HD nirvana awaits Canadians watching 2010 Winter Olympics, Panasonic says

Most Canadians will not be able to personally make the trip out to Vancouver or Whistler to watch the 2010 Winter Olympics, but will tune-in to catch their favourite events and atheletes on TV. To these folk -- all 18 million of them -- Panasonic is promising an HD bonanza. INCLUDES VIDEO.
11/25/2009 5:00:00 AM By: Joaquim P. Menezes

Every race, ceremony and moment of the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver will be broadcast live into Canadian homes entirely in high definition (HD).

Panasonic executives say this is a first in Olympic Winter Games history, and it's being made possible through technologies the electronics firm will be deploying at the venue.

During a media tour at the Canadian Film Centre in Toronto last week, journalists got to preview some of these systems.

HD nirvana

From a tech standpoint, the pervasiveness of "full HD" is the big news at next year's Winter Olympics.

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SEE VIDEO - Technology that brings home the 2010 Olympic Winter Games

"Vancouver 2010 will be the first Olympic winter games where the international broadcast system is pre-captured in hi-definition format," said Yoko Nakamizu, PR manager, worldwide Olympic marketing, Panasonic Corp.

She said Olympic Broadcasting Services Vancouver – the host broadcaster – would use Panasonic P2 HD series cameras for video recording equipment.

At the BC Place Stadium, where the Olympic opening ceremony is to be held, Panasonic will install three 243-sq metre LED large-screen displays Nakamizu said. "These [will be] 1.4 times bigger than the displays at the Torino opening ceremony."

"Other LED large-screen display systems will be installed at 15 venues (23 screens in all) and professional audio systems at 17 venues."

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Nakamizu then listed other equipment her company would be deploying:

Approximately 3,000 TVs,
17 DLP projectors – more powerful than those used at the Beijing Olympic games
Monitoring and surveillance cameras and broadcasting equipment.

She said a corporate pavilion would be set up at the David Lam Park for the opening ceremony.

On display there for the entire 17 days, will be Panasonic's Full HD 3D Plasma Home Theatre System. Visitors, said Nakamizu, would enjoy a 3D immersion experience, as if they were part of the scene.