAB 2011 From Panasonic: 3D, USB 3.0, New Cameras and More…

Panasonic announced some new broadcast equipment and products at NAB 2011 in April. We went to the Panasonic Experience Centre at Pinewood Studios to check out their new toys a few weeks ago…

(excuse the iPhone photos!)

A big part of Panasonic’s new products announced at NAB 2011, centred around 3D. We saw the AV-HS450AN vision mixer in action, with the new 3D optional SDI output board - AV-HS04M7D. For anyone already with a HS450 mixer, it’s a no brainer to buy the 3D SDI board – although at £3,500 (+ VAT), it’s not cheap. But 3D production isn’t! Shame Panasonic haven’t done the same and released an optional 3D SDI board for the HS400 mixer.

AV-HS450 Vision Mixer specs

AV-HS04M7D 3D SDI Output Board brochure

The AV-HS450 (and AV-HS04M7D 3D board) combined with the BT-3DL2550 3D monitor, makes live 3D production work affordable and accesible.

The new Panasonic AG-3DA1 integrated twin lens professional 3D camera also enforces Panasonic’s new push into the 3D market and the Panasonic AG-3DP1 broadcast level camera (the big brother to the AG-3DA1) makes it clear Panasonic want a chunk of the 3D broadcast market.

Panasonic AG-3DA1 brochure and specs

Panasonic AG-3DP1 specs

More 3D equipment from Panasonic released at NAB 2011, was the AG-HPD24 portable P2 recorder. An upgrade to the AG-HPG20 (available to hire at Trickbox TV), the HPD24 has two P2 slots, has more connections (including a welcome LTC input), HDMi output, and supports synchronised 3D recording and playback with two units synced together. The other notable addition to the HPD24 is it’s USB 3.0 interface.

Panasonic AG-HPD24 press release

Panasonic AG-HPD24 specs

Whilst on the USB 3.0 theme, Panasonic have released the AJ-PCD30 P2 (3 slot) card reader with the all important USB 3.0 interface to allow you to tranfer your P2 cards at 1.5Gbps. But what about a P2 card reader with a Thunderbolt DisplayPort connection we hear you say? We asked Panasonic the same thing. They wouldn’t officially say if they were going to release a P2 card reader with Thunderbolt connectivity, but they hinted it was being ‘looked into’.

Panasonic AJ-PCD30 specs

The Panasonic BT-LH910G is a great little 9" LCD monitor with 3D functionality (although doesn’t allow for 3D viewing). With X2 SDI and a HDMI input, plus waveform and vector scope, timecode and embedded audio display, the BT-LH910G is pretty powerful for something so small.

The Panasonic AG-HPX250 is Panasonic’s new P2 HD handheld camera that’s a hybrid of the older HVX200 series original P2 cameras and the more recent popular AG-HPX371 camera. Unlike the HPX371 (available to hire at Trickbox TV), the HPX250 doesn’t have an interchangeable lens and comes in a smaller form factor. But it still has all the other features such as 10 bit, 4:2:2 processing, full HD 1920×1080, 2.2 megapixel sensors and has the all important high bit rate codec, AVC-Intra 100. But will broadcasters accept it for HD production?

Panasonic AG-HPX250 press release

Panasonic AG-HPX250 specs

The Panasonic AG-AC160 is similar to the HPX250, but is part of the Panasonic AVCCAM lineup of cameras.

Panasonic AG-AC160 specs 

With regards to P2 cards, Panasonic also proudly announced at NAB 2011, that they’re reducing P2 card prices by 30% – making a 64GB P2 card, £440 (+ VAT).

Here’s Panasonic’s official NAB 2011 new product press page – Panasonic NAB 2011 and here’s Panasonic’s press release on the update to the Panasonic Experience Centre, Pinewood Studios.

So, the only question that remains is, what will Panasonic announce at IBC 2011 in September?

Trickbox TV Twitter Feed – @TrickboxTV – tweet tweet

Trickbox TV Twitter Feed – @TrickboxTV – Tweets about: 

Panasonic AG-HPX371 Added to BBC Approved Camera List

Our house camera, the Panasonic HPX371 / AG-HPX371 has been added to the BBC Approved Camera List. 

See our camera listings to hire the Panasonic HPX371 P2 HD Camera

Read more about the new BBC Approved Camera List on our blog page

BBC Approve the Panasonic HPX371

Well it’s good news for Panasonic AG-HPX371 owners and users – the BBC have approved it for HD acquisition and added it to their list of BBC Approved Cameras. With a 2.2MP sensor, 10 bit, 4:2:2 processing, full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution and a maximum bit rate recording of 100Mbps in AVC-Inta 100, you can see why.

See our camera listings to hire a Panasonic AG-HPX371.  

Here’s a link to the BBC Commissioning guide and a pdf of the BBC Approved Cameras List:

BBC Commissioning – HD Production and Delivery Guide

Here’s a BBC test and review of the Panasonic HPX371 Camera by their chief camera tester, Alan Roberts:  

Camera Comparison: Panasonic AG-HPX371 VS. JVC GY-HM790

NAB 2011 is almost here so prepare yourselves for an influx of new broadcast equipment being announced. New camera releases at NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) are often the most popular and achieve the most headlines.

So just before all those new cameras are released, let’s look back at two of last years NAB camera announcements. At NAB 2010, JVC and Panasonic both released similar Pro/Broadcast cameras with ENG, EFP and notably, Studio characteristics, functionality and features – the GY-HM790 from JVC, and the AG-HPX370 (HPX371 in the UK) from Panasonic.

Both are ‘Full HD’, both have interchangeable lenses, both have studio configurations and packages available and both are sub £10K. But what are the differences? Here’s a quick review and comparison of the Panasonic AG-HPX371 and the JVC GY-HM790 with their respective pros and cons.

There’s clearly pros and cons to both cameras. The fibre transmission system available with the GY-HM790 is a powerful feature and gives the camera a lot more scope and versatility for those bigger events and productions. But the overall package price reflects that. However, the basic list price for just the camera and a stock lens (the example shown is the Fujinon XT17sx4.5 BRM) shows that the JVC GY-HM790 is approximately £1,000 cheaper than the AG-HPX371. The HPX371′s ability to record in AVC-Intra 100 – 100Mbps – potentially puts the camera in another league ahead of the JVC. And the age old debate over CCD or CMOS is perhaps for another day…

What do JVC say about the GY-HM790?

"The GY-HM790U is a modular HD camera with solid state recording capability as well as studio functionality. It was developed to address the needs of modern broadcast and production facilities offering the highest level of HD picture quality in both 1080i and 720p formats. Whether used on the shoulder for electronic newsgathering, field production, or as a primary studio camera, the GY-HM790U is everything that a broadcast camera should be."

What do Panasonic say about the AG-HPX371?

"A shoulder-type camcorder with Panasonic’s outstanding HD production quality is no longer the preserve of the privileged few. This revolutionary new camera offers full HD quality from sensor to recording, thanks to the H.264MPEG4 AVC-Intra format. It also features a professional body with interchangeable lenses, one-clip recording function and the efficiency and ease of Panasonic’s outstanding P2 workflow. All in a compact body which is lightweight with a low centre of gravity."

For us, we favour the Panasonic HPX371 – the P2 HD workflow is simple and tried and trusted and the camera serves us for location PSC and ENG work, plus doubles up nicely in studio configuration mode, enhancing our multi-camera productions. If you’d like to hire the Panasonic AG-HPX371, please see our camera hire listings.

For more info on the JVC GY-HM790, click here

For more info on the Panasonic AG-HPX371, click here and here

Multi-Camera Conference at The Guildhall, London

Our day began (rather reluctantly) at around 5:30am and after navigating ourselves back and forth over London Bridge several times – watch that little slip road on the north side – we arrived at the historic, Guildhall, City of London. What an amazing building! And how honured we were to be asked to film The Sound Money Conference, hosted by Cheviot Asset Management. It had been months in the planning and it was finally here. The conference was held in the Old Library – a magnificent, grandiose room, as long as it was high. We had just two hours to set up – which included all the video side of the things, plus the set, staging, lighting, projector, powerpoint presentations etc. Quite a feat but the team were great and professional to the end. We were using our Multi-Camera Portable Production Unit – The Trickbox – neatly hiding at the back of the Old Library. We used 3 of our Panasonic HPX371 cameras – discreetly hidden by the huge pillars in the room. Jeremy Jacobs, the MC for the conference was great and helped make sure the event ran smoothly. There was a fully packed schedule of speakers, including: David Morgan, Ned Naylor-Leyland, Dominic Frisby, Hugo Salinas-Price and James Turk. The whole day went without a hitch and I think we all learnt something about Gold and Silver! A few lovely words from the client:

" Thank you so much for today. The conference couldn’t have run more smoothly – all the speakers commented on how professional your team were. You guys were absolutely amazing and no amount of praise would do you credit. "