The Weather Channel has selected Panasonic AG-HVX200 DVCPRO HD P2 camcorders for its live coverage and field production. The cable network currently uses six HVX200s for its shows, including "Storm Stories," "Forecast Earth," and "Evening Edition."
The HVX200 combines multiple HD and SD formats, multiple recording modes and variable frames rates, and P2 solid-state memory recording in a compact design. The DVCPRO HD P2 camcorder offers contribution-quality acquisition with independent intra-frame encoding, 4:2:2 color sampling, and less compression, making content easier and faster to edit and more able to stand up to image compositing versus long GOP MPEG-2 systems.
"One of the major deciding factors that made us choose Panasonic was the HVX200's easy interface with our Apple Final Cut Pro editing systems in the field and at our facility," Nathan Smith, vice president of broadcast operations for The Weather Channel.
The company said other reasons it chose the HVX200 included affordability, maneuverability, variable frame rate capability, and a path to HD acquisition. While The Weather Channel's videographers shoot predominantly in DVCPRO50 standard definition, the network is already embarking on plans to move to high definition.
"We plan to start gathering all content for our Storm Stories and Forecast Earth series in HD to build an archive of material for our eventual migration to the format," said Smith.
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