Panasonic Ships New DVCPRO/50 VTR Deck With IEEE 1394 Support

Panasonic released a new VTR for professional video editing environments, the AJ-SD93. The AJ-SD93 is a VTR deck designed for use with DVCPRO50 and DVCPRO tape formats. The deck features IEEE 1394 deck control and transfer support for data rates of 50Mbps. According to Panasonic:

Panasonic has announced the availability of the AJ-SD93, a new, low-cost multi-format digital VTR suitable for standard definition IEEE 1394-based editing applications.

Designed to offer a significant step up in robustness and quality compared to existing DV and DVCAM-based products, the AJ-SD93 is the first VTR below $7,000 list price to facilitate 4:2:2 quality video transfers at 50Mbps over IEEE 1394 to nonlinear editing systems. Its 48kHz, 16-bit, 4-channel digital audio delivers the high-quality sound video producers require. With optional analog and SDI inputs and outputs, the AJ-SD93 is a flexible, easy-to-use and affordable production tool.

The AJ-SD93 can record on medium or large DVCPRO cassettes with a maximum record time of 184 minutes (92 minutes in DVCPRO50). It can playback DVCPRO50, DVCPRO, DV and DVCAM tapes, automatically sensing the correct format. Designed for desktop and mobile applications with a side handle for easy carrying, the AJ-SD93 has a space-saving 3RU half-rack size, permitting side-by-side installation of the VTR and Waveform/Vectorscope or compact monitor in a single 3RU rack.

You can find more information about the AJ-SD93 VTR deck at the Panasonic Web site. The AJ-SD93 is available for US$6,995.00.