Panasonic HDC-TM700

Compression (9.0)

For regular 1080/50i shooting, the Panasonic HDC-TM700 uses AVCHD compression. This is the standard compression system for consumer HD camcorders, and it is used by nearly all of the major camcorder manufacturers (with the exception of Samsung and Sanyo). Read more about the advantages and disadvantages of AVCHD.

However, when you shoot with the HDC-TM700's native 1080/50p setting, the camcorder uses a proprietary MPEG-4 codec that isn't really compatible with anything other than Panasonic's provided software. Yes, the video shot with the 1080/50p setting looks stunning when you play it back on an HDTV, but the only way you can really do this is by playing back the footage directly from the camcorder. We couldn't find any third party software that would import or recognize the 1080/50p clips shot with the HDC-TM700, although we expect this to change if 1080/50p recording becomes more prevalent in the future.

Using the 1080/50p setting on the HDC-TM700 is somewhat of a conundrum. The video recorded in the mode looks great, the setting offers a very high bit rate (28Mbps), and the image is recorded progressively rather than interlaced. The problem is, if you want to edit or import the video to your computer your only choice is to use the limited software that ships with the camcorder.

Media (8.77)

The Panasonic HDC-TM700 contains 32GB of internal flash memory as well as a memory card slot. The card slot will accept SD, SDHC, or SDXC cards up to a 64GB capacity. This is a decent set of media options for a high-end camcorder, but we're surprised Panasonic didn't load the TM700 up with more internal memory. The new flagship models from Canon and Sony both offer 64GB of internal flash memory. Read more about the advantages and disadvantages of flash memory.

The memory card slot is compatible with SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards.

The chart below lists the approximate recording times (as provided by Panasonic) for the HDC-TM700. Notice how much space the 1080/50p footage takes up compared to the other settings. This is important to note because if you want to playback the 1080/50p footage on a television you'll probably want to do so by running the footage through the camcorder itself.

Editing (7.0)

The Panasonic HDC-TM700 ships with HD Writer AE version 2.1 software. The software is essentially the same as its previous incarnations, but this new version does allow for importing 1080/50p footage. Having this feature is an absolute necessity as no other commercially available programmes seem to be able to handle the 1080/50p footage shot with the HDC-TM700. If you want to get that 1080/50p footage onto your Mac, however, you're out of luck—HD Writer AE is only compatible with PCs.

For an overview of the software that ships with the Panasonic HDC-TM700 and other Panasonic camcorders, see our article: 'Video Editing Software For Your Camcorder'

If you want to edit the footage you shot using the HDC-TM700's 1080/50p setting, there is an option on the software that allows you to convert the footage to regular AVCHD. Unfortunately, every time we tried performing this action the software crashed after about 15 minutes into the conversion process.If you want to shoot 50p, you're probably better off just playing back footage through the camcorder.

Panasonic HDC-TM700 Comparisons
Canon HF S21	Sony HDR-XR520	Panasonic HDC-HS300