I was just wondering if there's any buzz or legitimate info if Panasonic might be planning a 1/2" chip or better P2 HD camera to compete with the XDCAM HD line?

Actually Bill, it was announced at Panasonic's NAB press conference. It will in fact compete with the XDCAM HD line. It will have 5 P2 slots and will be a 2/3 chip camera with a body price around that of the Sony F350.

The official press release can be found here:

http://shop.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prModelDetail?storeId=11301&catalogId=13251&itemId=97315&modelNo=Content04212006112603805&surfModel=Content04212006112603805

-gb-

I had seen something about that camera some time ago, but somehow I overlooked the "HD" line and thought it was an SD camera. Thanks for the link! It says a price of $27K--not bad at all for a 2/3" chip HD camera.

I just reread the release, and it doesn't say anything about 24p. Anybody heard if it's going to shoot at 24fps as well as 30fps?