It is worth noting that the prosumer AVCHD format is not part of the Ultra family. These include the variants AVC 444, AVC Intra 50/100/200, AVC LongG 50, AVC LongG 25 and AVC proxy. This is an extension of the large family of codecs based on MPEG-4 / Part 10. The latest generation of the Panasonic AVC video codec is AVC Ultra. The "Intra" indicates that this codec generates individually encoded I-frames in contrast to the GOP (Group of Pictures) generated by inter-frame codecs such as XDCAM HD. The Panasonic-specific codec is based on MPEG-4 / Part 10 for the recording of HD material with a 10 bit signal and colour sub-sampling of 4:2:2. Typically the DVCPRO family, which are a legacy SD format, and the newer AVC-Intra (50/100) codecs are used. The specific codecs available will differ depending on the camera model. Panasonic uses several different codecs in its range of P2 cameras. The video, audio and associated metadata are then wrapped in an industry-standard MXF OP1a container. The P2 card stores data from a P2-compatible camera in the codec(s) available on that camera. In theory, there are no restrictions on the format or image quality of the video. The P2 name actually describes the storage medium. These characteristics make the format used primarily for news gathering applications.
A computer with a PCMCIA interface (and freely available Panasonic P2 drivers) will recognise a P2 card as a removable drive, allowing rushes to be copied or backed up or for immediate editing, working directly from the card. The P2 cards do not need any proprietary drives to backup P2 media. Mixing recording formats on the same card is also possible. This makes it possible to change memory cards during operation.
Once one card is full the camera starts recording on the next, rather than halting the recording. The P2 system offers multiple memory slots in all P2-enabled cameras, this allows the camera to continuously record, using a number of P2 cards. The capacity of the cards is usually between 32 and 64GB, but for recording AVC Ultra and 4K there is also a 256GB card available.
The memory cards are a RAID of four SD cards housed in a PCMCIA enclosure.
It features in a wide range of cameras, recorders and accessories.