Reseller Top-Teks has landed a major deal to equip the Associated Press (AP) with a range of Panasonic P2 kit. According to Panasonic the deal was initiated when AP invited manufacturers to put forward recommended equipment to support their HD requirements. “After this initial phase, Panasonic equipment was shortlisted with the next phase to supply a fuller ‘family of P2 solutions’ for an extended trial to identify the right products,” it stated. As a result of the trial and final selection, AP has begun using a fleet of Panasonic AJ- HPX2100, HPX3100, HPX301, HPX371, HPX171 and HPX250 broadcast cameras. Dave Hoad, director of video technology at AP explained: “Panasonic have listened to industry feedback and have made helpful changes in the product cycle development.” AP were particularly enthusiastic about their experience with workhorse AG-HPX3100 because of its stable, lightweight body design. Top-Teks’ sales director, Mike Thomas said: “Our benchmark engineering facility and showroom based in London, enables us to obtain feedback from our customers which in turn we pass on to the manufacturer, in this case Panasonic. We can then add further value to our customer proposition which was and always will be essential for the Associated Press contract.” AP’s new production workflow has also made significant cost reduction impacts as production teams can operate with less complexity. “There is a good, straightforward workflow from camera to laptop to transmission, which other products don’t allow as smoothly,” Hoad said. “The ability to plug in and write directly to a USB device eliminates unnecessary post-production stages and the need to lug additional equipment such as a laptop around.” Adrian Pennington www.ap.orgwww.panasonic-broadcast.comwww.top-teks.co.uk
