Mexico. Panasonic de Mexico participated in Broadcast Mexico 2016, the first edition of the event focused on the radio, television, cable systems, IPTV and content industries.
On this occasion, the Japanese company showed its robotic camera technology, 4K equipment for production and the innovative P2 Cast platform, a cloud-based news production system that operates in combination with P2HD camcorders. Broadcast Mexico 2016 was held from November 16 to 18, at the headquarters of the Palace of Culture and Communications, and the Museum of Radio and Television, in the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco.
"News production is a fundamental part of any television company, whether it is a network with national coverage, or a local station. And in all cases it presents challenges that broadcasters must face to keep up with and serve their audience. Today it is no longer enough to produce a nightly newscast with the summary of the day, the public demands information at the moment and through various means, from the screen of their television, to that of their mobile phone, "said Alejandro Ramos, AVPRO Sales Manager at Panasonic de México.
"The times when a reporter and cameraman had to return to the station to edit a story are a thing of the past, while live links through complex connections are unfeasible in the Mexican economic framework," Ramos points out.
In response to this scenario, Panasonic has created a Panasonic cloud-based news production system that uses the versatile network connectivity features of P2HD camcorders with AVC-ULTRA recording. Available globally, P2 Cast takes advantage of the network capacity of these cameras to upload to the cloud, the contents captured in the field and make them immediately available to the writing and editing teams of the television stations.
The P2 Cast platform streamlines the live streaming of news and extends the editing function to any device connected to the Internet. The system is distinguished by its ability to use the cloud to transmit video in both proxy quality and high quality, directly from the camera itself, create a video sequence of the desired clips and allow the writing team to automatically and remotely extract the images in high resolution and AVC-ULTRA from the camera itself.
Recently launched models such as the AJ-PX5000G, AJ-PX800 and AJ-PX270 cameras incorporate the AVC-ULTRA recording option and connect with the newsroom through the cloud through mobile networks (4G / LTE, Wi-Fi or specific connection), which allows generating instant news coverage and at the same time when the events happen.
P2 Cast Workflow Features
Among the main functions that P2 Cast provides to optimize and streamline the workflow of news production are:
Proxy file sharing: Shared storage is prepared on the server. Proxy files uploaded from the cameras can be browsed and played back from a news center headquarters. Proxy files can be downloaded and used to broadcast breaking news.
Editing featured content and transferring high-quality recordings:
From the news center itself, an editor can edit (with input and output cuts) the proxy files uploaded to the server, create an edit decision list (EDL), and transfer it to the camera. According to the EDL data, the camera will select the desired high-quality recording and transfer it back to the server.
New and efficient workflows through the use of metadata:
Both cameras and cameramen are assigned an identification key so that metadata can be sent from the newsroom to cameras operating in the field. Metadata is automatically recorded along with on-location recordings and the data can then be used in the editing process to significantly expand the search capability for unedited streams and shorten archiving times and secondary uses.
Both the services and licenses of the P2 Cast platform, as well as the different P2HD cameras, are available in Mexico through the AVPRO team of the Integral Solutions Group of Panasonic de México.
