In a major upgrade to the camera systems for the news department of its France 2 channel, France Télévisions, the French national public television broadcaster, has selected Panasonic's P2 technology. The choice follows a similar move by France Télévisions' RFO channel, whose main focus is news production for France's overseas territories.

"When upgrading our news cameras, we were looking for modern and flexible solutions capable of recording onto nonlinear media that could be easily used with our editing systems; furthermore, we were looking for a system which would ensure future HD and tapeless developments," said Marck Krief, head of engineering and maintenance for France 2.

Bruno Tézenas du Montcel, director of technologies and exploitation for France 2, said: "Transitioning to new recording media is a very big step for any broadcaster, and Panasonic's P2 format provided a perfect answer for the needs of France 2. The P2 cards are very easy to use, and they allow France 2 to shoot in various formats and modes on the same camcorder. Furthermore, transferring the footage stored on P2 cards is much faster, and using them natively maintains optimal video quality."

André Métérian, director of Panasonic's broadcast business unit for France, added: "With P2 cards, content is available quicker than ever because the journalist or editor has direct, nonlinear access to it, allowing editing to take place immediately."

Panasonic's P2 technology is a recording system based on solid-state memory cards that store all video and audio data. The P2 system is directly embedded in the camcorder, which is equipped with several memory slots into which cards can be inserted. Audio and video data are then recorded on the cards using the MXF format, which allows for a perfect integration into all leading editing systems. Moreover, P2 users can easily edit directly on-site using a laptop, eliminating the need for VTRs.

"The 16-GB P2 cards usually store more than enough content for our applications," said Krief. "Whether we use the DVCPRO codec for SD or HD, the recording lengths we get with P2 cards are at least the same as what we had with tapes, but with the added benefit of quick writing speed, reliability, and immediate access to data."

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