Panasonic Delivers AJ-UFC1800 Universal DTV Format Converter

Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems Company (PBTSC) announced at the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers (SMPTE) conference Saturday that it began shipments of the AJ-UFC1800 Universal Video Format Converter earlier this month. The AJ-UFC1800 is unique in that it enables broadcasters to convert television signals between any two user-selectable ATSC-DTV formats.Already, such prominent post-production facilities as The Tape House, (New York, NY), Post Logic (Hollywood, CA), FotoKem (Burbank, CA) and International Video Conversions Inc. (Burbank, CA) have purchased and taken delivery of the unit.""The AJ-UFC1800 Universal Format Converter is an all-in-one solution that saves broadcasters and post houses from having to purchase separate converters for each DTV format,"" said Stuart English, Vice President, Marketing, PBTSC. ""The AJ-UFC1800 is an enabling technology and a key component in Panasonic's capability to fully support the ATSC standard for DTV video formats.""Lou Levinson, Post Logic's head of HD mastering, said, ""We had the need to do top-quality down conversions, and until now no box did it with the all-digital processing and easy functionality of the AJ-UFC1800. This unit is utterly self-contained, nothing is lacking, and it's a dream to use right out of the box. We've run some tests, and its vertical performance in regards to aliasing was noticeably better than the competition on some very demanding material.""Chuck Roback, chief engineer at The Tape House, added, ""The AJ-UFC1800 is the only converter that handles all the different formats we have to supply, and consequently offers us the best price performance among conversion products. The product incorporates both the latest technology and affordable parts, and as customers of Panasonic D-5 HD VTRs and 1080I switchers, we know we can depend on the company for excellent engineering support.""""We've been following the Universal Format Converter as it has evolved, and are satisfied that it offers significantly improved conversion abilities,"" said Paul Chapman, FotoKem's Vice President of Video Engineering. ""Up until now we have only done down conversions for a few customers, though we have a large, existing clientele for cross-conversions; we're confident that the AJ-UFC1800 will be highly efficient at both types of assignments.""The AJ-UFC1800 makes it possible to convert television signals between video formats recognized under the U.S. ATSC-DTV standard, as well as ITU-R601 for NTSC, PAL and Slow-Pal. Since it has the potential to minimize the inconvenience of dealing with incompatible, competing video formats, the AJ-UFC1800 will be of substantial assistance to post-production and broadcasters as they establish digital television studios and production facilities. The heart of the Universal Format Converter is a new re-sizing engine developed by Panasonic AVC American Laboratories, Inc. (Burlington, NJ) in partnership with its parent laboratory, AVC Products Development Laboratory (Osaka, Japan.) The Universal Format Converter will be marketed exclusively by PBTSC in the U.S.The AJ-UFC1800 can adjust picture aspect ratios on a sub-pixel basis with zoom, pan-and-scan, auto-fit functions. The converter can add or remove 3:2 pull-down film mode conversion and I/O 24 frame progressive or Segmented Frame. The AJ-UFC1800 supports multiple frame rates, including 60, 50, 30 and 24Hz but does not perform frame rate conversion. It features a programmable Color Matrix for HD or SD, and is PC programmable for ""new"" formats through its RS-232 port. The compact 3U rack converter provides additional cost-savings by incorporating eight channels of digital audio with variable processing delay, and internal test generator.The AJ-UFC1800 supports Panasonic's multiple scanning formats, such as 480P with the DVCPRO Progressive AJ-PD900WA 16:9/4:3 (1.78:1/1.33:1) switchable camcorder and AJ-PD950 studio VTR, as well as DTV processors for the Panasonic D-5 half-inch VTR, which records at very high quality and low compression ratios. Similar format conversion technology has also been included in Panasonic HDTV cameras, HDTV video projectors and VTRs, enabling them to offer multi-standard outputs.The AJ-UFC1800 is available at a suggested list price of $89,500.About Panasonic Broadcast &Television Systems Co.Los Angeles-based Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems Co. (PBTSC) (NYSE/PCX: MC) is a leading supplier of broadcast and professional video and audio products and systems, including the AstrovisionÆ large-screen video display. PBTSC is dedicated to providing customers with comprehensive equipment choices, from Emmy Award-winning D-5 high definition and DVCPRO digital VTRs to ultra-bright presentation systems and advanced digital audio mixing consoles.

For more information on Panasonic professional video and audio products, phone 800 528 8601 or visit the Web site at www.panasonic.com/broadcast.