WealthTV, a San Diego, CA-based luxury lifestyle and entertainment cable television network, has added nine new Panasonic AG-3DA1 Full HD 3-D camcorders for its crews, which travel around the world to find exotic locations. The company is expanding its 3-D production capabilities to support its current 3-D VOD archive and its plans to launch proprietary 3-D broadcasts later this year. WealthTV now has 15 Panasonic AG-3DA1 camcorders.
“We needed an economical solution for 3-D production if we’re to bring 3-D programming to a mass cable audience,” said Charles Herring, WealthTV’s president. “The Panasonic 3DA1 is providing that solution and gives us a tremendous advantage, allowing us to shoot easily and cost-effectively with great 3-D effects.”
Over the last 18 months, WealthTV has dispatched 3-D crews to the most desirable destinations around the world, building up an extensive library of 3-D content. WealthTV received access to shoot inside Paris’ Louvre Museum in 3-D. The multiple-day shoot captured some of the most acclaimed artworks in the world in 3-D.
Currently, the lifestyle network has more than a dozen 3-D series underway including its adventure travel series “Take-off,” multiple automotive series including “Wealth on Wheels” and “Full Throttle,” its historical documentary series “Blueprints of War,” “Notes from the Future” featuring gadgets and technology, “Natural Wonders of the World,” and more. WealthTV, which began shooting concerts in 3-D a year ago, has recently secured the rights to shoot 20 top musical artists in 3-D.
“We value the Panasonic camcorder for its small size and simplicity of operation,” said Robert Herring, WealthTV’s founder and CEO. “The 3DA1 is more reliable than beam splitter rigs, and it carries a very affordable price tag.”
In order to support the increased 3-D production, WealthTV has expanded the number of 3-D-capable edit bays to 13 at its 40,000sq-ft facility (with further expansion plans underway). The network is using the Dashwood Cinema Solutions’ Stereo3D Toolbox and CineForm’s Neo3D editorial tools to process the 3-D footage taken in the field.
The AG-3DA1 is a fully-integrated HD 3-D camcorder that records to SD card media. At less than 6.6lbs, the camcorder features dual lenses and two 1920 x 1080 (2.07 megapixel) 3-MOS imagers that can be used to record 1080/60i, 50i, 30p, 25p and 24p (native) and 720/60p and 50p in AVCHD. It can record for up to 180 minutes on dual 32GB SD cards in Panasonic's professional AVCHD PH mode, and offers professional interfaces including dual HD-SDI out, HDMI (version 1.4), two XLR connectors, built-in stereo microphone and twin-lens camera remotes.
