For the past 24 years, Panasonic has been supporting the Olympic Games not only through an official partner sponsorship but also by providing Panasonic professional broadcast equipment to capture and record the world’s largest sporting event. From the 1988 Seoul Olympic Summer Games, when we first supplied equipment to broadcasters, to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, being shot in 3D for the first time with our flagship AG-3DP1 P2 HD integrated twin-lens 3D camcorders, our professional video production tools have been trusted to shoot this worldwide event watched by over a billion people.
When we take a step back and remember past Olympic Games and the professional video equipment we provided, we are reminded of how far video production technology has come. Take for example, back in 1988 during the Summer Olympics in Seoul when U.S. sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner set an Olympic record (10.62) in the 100-meter dash and for the first time in over 60 years tennis was included as an official Olympic Game. During the Seoul Games, Panasonic provided NBC with its MII video system, one of the last generations of professional analog tape recording systems to capture and archive footage of these amazing achievements.
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens was the scene of the world’s first Olympic broadcast using Panasonic’s P2 solid-state recording system. Throughout the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games, Panasonic’s P2 format enabled ultra-reliable shooting under the harshest conditions, where temperatures often dropped below zero at several of the Olympic venues,
And now at the XXX Olympiad in London, England, Panasonic’s DVCPRO HD is the official recording format for capturing the Games. From start to finish, P2 HD Camcorders and recorders are playing a vital role in the Games’ worldwide telecasts. More than 100 Panasonic HD cameras, more than 300 HD recorders and over 1000 pro video monitors are being used for Olympic coverage.
Panasonic is bringing 3D coverage of the Olympic Games to homes for the first time, through our partnership with NBC Olympics (a division of the NBC Sports Group) and the Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS). An estimated 80 Percent of U.S. TV households can receive this broadcast feed through cable, satellite and telco providers offering 3D Olympic Game coverage. Approximately 30 3DP1 camcorders have been deployed to shoot the world’s foremost sports competition and what will surely be a year of thrilling gold-medal moments. In fact, some of the Game’s most anticipated events, such as the opening and closing ceremonies, men’s and women’s gymnastics, bicycle racing, track & field and extensive coverage from the Aquatic Center for both diving and swimming, are being shot in 3D by the OBS.
In addition, our pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) security cameras have been deployed so that security can accurately monitor this massive event; approximately some 2,500 unit of our security camera systems have been installed onsite.
Panasonic is proud to equip the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) and the OBS with the most advanced pro video technology so that billions of people around the globe may tune in to watch history in the making during the Games of the XXX Olympiad.
