Tech Focus and Product Reviews

SECAUCUS, NJ– The Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board (Alpharetta, GA) has recently purchased 17 Panasonic P2 HD camcorders to support the studio and field production requirements of its Media Services department and the World Changers Team.

Panasonic AJ-HPX2000 and AG-HPX500 P2 camcorders will be configured in a studio setting to produce a half-hour magazine-style show, “On Mission Extra” that will begin airing in fall 2008 on FamilyNet Television (http://www.familynet.com/), which reaches more than 30 million viewers. P2 HD camcorders (HPX2000, HPX500 and the handheld AG-HVX200) will be utilized for field production for “On Mission Extra” and general video assignments. NAMB has also bought more than a dozen AG-HVX200 P2 HD handheld camcorders to support the diverse media production needs of its World Changers group, which involves junior-high through college-age youth in hands-on missions during spring breaks and the summer months.

The North American Mission Board (NAMB) assists Southern Baptists in their task of fulfilling Jesus’ Great Commission in the United States, Canada and their territories through a national strategy for sharing Christ, starting churches and sending missionaries. The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is the largest Baptist group in the world and, with 16.3 million members, the largest Protestant denomination in the United States.

Last fall, NAMB’s Communications Team leader Brandon Pickett enlisted veteran television producer/director Herb Kossover to help re-establish its in house video production department. Kossover, whose extensive production background encompasses work on TBS’s “American Portrait”, A&E ‘s “First Flights with Neil Armstrong”, NBC’s “West Wing” and CBS’ “CSI:NY,” arrived with a conviction that NAMB’s video projects must reflect top production values if they are to compete with secular media—sentiments that were shared by the Board’s leadership.

In past years, as head of his own production company, Kossover had become familiar with the AJ-HDC27H VariCam HD Cinema Camera. “I loved what it could do, and watched with interest Panasonic’s progression from tape-based to tapeless 24p camera offerings,” Kossover added. At his company, Kossover was an early adopter of the HVX200 P2 HD camcorder.

As his career perspective changed and he began working with NAMB, Kossover chose P2 HD as the department-wide acquisition and production format. When he joined NAMB last fall, the Media Services department immediately purchased an HPX500 and HVX200, and set up two Final Cut Pro Edit suites. “I was familiar with the P2 workflow and, in my new job, quickly came to appreciate Panasonic’s understanding of the faith-based world, “he said. “When ‘On Mission Extra’ presented us with the opportunity to gear up for full-fledged series production, I felt that the HPX2000 was a natural choice for our primary studio camera.”

Kossover also intends to utilize the HPX2000 in the field, and will use it to shoot a 60- and 30-second national television spot for the SBC. He will outfit one of the HPX2000s with an AVC-Intra codec board and Proxy/Data recording board for top production quality.

In terms of “On Mission Extra,” a set will be built by early May and the overall studio is scheduled to be completed by the end of June. In May, series production--shooting two shows per day live to tape, recording to an AJ-HD1400 DVCPRO HD deck--begins. Three cameras will be used in the studio—two HPX2000s and an HPX500—and the production will also use Panasonic’s new AV-HS400 live switcher . Each “On Mission Extra” episode will feature in-studio interviews and entertainment mixed with two five-minute field segments, graphics and animation.

NAMB purchased the equipment from the Atlanta office of The WH Platts Company, which will supervise the build-out of the NAMB television studio.

For more information about NAMB, visit www.namb.net.

About the AJ-HPX2000

The AJ-HPX2000 P2 HD shoulder-mount camcorder integrates native HD progressive 2/3" 3-CCD performance with the ultra-high reliability and speed of P2 solid-state recording. As one of the most flexible, full production-quality cameras available, the AJ-HPX2000 records pristine high-quality images in over 30 HD and SD formats ranging from 1080p, 1080i, 720p to 480p, 480i and 576i. With the new AVC-Intra codec option board (AJ-YBX200G), the AJ-HPX2000 can deliver 10-bit, 4:2:2 master-quality video for outstanding video production and news acquisition. The AJ-HPX2000 holds up to five P2 cards offering users extended recording time. With five 32GB P2 cards, professionals can record over six and one-half hours in AVC-Intra 100 or DVCPRO HD at 720p 24 native, or close to three hours in other AVC-Intra 100 or DVCPRO HD formats. 

About Panasonic Broadcast

Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems Co. is a leading supplier of broadcast and professional video products and systems. Panasonic Broadcast is a unit company of Panasonic Corporation of North

America. The company is the North American headquarters of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (NYSE: MC) of Japan, and the hub of its U.S. marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. For more information on Panasonic Broadcast products, access the company’s web site at www.panasonic.com/broadcast.

About The WH Platts Company

The WH Platts Company is a professional video equipment reseller and systems integrator with offices in Atlanta, Charleston, Charlotte and Raleigh.  The WH Platts Co. has been in business for more than thirty-five years and is a Panasonic Specialty & Systems Reseller. 

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Pat Lamb (518) 692-8150