Panasonic announced this week that all of NBC Universal’s owned and operated stations as well as its cable properties, including CNBC, will standardize on the P2 HD solid-state format for electric newsgathering. The 25-member station group also includes Telemundo Spanish-language stations.
“We are honored that these NBC entities comprising many of the country’s largest and most prestigious news teams recognize P2 HD’s outstanding benefits for their demanding ENG requirements,” said Panasonic Broadcast President John Baisley, at a press conference.
CNBC has already transitioned to P2 HD acquisition, shooting news with the HPX2000 camcorder, according to Baisley. Most of NBC’s owned and operated stations and several of Telemundo’s O&Os have taken initial deliveries of the Panasonic HPX170 handheld camcorders, P2 mobile recorder/players and P2 Gear portable recorders. NBC Universal also plans to purchase “a large number” of Panasonic’s new AJ-HPX300s, a new $10,700 broadcast-quality HD camcorder that will be available in March.
Baisley also announced that the Discovery Channel has approved the use of Panasonic’s HPX3700, P2 HD Varicams, HPX 2700, and HPX3000 P2 HD cameras for use in all tiers of Discovery Channel productions. HPX500 shouldermount camcorders and HPX170 handheld cameras have also been approved for use in “a wide range” of Discovery productions.
According to Baisley, more than half of the approximately 100,000 P2 units shipped since its introduction in 2004 have been U.S. customers. More than 330 TV stations have adopted the P2 format.
