AG-AC160 - Time/Date stamp

Jason Wietholter · January 2nd, 2012, 07:13 AM

James,

Great to hear (and see) that this is working. Thanks for keeping on it and letting us know.

Denis Danatzko · January 14th, 2012, 02:32 PM

Now the question must be asked: will the firmware for new purchases be updated before shipping? Or, if someone buys an AC-160 even 6 months from now, will it still need to be sent-in to be updated? I doubt that units already shipped will be returned to the factory for the update, so how will buyers know if their unit has the latest firmware?

While I love my HVX-200 and HMC-150, I wish Panasonic would pay just a bit more attention to the needs of the legal video business. It seems as it's an afterthought for Panasonic, yet it's a field that mandates long-form recording, e.g. depositions, with a real need for redundant recording, i.e. a 2nd/backup recording unit. While the original HVX writes to FireWire, the Date/Time stamp was not sent that route, so even a Firestore unit didn't help.

Similarly, the HMC can output to an HDMI recorder, but I'm not aware that the Date/Time stamp goes that route. Also, AFAIK Panasonic doesn't even make an HDMI recorder, though that would be unnecessary if not impractical due to file sizes. Something like the AG-HMR10 would be good, but even that doesn't allow redundant/backup recording from the HMC-150. A Panny version of Sony's DVDirect products would be helpful.

Legal video, particularly a deposition, requires multiple mics, a mixer, camera, tripod, backup recording device, headphones, a separate audio recorder (strictly for audio backup), usually a monitor, and occasionally some lighting.. IOW, lots of connections to get right, (sometimes upwards of 6 mics), and lots of "pieces" to monitor, all while listening to testimony and noting objections, etc. Quick set-up, compact equipment, and traveling as lightly as possible is a requirement, but piecing together components from different manufacturers and/or brands can make that difficult and needlessly time-consuming.

I've been a loyal Panny customer since I bought my first camera. (I even buy Panny's Gold SDHC cards for the HMC), and I'd really appreciate being able to buy and use components that I know will work together smoothly - and correctly handle the date/time stamp (and only the date/time stamp) with no other icons, warnings, or notices being recorded, rather than having to gerry-rig a backup recording system with some competitor's product or a third-party device. I'd invest in the AG-HMR10 or similar device if it could accept a signal output by the HMC-150 and allowed recording of only the image and date/time stamp.

This isn't meant to be a rant, but more a plea for just a little more notice of the legal field from Panasonic.

January 2nd, 2012, 07:13 AM	#16
Jason Wietholter Tourist Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Tulsa, OK Posts: 1	Re: AG-AC160 - Time/Date stamp James, Great to hear (and see) that this is working. Thanks for keeping on it and letting us know. __________________ W: legalvideoresource.com \| E: jason@opveon.com \| T: @jasonwietholter

January 14th, 2012, 02:32 PM	#17
Denis Danatzko Major Player Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: NYC Metro area Posts: 579	Re: AG-AC160 - Time/Date stamp Now the question must be asked: will the firmware for new purchases be updated before shipping? Or, if someone buys an AC-160 even 6 months from now, will it still need to be sent-in to be updated? I doubt that units already shipped will be returned to the factory for the update, so how will buyers know if their unit has the latest firmware? While I love my HVX-200 and HMC-150, I wish Panasonic would pay just a bit more attention to the needs of the legal video business. It seems as it's an afterthought for Panasonic, yet it's a field that mandates long-form recording, e.g. depositions, with a real need for redundant recording, i.e. a 2nd/backup recording unit. While the original HVX writes to FireWire, the Date/Time stamp was not sent that route, so even a Firestore unit didn't help. Similarly, the HMC can output to an HDMI recorder, but I'm not aware that the Date/Time stamp goes that route. Also, AFAIK Panasonic doesn't even make an HDMI recorder, though that would be unnecessary if not impractical due to file sizes. Something like the AG-HMR10 would be good, but even that doesn't allow redundant/backup recording from the HMC-150. A Panny version of Sony's DVDirect products would be helpful. Legal video, particularly a deposition, requires multiple mics, a mixer, camera, tripod, backup recording device, headphones, a separate audio recorder (strictly for audio backup), usually a monitor, and occasionally some lighting.. IOW, lots of connections to get right, (sometimes upwards of 6 mics), and lots of "pieces" to monitor, all while listening to testimony and noting objections, etc. Quick set-up, compact equipment, and traveling as lightly as possible is a requirement, but piecing together components from different manufacturers and/or brands can make that difficult and needlessly time-consuming. I've been a loyal Panny customer since I bought my first camera. (I even buy Panny's Gold SDHC cards for the HMC), and I'd really appreciate being able to buy and use components that I know will work together smoothly - and correctly handle the date/time stamp (and only the date/time stamp) with no other icons, warnings, or notices being recorded, rather than having to gerry-rig a backup recording system with some competitor's product or a third-party device. I'd invest in the AG-HMR10 or similar device if it could accept a signal output by the HMC-150 and allowed recording of only the image and date/time stamp. This isn't meant to be a rant, but more a plea for just a little more notice of the legal field from Panasonic. __________________ Denis ------------ Our actions are based on our own experience and knowledge. Thus, no one is ever totally right, nor totally wrong. We simply act from what we "know" to be true, based on that experience and knowledge. Beyond that, we pose questions to others.