Oi! Panasonic’s HD video recording Micro 4/3 DSLRish Lumix GH1 is now available for pre-order from J&R. Sure, the 12-megapixel shooter comes with a 14-140mm lens and its diminutive size definitely garners a lot of attention for what it can do, but the going price is a bit steep considering the state of economy. Yes, friends, for $1500 you can get yourself a fancy new Lumix.
Overview
In my never-ending search for a high image quality compact digital camera, I came across the Panasonic DMC-FX37. This little compact caught my eye with its long list of premium features and tiny footprint. It’s got a wide-angle Leica lens, image stabilization, 720p HD video recording, and a 4x zoom. That’s a pretty compelling list of features for such a small camera.
I’m used to using a Fujifilm F30 because of its great image quality, especially in low light, but it’s getting a bit long in the tooth and I wanted a change. So, I took the little FX37 on a recent trip overseas. Well, to make a long story short, I shot 90 percent of my images on that trip with the little Panny instead of my DSLR. Its unique wide-angle lens with the optional 16:9 shooting mode provided such quick and compelling images that I found myself reaching for it over my trusty SLR.
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This is what the players will be pimp’n soon ’cause everyone needs a Blu-ray player in their car. People have been stuffing PS3s into their cars since the gaming system came out, but the Panasonic CY-BB1000D is the first in-dash unit to sport a Blu-ray drive. The fun doesn’t stop with just the Blu-ray drive. Nope, this unit is loaded, playa.
The press release is long on talk and short on actual information, but it looks like Panasonic is looking to simplify the workflow for 3D content with this crazy-looking camera. It has, as you can see, two lenses.
After that it’s pretty much a mystery.Are they splitting a sensor? Are there two? Is the LCD 3D? It’s all very vague at this point.
Panasonic announced the DMP-BD60 in Japan today [JP], a Blu-ray device, which is at the same time the company’s first without a recording function. Panasonic is marketing the $500 player as a low-priced machine that people can use as a second device, for example in their bed rooms.
Toshiba Corp. (6502) announced yesterday it plans to convert Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology (TMD) into a wholly owned subsidiary. TMD is an LCD manufacturing joint venture formed by Toshiba and Matsushita (now Panasonic). The joint venture produces around 10% of small LCD panels. It’s second only to Sharp in this market segment.
Panasonic is stuffing some streaming goodies into it’s latest plasmas and set-top Blu-ray players. These services were demo’d at CES this year, and we’re glad to hear that they will be implemented. This Viera Cast builds upon past builds and adds connectivity options to Amazon Video-on-Demand, YouTube, Picassa, along with others without the need for a set-top box. So, now you can get streaming content from your cable box, Xbox 360 or PS3, HTPC, and also your plasma TV.
Without having held and shot with the GH1 myself it’s hard to say if Panasonic’s latest Micro Four Thirds Lumix is worth a hoot. Sure, it shoots HD video, which is fine and dandy, but these are cameras and not camcorders. If you fail to produce high quality still images then who gives a damn if it shoots HD video or bakes you a cake. Anyway, Eric over at PB got a little face time with a pre-production model and posted a clip of the encoded AVCHD video to MPEG-4. It’s not terribly exciting, but some of you have probably been wondering about it.
Now we’re talking, folks. Panasonic just announced an updated version of their Micro Four Thirds camera, the G1, that records HD video. Videos are recorded using the AVCHD codec and 1080p video is shot at 24fps while 720p is shot at 60fps. There’s a dedicated video record button on the back of the GH1.
Recession got you down? Have no fear, because now you can spend your way to happiness thanks to a potential 40 percent drop in the price of Blu-Ray players, thereby making them about $200 as opposed to $5 million. Oh, wait a minute. This is only on Blu-Ray licensing, so manufacturers will have to only pay $9.50 for a read-only BR player and 11 cents for disks. Sorry. You’ll basically be saving pennies.
Panasonic, Philips and Sony today announced they joint forces to consolidate the Blu-ray licensing business. The aim is to offer a single license that not only covers patents for Blu-rays but also DVDs and CDs. If things go well, we as consumers could get cheaper movies, music or games in the process.
Full press release after the jump.
Panasonic has announced a new Toughbook today [JP], a special version of its W8 notebook, which is also on the sale in the US. The new Japanese premium edition has no release date for overseas markets yet, however.
You might ask who really needs a portable TV to view Blu-rays on it but obviously Panasonic doesn’t care. The company today announced the DMP-BV100 for the Japanese market [JP], a device that’s equipped with a Blu-ray player and not one but four built-in antennas for full digital TV goodness. Needless to say the device is the first of its kind in the world.
Rumor has it that Leica is considering selling off its low-end digicam business to Panasonic. Panasonic already OEMs Leica’s point-and-shoot line so it makes a lot of sense but of course Leica is denying it.
There’s nothing solid on this yet, but there are murmurs (from respectable, if not necessarily reliable sources) that Panasonic may be girding its loins to buy itself some Leica. Perhaps not all of it, perhaps just a little bit, but they’re definitely sniffing around. Given Leica’s skill with glass and Panasonic’s with consumer electronics, they might make a good team in the digital camera sector.
Panasonic is no stranger to purchasing a missing piece; they just bought Sanyo after a few tense months, and that’s (they hope) a match made in electronics heaven.
Panasonic has announced [JP] that on April 20 it will roll out the world’s thinnest plasma TVs in Japan. The company said it plans to release them at about the same time around the world (which remains to be seen). The TVs are measuring just 24.7mm in the thickest section.
Panasonic has upgraded their Toughbook 52 series of semi-rugged notebooks. And like you may know, these aren’t much competition for the usual crop of 15.4 inch laptops. But when it comes to surviving in hospitals or braving the battlefield, they are unparalleled.
