Developed for cost effective production applications, the P2 card
consists of four SD cards packaged together as a single compact
unit that weighs only about 0.099 lbs (45 grams). This ultra-reliable
card has four times the capacity and four times the transfer speed of
a single SD card.
In addition to the high resistance to impact, vibration and
temperature change that semiconductor memory is known for, the
P2 card also offers outstanding reliability. Unlike tapes and discs, it
has no rotating or contact parts. It's built to withstand repeated
recording and initialization over many years of use. The P2 card
connector is specifically designed to stand up to the repeated
insertion and removal involved in professional use.
The AG-HPX500 records the A/V data for each recording as a file on
the P2 card, which eliminates the need for digitizing. The files can
be used directly in a nonlinear editing system or transferred over a
network. The P2 card transfers data at a speed that discs simply
cannot match, giving you faster, easier operation.
The P2 card is convenient too - you can plug it directly into the card slot on a laptop.
When you press the Record button in standby mode, the AG-HPX500 instantly finds a blank area on the P2 card and begins recording. It can begin recording immediately even when you're using it to preview video. In normal use, there's no chance of accidentally overwriting a recording. Recordings will not be erased unless you intentionally delete a file or initialize the card.
In addition to continuous, multiple-card recording, the four P2 card slots of the AG-HPX500 also enable some useful new recording functions that are possible only with memory cards.
The P2 cam records each recording as a clip (file) and automatically
attaches a thumbnail image and file information to it. To preview a
clip on the LCD monitor or to check clip data, simply choose the
clip you want from the list of thumbnails.
The thumbnail image and file information can also be displayed on a
PC (using P2 Viewer*) or nonlinear editing software.
* P2 Viewer software for Windows PCs can be downloaded, free of charge.
A shot mark, which allows convenient OK and NG marking, can be
added to each clip during or after recording. When a P2 card with
marked clips is inserted in a PC*, it's possible to have only the
marked clips displayed. The AG-HPX500 also has a text memo
function. When recording or previewing a clip, press the Text Memo
button at any of up to 100 locations and a blank text memo label is
registered. On your PC*, you can then search for the label and write
a memo into it.
* Must have P2 Viewer installed
Plug an SD card into the slot provided, and you can save or load scene files and user-setting files. You can create a metadata upload file (produced with P2 Viewer) containing information such as the name of the camera operator, the name of the reporter, the recording location, and text memos on an SD Memory Card, and load it as clip metadata.