PANASONIC’S AVCHD FORMAT SUPPORTED BY ADOBE IN ITS LATEST RELEASE OF ADOBE CREATIVE SUITE SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS

SECAUCUS, NJ (October 16, 2008) – Panasonic Broadcast announced today that new production software applications from Adobe Systems Incorporated will offer native support of the company’s AVCCAM camcorder line-up. The latest version of Adobe® Creative Suite® Production Premium (CS4), a complete pre- and post-production solution for creative professionals, will support all Panasonic AVCHD format products, with no transcoding or rewrapping required.

AVCHD, the industry’s new H.264/AVC High Profile compression format, provides a near doubling of bandwidth efficiency with improved video performance over the older MPEG-2 compression used in HDV formats. As a result, AVCHD recordings made by Panasonic AVCCAM camcorders are crisp and clear, even during fast motion, reducing image degradation associated with HDV and other tape or disc-based systems as well as eliminating tape drop-outs. The company’s flagship AVCHD model, the new AG-HMC150 professional 3-CCD handheld camcorder, provides professionals and enthusiasts alike the flexibility of high-quality 1080/720 AVCHD recording at bit rates up to 24Mbps and a simple, solid-state SD memory card workflow.

“This next-generation of CS4 software demonstrates Adobe’s industry leadership in supporting efficient, tapeless workflows that leverage advanced camera formats for producing high-definition content,” said Michael Bergeron, Strategic Technical Liaison, Panasonic Broadcast. “Beyond the many benefits of the complete CS4 toolset—streamlining the creative process, easily expressing ideas in different media, sharing work with clients and fellow creatives--the enhanced value for Panasonic customers is a seamless professional AVCHD path.”

“We are committed to providing world-class technology and forging industry initiatives, such as our support of Panasonic’s P2 HD and, now, AVCHD formats, that enable our customers to create rich, engaging content and deliver it to audiences on virtually any platform or device,” said Jim Guerard, vice president and general manager of Dynamic Media at Adobe.

Panasonic’s AVCCAM camcorder line-up, bringing the benefits of solid-state recording to budget-conscious professionals, includes the AG-HMC150 handheld and AG-HMC70 shoulder-mount models.