Panasonic has incorporated Altera Corp.’s Cyclone III FPGAs into its P2 professional-grade HD camcorders. The FPGAs provide HD video processing, an interface to P2 memory cards, and LCD display control. The devices deliver the highest ratios of memory-to-logic and DSP-to-logic of any low-cost FPGA family, according to Altera.
The P2 HD AJ-HPX2700 and the P2 HD Handheld AG-HPX170 are part of a new series of digital cameras developed by Panasonic to meet the growing worldwide demand for HD broadcast. The P2 HD AJ-HPX2700 is a professional camera that replaces traditional tapes with high-density flash-memory storage. The camera simplifies field production and media handling in the editing process, and increases mechanical reliability in the field. The P2 HD Handheld AG-HPX170 is a “pro-sumer” camera that takes the high image quality and reliability of the AJ-HPX2700 and adds mobility with its compact and lightweight system.
“We evaluated a number of different programmable solutions to determine which would enable us to quickly deliver cameras with the highest image quality and greatest power efficiency,” said Akihito Nakatsukasa, manager of the materials and purchasing management department at Panasonic. “Cyclone III FPGAs met our strict requirements by offering the best digital signal processing performance, which allowed us to offer our customers the highest level of quality in the broadcast industry. Because the Cyclone III devices consume less power, we were also able to significantly reduce the amount of heat generated inside the camera. As a result, fewer parts were needed in the camera, which shortened development time and lowered costs.”
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