BCP Gearhead: Panasonic P2 Card

Posted on: Thursday, November 2nd, 2006
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P2 (short form for “Professional Plug-In”) is a digital video storage media format introduced by Panasonic in 2004. BigCityPix first used the format for TreeHugger TV’s Vampire Power video. It features tapeless (non-linear) recording of DVCPRO, DVCPRO50, DVCPRO-HD, or AVC-Intra streams on a solid state flash memory card. The P2 Card is essentially a RAID of SD memory cards with an LSI controller tightly packaged in a die-cast PC card (formerly PCMCIA) enclosure, so data transfer rate increases as memory capacity increases. The system includes cameras, decks as drop-in replacement forVCRs, and a special 5.25″ computer drive for random access integration with NLE systems. The cards can also be used directly where a PC card slot is available, as in most notebook computers, as a normal disk drive, although a custom software driver must first be loaded.

As of late 2008, P2 cards are available in capacities of 4, 8, 16, 32GB and 64GB. At introduction, P2 cards offered low recording capacity compared to competing, videotape-based formats (a miniDVtape holds roughly 13GB of data, and an S-size HDCAM tape holds 50GB). To solve this, camcorders and decks using P2 media employ multiple card slots, with the ability to span the recording over all slots. Cards are recorded in sequence, and when a card is full, it can be swapped out while another card is recording. This limits recording time only by power supply and the available amount of cards. If a card is partially full, the deck will record only until it is full. Unlike tape, old video cannot be recorded over accidentally. Old footage must be manually deleted. Since then card capacity has increased to as much as 64GB.

P2 cards are of a ruggedized PCMCIA type with the fastest transfer speeds currently available through this format. The card also contains a processor that organises and safeguards the files and the case is developed and crafted to “military” (according to Panasonic) specifications, making P2 cards tough and reliable.

The first pieces of equipment released by Panasonic which use the P2 format included the AJ-SPX800 (a 2/3″ broadcast camcorder for ENG and EFP applictions), the studio recorder AJ-SPD850, the AJ-PCD10 offload device (basically, a five-slot PC card reader with USB interface designed to fit a 5-1/4″ IT systems bay), and the memory cards themselves – AJ-P2C004 (4GB) and AJ-P2C002 (2GB). Panasonic is currently shipping a wide range of camcorders that support the P2 format, including the professional AG-HVX200 HD handheld camcorder, and the high-end, or broadcast professional shoulder-mount AG-HPX500, AJ-HPX2000, and AJ-HPX3000 camcorders. Panasonic has also announced the P2-based AG-HPX170 handheld HD camcorder. The HPX170 is very similar to the HVX200 and the HVX200A, the main difference being the lack of a tape drive on the 170. The latest products to feature P2 technology are the well-received^[1] recently launched AJ-HPX2700 and AH-HPX3700 “Varicam” high end cameras.