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Tristar Product Purchases Panasonic AJ-HDX900 Cameras for Studio and Field Production

Feb 13, 2007 8:00 AM

If your abs are tighter, if your thighs are leaner, if you juice your fruit a la Jack LaLanne, you have likely watched and succumbed to an infomercial produced by the industry leader TriStar Products,based in Fairfield, N.J.

The billion-dollar purveyor of such iconic brands as the Ab Slide, Ab Roller, Lateral Thigh Trainer, Power Cooker, and Jack LaLanne’s Power Juicer, TriStar Products has recently completed construction of a state-of-the-art, 66,000 sq. ft. production studio equipped with four Panasonic AJ-HDX900 multi-format DVCPRO HD camcorders. TriStar is using the cameras to shoot 30-minute infomercials and two-minute spots promoting its current line of fitness, cooking, sports, and general-interest products, programming that will be seen by millions on all the leading cable networks. The company alternatively uses the HDX900s in the field to shoot testimonials and B-roll.

The studio, which encompasses 12 pre-built, pre-lit sets simulating kitchens, bathrooms, fitness rooms, bedrooms, a children’s playroom, in addition to a complete greenscreen set up, is also available for rental by other production companies.

TriStar Products CEO and President, Keith Mirchandani, chose the AJ-HDX900 for his studio because of its outstanding image quality. “I’ve been in the TV production business for 15 years and the quality of the Panasonic cameras is far superior to any other cameras I have shot with before,” Mirchandani says. “I am delighted to have one of the first studios fully equipped with the new state-of-the-art high-definition HDX900s.”

“Our business is all about the audience seeing a product clearly and in its best light, and the HDX900 produces the best picture I’ve ever seen,” says Vernest Kazar, TriStar Products’ VP of Television Production. “The camera combines affordability with top image quality, and it is proving a key factor in our flourishing rental business. It is ultimately versatile in terms of recording formats and ‘looks.’ Frankly, I regard the HDX900 as yet another reason never to shoot on film again.”

Previously, TriStar Products shot exclusively with Panasonic’s AJ-SDX900 DVCPRO50 Cinema camera, which for several years has been a mainstay of independent features, documentaries and reality television production. An advanced HD version of the SDX900, the new HDX900 raises the bar with the addition of the well-established DVCPRO HD codec and multi-format recording that captures pristine 100Mbps HD images in any of 11 video formats, encompassing 60Hz and 50Hz production.

“While we were very happy shooting with the SDX900, we’ve been waiting for the right HD camera at the right price,” says John Rybacki, TriStar Products’ DP. “Depending on our production needs, we can shoot either 1080i or 720p with the HDX900, and we don’t have to turn down clients. Also, we can output SDI, which addresses our current editing capabilities.”

While Rybacki has just begun working with the cameras in the studios, he already has considerable experience shooting with the HDX900 ENG-style in the field. “The camera is menu-intensive, but in that regard, almost identical to the SDX900, so it has been easy to pick up,” Rybacki observed. “Whereas I formerly shot 30p in 4:3, I’m now mostly shooting 1080i at 30p in 16:9.”

“The HDX900 has excellent low-light capability,” Rybacki continues. “We’d geared up with a ton of 2K fixtures, but the camera is so sensitive we’ve lamped them down to 1K. The camera handles bright whites and shadows very nicely compared to SD.”

The DP explained that each camera is equipped with a Fujinon XA17x7.6 BERM HD lens and a Panasonic BT-LH900A 8.4in. multi-format HD production monitor. Three of the HDX900s are placed on Sachtler pedestals in the studio, and the fourth is hung on a jimmy jib.

“The monitors’ realtime waveform monitoring is unbelievable,” Rybacki says. “It’s so easy to light the greenscreen with the waveform.”

TriStar Products also purchased a Panasonic 50in. professional plasma that is hooked up to a Miranda board in the control room for split-screen monitoring, as well as two AJ-HD1400 DVCPRO HD VTRs that are used for editing.

Typically, each 30-minute infomercial entails approximately 50 hours of shooting. The shoot is switched live and recorded onto the compact AJ-HD1400 deck, and then down converted and digitized into the Avid for editing. Once the Avids are upgraded later this year, Rybacki will edit in HD.

“I’ve already edited several 30-second spots in HD, utilizing Final Cut Pro on my desktop Mac,” Rybacki says ”I input footage via FireWire from either the HDX900 or HD1400, and it’s a streamlined, intuitive editing process.”

For more information about TriStar Products, visit www.tristarproductsinc.com.

© 2008 Penton Media, Inc.