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Panasonic, Sony Developed New HD Digital Video Camera Recorder Format

Panasonic, the brand name for which Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.,
Ltd. is known, and Sony Corporation today announced specifications for
"AVCHD," a brand new high definition (HD) digital video camera recorder
format the two companies jointly established. The AVCHD format allows
for recording and playback high-resolution, digital HD images using 8cm
DVD media.

The two companies have started preparations for licensing to
extensively promote the format throughout the industry.

In Japan, BS digital HD broadcasting and digital terrestrial
broadcasting are expanding widely. Coupled with the emerging growth of
HD broadcasting across the world, penetration of HD-capable TV sets is
gaining unprecedented momentum. This sets the stage for enjoying HD
images more easily at home. Panasonic and Sony will extensively promote
this format throughout the industry as the new HD digital video camera
recorder format best suited for the HD era.

The "AVCHD" is an HD digital video camera format for recording 1080i
and 720p signals onto 8cm DVD media by using highly efficient codec
technologies. The format employs MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 codec for video
compression, and Dolby Digital (AC-3) or Linear PCM for audio codec.
This makes it possible to develop HD video camera recorders which
achieve compact size as well as high-quality video and audio.

The MPEG-4/H.264 codec is a promising technology which is over two
times more efficient than MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 codec technologies. By
adopting this technology, an "AVCHD" video camera recorder can record
high quality HD video images onto 8cm DVD media.

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