(SECAUCUS, New Jersey--September 17, 2008) Bob’s Discount Furniture (Manchester, CT), one of the fastest growing furniture retailers in the northeast, is now creating its distinctive, fast-paced advertising program in high-definition with a P2 HD production package from Panasonic Broadcast.
P2 HD equipment purchased includes the AJ-HPX3000 P2 HD native 1080p one-piece camcorder, an AJ-HPX2000 P2 HD shoulder-mount camcorder, two AJ-HPM110 P2 Mobile recorder/players, an AJ-PCD20 five-card P2 drive and several HD LCD monitors.
With 30 stores located throughout the Northeast, Bob’s in-house advertising operation produces between 400 to 500 30-second commercial spots annually that air on more than 50 broadcast and cable entities; the commercials are also distributed on DVDs to store locations. Advertising director Michael Bannon orchestrated the transition to high-definition production earlier this summer; previously, he’d shot in Digital Betacam.
“Given our broadcast-intensive work, it was clear that 2008 was the year we should make the move to HD production,” Bannon said. “I went to NAB this year with the goal of identifying a camera that would let us acquire at the highest image quality with manageable file sizes, would be conducive to our ENG-style live action shoots and would be practical in terms of workflow. The HPX3000 presented itself as the clear choice.”
Bannon decided to purchase a second P2 HD camcorder, the HPX2000 with the AVC-Intra codec option board. Both cameras are outfitted with matching Fujinon HA 13x4.5 BERM wide-angle HD zoom lenses.
“The HPX3000 is our primary camera so far, but the HPX2000 equips us for two-camera shoots and provides us with a complementary, multi-format recording system,” Bannon noted. “While most of our spots are shot in the studio, we also anticipate using the HPX2000 for location work.”
Typical of the company’s nimble ad schedule, Bannon has used the HPX3000 on more than 20 shoots since taking delivery two months ago. He shoots in AVC-Intra 100 at 1080p/30fps, which the ad director terms an “easy fit for the compositing and effects” that characterize a finished Bob’s advertisement.
“I love the picture so much more than that of our previous generation of cameras,” Bannon said. “P2’s tapeless aspect is compelling, as it eliminates moving parts and drop-outs. Also, as the format is ‘nonlinear,’ we’re able to instantly delete bad takes and do a certain amount of in-camera editing.”
“Shooting progressive is key to successful compositing, and it’s great to have the full-raster, 1920 x 1080 resolution giving us so much flexibility in post,” he added. A clay animation specialist, Bannon said he has mixed animated segments shot with a Nikon D300 still camera with live action shot with HPX3000 and “it worked seamlessly.”
Bannon is shooting with 16GB P2 cards. “16GB is sufficient for our workflow,” he said. “We shoot reasonably tight, and once we have a related ‘chunk’ of footage, we’ll offload to the five-card reader and back up material to hard drives.”
The two P2 Mobiles typically reside in a “video village” setting adjacent to the main studio. BT-LH2600W 26” HD production monitors are attached to the P2 Mobiles, and are utilized by producers and top executives to preview material.
Bannon is about to switch over his NLE system to an Avid Media Composer Nitris® DX – v 3.0, which offers import and native editing support for the AVC-Intra codec. While he still delivers ads to stations in D1 resolution on tape, he predicts an HD deliverable in the near future.
“I’ve always loved the image quality of Panasonic cameras, and the HPX3000 certainly perfects that tradition,” Bannon said. “Considering the full-frame, 10-bit information you capture with AVC-Intra, I’m likewise very pleased with the ultimate, manageable file size.”
About Bob's Discount Furniture
With stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island. this fast-growing furniture retailer has built strong brand awareness and customer loyalty through its unique shopping environment, customer service commitment and everyday low prices. First-time visitors are pleasantly surprised by the comfortable atmosphere and vast selection of quality furniture that surpasses their "discount" expectations. For more information, visit www.mybobs.com.
About the AJ-HPX3000
With three 2/3” high-density 2.2-megapixel CCDs, the HPX3000 captures cinema-quality images in full-raster 1920 x 1080 resolution with 4:2:2 10-bit sampling, utilizing the powerful, new AVC-Intra codec. The HPX3000 offers intuitive film camera-like operation with advanced gamma settings, including Film-Rec mode (made popular by the VariCam). Designed for episodic television, filmmaking and commercial production where mastering quality is essential, the HPX3000 records in industry-standard DVCPRO HD at 1080 in 24p, 25p, 30p, 50i and 60i, and in AVC-Intra. AVC-Intra, the industry’s most advanced compression technology, provides high-quality 10-bit intra-frame encoding utilizing the Hi-10 and Hi-422 profiles of H.264 in two modes: AVC-Intra 100 for full-raster mastering video quality and AVC-Intra 50 Mbps for DVCPRO HD quality at half the bit rate, thereby doubling the record time on a P2 card. For added flexibility, the HPX3000 can also produce standard definition recordings in DVCPRO50, and is 60/50-Hz switchable for worldwide use.
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.
###
|
| | | |
 Related News:
 Related Article:
 Broadcast Quality at Bargain Prices
Brand new to the market and loaded with high-end features, Flanders Scientific has introduced four high definition LCD panels specifically developed for the pro market. With the help of the COW's Walter Biscardi, Jr. and senior telecine colorist Ron Anderson, Nick Griffin offers a first look at these high definition broadcast monitors from FSI.
Read Article Subscribe
more articles » | | | | |
|
