NAB 2010: Complete Coverage From B&C
Since launching its solid-state P2
camcorder format seven years ago, Panasonic had sold some 140,000 units, the
company announced at NAB.
P2 customers include some 360 U.S. television stations in the U.S. such as
the NBC Local Media and Telemundo station groups, which have standardized their
newsgathering on P2 HD camcorders. Fellow NBC Universal property and cable
network CNBC has also adopted P2 HD, and is now shooting in the field with
AJ-HPX2000 2/3" 3-CCD P2 HD shoulder-mount camcorders.
Panasonic's most recent big P2
newsgathering deal is with Spanish-language broadcaster Univision, which is
making a multi-year commitment to P2 HD for field production and newsgathering
at the local and national level as well as major event coverage. Univision's
purchase will include P2 HD shoulder-mount camcorders with AVC-Intra recording,
AJ-HPM200 P2 Mobile recorder/players, AG-HPG20 Portable recorders, AG-HPG10 P2
Gear portable recorders and the new AG-MSU10 P2 Media Storage Units (due to
ship this fall). As the exclusive Spanish-language broadcaster of the 2010 FIFA
World Cup, Univision will also be using AJ-HPX3000 P2 HD camcorders to
broadcast the month-long competition.
Panasonic also closed a deal with
the National Basketball Association in which the WNBA and NBA Development
League (NBA D-League) will use Panasonic's AG HPX300 P2 HD shoulder-mount
camcorders to provide fans with live streaming coverage of games through the
Websites WNBA.com and NBA.com/dleague.
Panasonic also announced the first
customer for the AG-3DA1 dual-lens 3D HD camcorder that it unveiled last
January at the Consumer Electronics Show. Major rental firm Video Equipment
Rentals (VER) has purchased 10 of the fully-integrated Full HD 3D camcorders,
and will take delivery in the early fall. Los Angeles-based VER will rent the
products from its locations in major markets throughout the U.S., which include Atlanta,
Boston, Chicago, New York and San
Francisco, among others.
Elsewhere on the 3D front,
Panasonic announced that it will work with Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG)
to create a 3D production studio at AEG's L.A. Live complex in Los Angeles and
that it will collaborate with the Entertainment Technology Center at the
University of Southern California to study the psychophysical effects of 3D
viewing in the home and create production guidelines for 3D content.
The company also introduced the
BT-3DL2550, a 25.5-inch 3D LCD production monitor. The monitor displays 3D
content using an Xpol polarizing filter, allowing content to be viewed with
polarizing (passive) 3D eyeglasses, and can switch between various modes
including Left to Right image display, overlay, Left and Right two window
display and 3D.
NAB 2010 marked Panasonic's first
show exhibiting as Panasonic Solutions Company, the new B2B-focused company
formed on April 1 that incorporates the operations of Panasonic Computer
Solutions Company, Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems Company and
Panasonic Professional Display Company. John Baisley, former president of
Panasonic Broadcast, is now president of Media & Production Services for
Panasonic Solutions Company.
"We believe this change will make
Panasonic an easier company with which to do business," said Baisley.
