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p2 posts

Panasonic's 1080p twin-lens P2 camcorder seen behind three-dee glass at CEATEC

by Darren Murph posted Oct 6th 2009 at 11:29PM

We can't say for certain how good it feels to hoist this big-faced behemoth onto one's shoulder, but it's the first time we've seen Panasonic's 1080p twin-lens P2 3D camcorder out and about since its fabled introduction at NAB earlier this year. Strategically placed beside a 3D Avatar trailer demo, the camcorder looked exactly like the press shot we saw of the prototype before, though there's still no formal word on when it'll be used to film your friend's Bar Mitzvah (or anything else half as cool). A boy can dream, yeah?

Gallery: Panasonic's 1080p twin-lens P2 camcorder seen behind three-dee glass at CEATEC

AAXA P2 pico projector ships out, sparks little Halo parties everywhere

by Darren Murph posted Sep 14th 2009 at 9:36AM

Optoma's PK102 not swank enough for you? Fret not, as AAXA Technologies is also shipping its second-generation pico projector. The stupendously simplistic P2 packs an LCoS chip, 33 lumens of output, an 800 x 600 native resolution and the ability to throw up your favorite Xbox / Atari / C64 title at up to 80-inches. There's also a VGA output and a few on-device buttons, and if that's exactly what you've been looking for, you can call one your own for $339.

AAXA ups the ante with SVGA P2 pico projector

by Darren Murph posted Jul 31st 2009 at 7:59AM

While it's probably safe to say that the rush of pico projectors has slowed to a trickle, that's not stopping a few of the early entrants from dishing out new and improved models as the second wave builds. AAXA, the outfit responsible for serving up the pint-sized P1 back in February, is demonstrating exactly what a hasty refresh cycle looks like by dishing out the higher-res P2 just a few months later. The LCoS-based pico projector packs an SVGA (800 x 600) resolution, a 33 lumen LED light source, 1GB of onboard memory, a microSD card reader and even a built-in battery good for around 35 minutes of beaming (or in other terms, nearly two full episodes of Entourage). The device checks in at just 4.3- x 2.3- x 1-inches and sports a VGA input, 3.5mm headphone output and a mini USB socket to boot. Feel free to pre-order yours now for $349 -- or, you know, wait for a 720p model.

[Via PicoProjector-Info]

SanDisk finally ships pSSD drives for netbook sector

by Darren Murph posted Jun 2nd 2009 at 4:59PM

While SanDisk didn't do itself any favors this morning with its netbook-centric SDHC card, at least it's making up for it somewhat with a legitimate launch here. The outfit's pSSD line, which was originally announced exactly this day a year ago, has just started to ship. The pSSD P2 and S2 both employ a new technology dubbed nCache, which supposedly improves netbook performance by supporting some fresh level of burst performance. In fact, SanDisk claims that these drives offer a non-volatile cache of up to 320MB, though it doesn't bother sharing standard read / write rates. Anywho, the drop-in modules are available now in 8/16/32/64GB sizes, and while exact prices aren't disclosed, we're told that they're "attractively priced."

Panasonic developing 1080p twin-lens P2 camcorder for native 3D captures

by Darren Murph posted Apr 20th 2009 at 5:09PM

You know that 3D bandwagon you're still hesitant to jump on? We get the feeling that this year's NAB show may just push you over the top. Shortly after hearing of Fujifilm's newest P2 memory cards comes this, a conceptual camcorder in which to eventually slot 'em in. Currently, Panasonic's 3D Full HD Camera Recorder is merely a prototype, but it's made clear that the company intends to bring this to market as soon as possible. Essentially, the device will boast a twin-lens system for capturing 3D footage natively in 1080p, and all of the video streams will be stored on Panny's professional P2 cards. It's hard to say if this would even be useful for 2D shooting on the side, but with practically every major studio at least considering (if not committing to) 3D production, we'd say it's a solid investment on Panasonic's part either way.

Samsung to release T-DMB-packin' YP-P2 in South Korea

by Darren Murph posted Jun 24th 2008 at 10:13AM

When we asked you to list the things you'd change about Samsung's YP-P2, a number of you yearned for mobile TV. Granted, you'd have to set up shop in South Korea for your dream to be fully fulfilled, but Samsung's definitely making it possible. The YP-P2 DMB will arrive packing an obligatory T-DMB mobile TV tuner for youngsters and hipsters alike to find their favorite program when those hundreds of albums grow stale. We're hearing that the unit will feature a 3-inch touchscreen along with Bluetooth 2.0 and your choice of black or white motifs. Price wise, you'll be laying down ?239,000 ($231), ?309,000 ($299) or ?389,000 ($377) for the 4GB, 8GB or 16GB version.

Samsung dreaming of YP-P3 with haptic support?

by Darren Murph posted May 14th 2008 at 4:23PM

Not even a month after we asked you fine readers what you'd love to change about the YP-P2, in comes early word that a tweaked successor could be on the way. Granted, most everything here is lost in translation, but we're gathering that Samsung could be readying a touchscreen YP-P3 that would look awfully similar to the SCH-W420 mobile. Good thing, too, as that particular unit has haptic support (force feedback from touch panels, in a nutshell) already loaded in. So convenient, wouldn't you agree? Keep a loose eye out for this one to surface late this year.

[Via PMPToday]

Blue Wave 3 firmware update for Samsung P2 heads out of beta

by Donald Melanson posted Apr 25th 2008 at 11:51AM

It's already hit Korea, but it looks like those of us that don't live in the land of Samsung can now finally get our hands on the official, non beta Blue Wave 3 firmware update for the company's fan-favorite YP-P2 PMP as well. Otherwise known as version 4.13, the update brings a whole host of improvements, including a decent batch of new GUI themes, a new fullscreen playback mode, a calculator, and some additional brightness and speed controls for video playback, among other things. Of course, as Samsung is wont to do, it's already teasing us with its Blue Wave 4 update, which promises to take the player to even greater heights with customizable skins, Bluetooth-based games, subway maps, and voice recording, to name just a few improvements. No word on a release for that just yet, however, so in the meantime you'll have to make do with the next best thing available at the link below.

[Thanks, Xepol]

Samsung set to release YP-PB2 PMP in Korea

by Donald Melanson posted Apr 22nd 2008 at 11:57AM

Samsung's done pretty well for itself with its YP-P2 PMP, and it now looks to be set to bust out yet another upgrade to the player, although you likely won't be seeing this one outside of Korea. Helping to keep it close to Samsung's home base is the addition of not only a DAB radio tuner but, apparently, a DVB-T mobile TV tuner as well. Other than those two notable additions, however, the device appears to be unchanged from its previous incarnation, with it boasting the same 3-inch WQVGA display, built-in Bluetooth, black or white color options, and 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB capacity as before (no word on a 16GB model). There's also no word on a price or release date, but you can pretty safely expect to pay a tidy premium over the tuner-less models.

Panasonic launches 64GB P2 card, AJ-PCD35 ExpressCard adapter

by Darren Murph posted Apr 14th 2008 at 1:30PM

Now that you're already penning a purchase requisition for one of those fancy new P2 HD camcorders, you might as well toss a couple of Panny's new 64GB P2 cards (model AJ-P2C064) and its AJ-PCD35 ExpressCard adapter on there, too. Yep, Panasonic has chosen NAB Show 2008 to double up on its current 32GB P2 card and to introduce a five-slot P2 memory drive with an ExpressCard interface. Put simply, the latter can hold all five cards from a fully-loaded VariCam 2700 / 3700 camcorder (or any other P2 rig) and give users the ability to upload content on the go with their ExpressCard-equipped laptop. Regrettably, the company didn't bother doling out dollar figures just yet, but we'd go ahead and file 'em both under "expensive."

[Via I4U News]

Panasonic reveals trio of P2 HD camcorders at NAB

by Darren Murph posted Apr 14th 2008 at 11:01AM

Panasonic's AG-HMC150 HD camcorder is fine and dandy if you're cool with hauling around a couple SDHC cards, but for those with bigger budgets and loftier dreams, the trio of P2 rigs debuting at NAB Show are likely to be entirely more suitable. Starting things up is the VariCam 2700 (model AJ-HPX2700) and VariCam 3700 (model AJ-HPX3700; pictured), which both feature native HD resolutions, five P2 card slots, master-quality 10-bit 4:2:2 AVC-Intra 100 recording, variable frame rates in one-frame increments, HD-SDI outputs and a multi-gamma function including Film-Rec. As for the latter, it steps things up to full 1,920 x 1,080 support while boasting a trio of HD-SDI outs (versus two on the VariCam 2700). Lastly, we've got the 4.2-pound AG-HPX170, which reflects the HMC150 in a variety of ways but utilizes a pair of P2 slots in order to log those high-def captures. Mum's the word on pricing for the Fall-bound family, but do yourself a favor and hit the read link for lots more details on each.

[Via Broadcast Newsroom]

Blue Wave 4 firmware for Samsung P2 previewed?

by Nilay Patel posted Apr 1st 2008 at 5:27PM

Samsung just launched the Blue Wave 3 firmware for the YP-P2 and T10 today, but we're already hearing whispers of Blue Wave 4 -- check out this image that's popped up on some forums. Apparently all you P2 owners out there can look forward to customizable (and shareable) UI skins, some new Bluetooth-based games, subway maps, custom EQ settings, password controls, and voice recording sometime in the future, but we have no idea when. Until then, feast your eyes on the whole image after the break.

Continue reading Blue Wave 4 firmware for Samsung P2 previewed?

Samsung lets loose Blue Wave 3 firmware update for P2, T10 PMPs

by Donald Melanson posted Apr 1st 2008 at 11:42AM

Samsung's first two "Blue Wave" firmware updates for its P2 and T10 PMPs came in relatively quick succession, but it's taken a bit longer for the third one to make its way out the door. Those in Korea can now give their players another boost, however, with the new Blue Wave 3 update apparently available for the taking. On the P2, that'll give you four new GUI themes, along with a new full screen mode, a calculator and dictionary, and new brightness and speed controls for video playback. The T10, on the other hand, will get a full ten new themes, along with three new games, a video bookmarking feature, horizontal viewing and AAC support, and the ability to delete files on the device itself. No word on a similar release 'round these parts just yet, but we wouldn't expect it to be too long in coming.

[Via PMP Today]

16GB Samsung P2 now available from Best Buy Canada

by Donald Melanson posted Mar 26th 2008 at 3:29PM

You may still not be able to get an iPhone in Canada (at least officially), but you can now at least grab a spiffy new 16GB Samsung YP-P2, which is a whole 8GB bigger than the model currently available in the US. From the looks of it, Best Buy Canada is the among the first to offer the beefed-up, Bluetooth-packin' PMP, with it currently demanding $330 Canadian (a $40 discount off the $370 list price) on the retailer's website. Apart from the bump in storage, however, there doesn't look to be any other changes to the player, with it boasting the same 3-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth 2.0 support, and H.264, OGG, and WMV playback as before. Of course, it's not very likely this'll be a Canadian exclusive for long, though we've still yet to hear anything official on that from Samsung.

Samsung's YP-P2 gets firmware v3.15, a handful of new features

by Joshua Topolsky posted Feb 21st 2008 at 9:54AM

We don't want to get too granular on these firmware updates, but it looks like another YP-P2 re-up has imbued the device with some interesting new features. Apparently, version 3.15 adds three new games to your device, the ability to record FM radio as an MP3, new repeat functions, control over the speed of music playback (which we think is totally boss), and EmoTure 1.5, which has a handful of improved features (or so we're told). The whole shebang is available right now for your downloading pleasure... so go grab it.

[Thanks, Evan]