Panasonics AG-DVX100 Set-up Menus Manual

							    
 
 
               
 
Panasonic’s  
AG-DVX100 
Set-up Menus 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems Company  
						

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The AG-DVX100 Setup Menus 
 
A guide for getting the most from your  
60i, 30p, 24p Camcorder 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
By 
Harry W. Foulds 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems Company 
 
Copyright 2003  
						

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Table of Contents 
 
1.   Introduction        4 -  8 
 
2.   How to use the Menus    9 - 10 
 
3.  Quick Menu Index      11 -13  
 
4. CAMERA MENUS 
     
  4.1  SCENE FILE     14 - 17 
  
  4.2  CAMERA SETUP   
18 
 
  4.3  SW MODE     
19 -  20 
 
  4.4  AUTO SW     20 -  21 
 
  4.5  RECORDING SETUP   21 -  23 
 
  4.6  DISPLAY SETUP   
24 -  26  
 
 4.7 OTHER FUNCTIONS  27 -  29 
 
 
5.   VCR MODE MENUS 
 
  5.1  PLAYBACK FUNCTIONS 30 
 
  5.2  RECORDING SETUP   31 -  32 
 
  5.3  AV IN/OUT SETUP   
33 
 
  5.4 DISPLAY SETUP   
33 -  34 
 
  5.5  OTHER FUNCTIONS   34 -  35 
 
 
6.    Glossary        36 -  42 
  
						

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Introduction 
The AG-DVX100 has captured the imagination of creative filmmakers, broadcasters, and  
video professionals around the world, with its 24p (progressive) capabilities. 
 
Panasonic has won a total of 15 Emmys, 12 of them for advancements in the area of digital 
video technology.  Panasonic’s engineers are continuously pushing the limits of product de-
sign and the AG-DVX100 is a prime example of their innovation and imagination. 
 
What is 24p?  
Lets start with film, which is shot at 24 frames per second.  Inherent in this capture rate, is a 
motion blur that is used by the artistic filmmaker to draw the attention of the viewer to his 
subject.  In the movie theater, film is projected at 48 frames per second due to a shutter in 
the projector.  The AG-DVX100 uses an electronic shutter which the user can set to differ-
ent speeds.  
“When you watch 24p, you know you are being told a story”.  It’s a different look.  It’s the 
difference between the look of a soap opera or the six o’clock news and the look of a fea-
ture film. 
There is a three part answer to what must be done to create the cinematic look in video 
 
What is Cine Gamma? 
 
Fact: The contrast ratio of film is greater than contrast ratio of video.  Can the range of 
bright to dark areas be correctly exposed in a scene?  Video has been optimized for high 
ambient lighting during image capture (studio) and viewing (living room).  Therefore image 
brightness has a been  much more important than contrast ratio.  Film, when used in cine-
matic presentations, has a very high wide dynamic range providing great detail in both the 
brightest and darkest areas of the image.  The Cine-like Gamma feature of the AG-DVX100 
emulates this wider exposure range characteristic and with the recommended 1/2 f-stop  
under  exposure should help to maintain increased highlight handling abilities. 
 
What is Progressive?  
Rather than capturing one half of a picture (the odd lines) and 1/60th of a second later cap-
turing the second half of the picture (the even lines), wouldnt it be better to capture an en-
tire frame of video with no temporal (time) difference?  Progressive recording does accom-
plishes this!  What progressive recording does is creates a picture with double the scan 
lines of a conventional interlaced picture, to create a noticeably sharper image.  
 
What is 24p Playback? 
If you made a  recording in 24p or 24p advanced and now you want to play it back 
on a standard NTSC video monitor.  The AG-DVX100  
has a built in “telecine” or con-
version circuit so that you can playback your 24p recordings on a NTSC Monitor.  There are 
two different schemes used
 in the AG-DVX100,  
2:3 and 2:3:3:2.  In 24p playback mode we 
use a 2:3 pulldown scheme and in 24p Advanced mode we use 2:3:3:2.  This is actually a 
method of mapping the 24p into the 30 frames per second NTSC standard video.  See the  
next page for additional details. 
  
						

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What is 24p Playback? Con’t 
Here is a graphical view of what is taking place when we playback our 24p recorded video. 
  
						

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Main Features 
 
New CCD Imaging System 
Exceptional picture quality, due to a new 1/3 inch, three CCD progressive imaging system 
that has 410,000 pixels per chip.  This new system was developed specifically for broadcast 
and professional applications.  These new CCD’s are able to record light as low as three 
lux, enabling the shooter to record nighttime events in good detail.  The picture quality is 
outstanding, with a high signal- to- noise ratio and low smear in bright areas. 
 
 
Newly developed Zoom Lens 
The DVX100 uses a Leica Dicomar ™ lens which incorporates the optical technology of 
Leica Camera AG.  This lens system employs 15 lens elements in 11 groups, including two 
aspherical lenses, to render a shaper image.  A Leica multicoating process is applied to the 
lenses to reduce flare and ghosts.  The 10X zoom has been designed to increase the lens’ 
wide-angle (f=4.5 to 45mm) capabilities.  The zoom lens utilizes a cam-driven manual zoom 
ring, with quick, nimble manual zooming as well as a multi-speed servo driven zoom rocker 
switch,  plus a three-speed handle zoom. 
 
 
Optical Image Stabilizer Compensates for Hand Held Production 
Incorporated in the DVX100 is an OIS (Optical Image Stabilizer) that compensates for slight 
hand shaking that may occur when shooting handheld. 
A gyrosensor detects handshake and sends signals to a linear motor, which adjusts the lens 
to compensate.  This process takes place prior to the CCD image capture rather than in the 
downstream electronic processing, this minimizes any effect of handshake. 
 
 
World’s First DV 24p Mode and Cine-Like Gamma 
The DVX100 is the world’s first handheld camera designed with video & cinema looks.   You 
have a choice of three shooting modes, which are selectable, 24p (24 fps progressive) for 
images with a movie-like look and motion, 30p (30 fps progressive) or standard 60i (60 fps 
interlaced).  Images that are captured in 24p mode, Re converted to either 2:3 (24p Mode) 
or (24p Advanced) with a 2:3:3:2 pulldown sequence.  And recorded onto the video tape in 
the standard 60i Video format, which allows for playback on an ordinary DV VCR and TV 
monitor and edited on a DV system.    
						

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The Gamma settings menu curve allows you to select from four gamma curves: 
 
 
 
 
Scene File Dial for Quick, Easy Camera Setup 
The scene file dial which is located on the back of the camcorder sets up a variety of 
shooting conditions, and later you can instantly retrieve the settings for future use.  Six 
suggested preset files are provided (F1 to F6) by the factory .  You can freely change 
any of the six file names and their settings. 
 
 
 
 
User1 / User2 Buttons for Customized Operation 
The DVX100 provides two user buttons, each of which can be assigned any one of the 
nine functions described below.  These assigned functions can then be accessed at the 
touch of a button. 
 
 
 
Gamma Image 
CINE-LIKE Film-like images 
LOW Images with strong black contrast 
NORM Standard video gamma 
HIGH Bright images with enhanced gradation in dark areas and soft contrast. 
Scene File  Name  Function 
F1 ------- Standard settings 
F2 FLUO Indoor shooting under fluorescent lights 
F3 SPARK Events increase color and Detail 
F4 B-STR Enhanced gradation in dark areas of sunset shots 
F5 24P 24p mode + Cine-Like gamma 
F6 ADVANC Advanced 24p mode + Cine-Like gamma 
Items Assignable Functions 
COLOR BAR 
Display / hide the SMPTE color bars  
(Not in progressive mode) 
SPOTLIGHT Turns auto iris spotlight on / off 
BACKLIGHT Turns auto iris backlight compensation on/off 
BLACKFADE Fade out to black / with audio 
WHITEFADE Fade out to white / with audio 
MODECHECK Display camera settings in viewfinder 
ATW Turns auto tracking white balance function on/off 
ATWLOCK Lock/unlock white balance in ATW operation 
GAIN 18 dB Switches the gain to +18dB (Not in progressive mode)  
						

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Built-In SMPTE Time Code Generator and Reader 
The DVX100 records SMPTE- compliant VITC onto the Sub-code area of the videotape.  
Select from DF / NDF and Free Run/Rec Run modes, and use a preset or regen.  User bits 
(UB) are also provided, letting you record your choice of date, time, TC value, frame rate or 
user data. In 24p the time code is in NDF mode only. 
 
IEEE 1394 terminal for non-linear production with Synchro Lock Function 
Equipped with an IEEE 1394-compliant 4-pin DV terminal that makes it easy to upload data 
to a PC and dub onto a DV recorder.  This terminal also features a new synchro lock func-
tion that allows the AG-DVX100 to remotely start and stop an external DV device connected 
to it via a DV cable, such as the AG-DV1DC portable mini-DV recorder. 
 
XLR Audio Input with +48 Volts Phantom Power Supply 
In addition to a built-in stereo microphone, the DVX100 is equipped with two XLR audio in-
put connectors with switchable +48 volts phantom power.  Both input 1 and Input 2 can be 
switched between line and mic with hard switches at the front of the camcorder.  Auto gain 
level can be turned on and off, and the input mic level (-50dB / -60 dB) can be selected from 
the menu to ensure proper matching to an external MIC output or the environment. 
 
The DVX100 has more special features that will make the Broadcaster or professional 
shooter’s job much easier. 
 
In order to properly control this camera for generating the most powerful video images, 
more operators should understand camera process terminology.  
 
Experienced camera operators know there are always tradeoffs in every shooting situation.  
You’ll trade shutter speeds for depth of focus, resolution for sensitivity, detail for noise, and 
the list goes on.  The DVX100’s extensive menu system will provide the camera operator 
with additional tools for more creative solutions for image capture. 
 
The following menu descriptions show diagrams of these menus and explain the effects of 
each setup function.  
						

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How to use the Setup and operator Menus 
The DVX100 offers the operator an extremely flexible setup capability. 
 
There are basically two groups of menus, one for Camera functions and the other for VCR 
Functions.  These two groups give you the opportunity to choose from 73 items.  Some of 
the menu items are used jointly in the camera and the VCR. 
 
In order to access the menus, first make sure you are not in the record mode.  Choose the 
camera or VCR mode, by pressing the Camera/VCR button located on the lower back sec-
tion of the camcorder.  Now press the menu button located near the viewfinder marked 
MENU. 
 
Once you pressed the MENU button, the menu will appear in the EVF and also on the LCD 
screen depending on where the DISPLAY menu is set. (EVF ON / OFF) 
 
 
 
 
 
  
						

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The operator may now change the menu by using the Operation Lever in the up direction 
S or down direction T.  This will highlight each selection, one at a time.  Highlight any 
function that you would like to change.  Now press the Operation lever like a button, and 
this will display the items in that menu selection.  To chose the item in this menu, once 
again press the Operation Lever in the up direction S or down direction T.  To pick your 
selection press the Operation Lever and this will move the on screen arrow to the selec-
tion you want.  Now that you have made your selection Press the MENU button two times 
to exit the menu and return to a normal screen.  There is no set button; merely choosing 
the item then pressing the menu button twice will effect the change. 
 
Note:  You can not operate the menu system while you are recording.