Pope Francis’ September 26 Mass at Philadelphia’s Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul to Be Captured with Panasonic AW-HE130 and AW-HE870 Remote Pan/Tilt/Zoom Cameras
NEWARK, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, mother church of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, will provide a glorious
backdrop for Pope Francis’ first stop on his visit to the city, a
special papal mass to be celebrated for the people of the Archdiocese.
Live video feeds of the mid-morning Saturday, September 26 mass for the
2,200 congregants as well as for worldwide viewers will come from
several newly-installed Panasonic remote production cameras, including
six AW-HE130 integrated 1/3” pan/tilt/zoom and two AW-HE870 2/3” 3-CCD
multi-purpose units.
With its grand façade, vaulted dome, and main sanctuary that comfortably
holds up to 2000 worshipers, the Cathedral Basilica is the largest
brownstone structure and one of the most architecturally notable
structures in Philadelphia.
Daniel Kearns, technology specialist to the Communications Office of the
Archdiocese (and currently Broadcast Engineer, Princeton University),
said the Basilica’s prior 4:3 robotic camera system sustained its AV
requirement until earlier this year when the papal visit was announced.
Event production company ESM Productions (Philadelphia, PA), assigned to
handle all on-Benjamin Franklin Parkway activities during Pope Francis’
stay, understood that the Cathedral Basilica would be a focal point and
approached Kearns to determine if his longtime plans to upgrade the
robotic cameras to 16:9 HD models could be implemented..
With funding for the project from a church donor in place, Kearns
consulted with longtime colleagues Dave Barletta of Cenero (Malvern, PA)
and Joe Pagano of RGB Broadcast Video Service (Philadelphia, PA), and
chose the Panasonic remote production pan/tilt/zoom cameras, which
excelled in side-by-side comparisons.
“Our criteria are unique for a large venue,” said Kearns. “We’re not in
the entertainment business, our ‘productions’ require a reverent,
unobtrusive approach: we don’t want to notice the cameras during the
celebration of a mass.”
“Beyond these considerations, the Basilica Cathedral is an historic
landmark, the largest Catholic church in Pennsylvania, with vintage
lighting and long vistas (approx. 30,490 sq.ft.). The cameras’ technical
specifications had to be top-notch.”
Panasonic representatives visited the Basilica Cathedral, and
demonstrated that the HE130s–several to be placed in the main
sanctuary–would be discreet and that camera movements would not disturb
the congregants. Ultimately, four HE130s have been installed in the body
of the church, one each on the front left and right pillars, facing the
altar; a third on the second left pillar, facing back to take in pews
and processions; and the fourth on the last left pillar, looking back at
the church entrance and the baptistery.
A fifth HE130 is placed on the right side of the altar, looking back at
the congregation; and the sixth is in the choir loft, on top of the
organ, looking forward through the church to the altar.
Kearns chose critical placements for the two HE870s, with their bigger,
2/3” optics, superior light handling and longer, 20x zoom lensing. One
is placed on the left side of the choir loft, trained in the opposite
direction on the pulpit and also able to capture the wider shot of
processions moving from the rear of the church to the altar. The second
HE870 sits on the left side of the altar, looking all the way back
through the church to the vestibule at approaching processions, and able
to capture sweeping views of the church and its celebrated stained-glass
windows.
Kearns also plans to have two, five-pound AJ-PX270 P2 HD camcorders on
hand for the papal mass, both outfitted with Paralinx Triton 1:1
wireless transmission systems. “The PX270s have the same chip set as the
HE130s, and we can use them on tripods, one in a left side aisle where
we have no other camera coverage, and the second in a large side chapel
where up to 800 of the communicants will be viewing the mass on two
large screens.”
On September 26, Kearns will be operating all the cameras from a new,
permanent control room located in the church’s upper sacristy. HD-SDI
cabling runs from the cameras back to the master control room, and an IP
connection is maintained through a Panasonic AW-RP120 remote camera
controller.
Live video coverage of the papal mass will be fed to a multi box in the
church’s parking area, and also over fiber to ESM Productions, who will
direct the feed to large video walls outside the church and all along
Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The video will also be sent over fiber to the
Pennsylvania Convention Center, where feeds will be set up for worldwide
media coverage.
For more information about the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and
Paul, visit www.cathedralphila.org;
for more information about the upcoming papal visit, visit www.popefrancisvisit.com.
About the AW-HE130
The AW-HE130 P/T/Z incorporates new high-sensitivity; low-noise 1/3″
3-MOS imagers that produce stunning pictures, even in low light
conditions. Revolutionary new features include Power over Ethernet+
(POE+) for easier integration; and multi-stream transmission of H.264 HD
video and audio (up to 1080/60p at 25Mbps.) The HE130 adds many
innovative features to previous Panasonic P/T/Z models, such as a 3G-SDI
output (up to 1080/60p); stereo mic/line-level inputs for embedded and
streaming audio; a Night Mode for hi-res; near IR video acquisition
(using an optional IR-illuminator in the 900nm range); an Optical Image
Stabilizer (O.I.S); and IP-Live Preview for remote control and
management of up to 16 cameras via Browser.
About the AW-HE870
The AW-HE870N is a cost-effective, versatile 2/3″ HD/SD convertible
camera that supports 1080i/720p/480i image acquisition. Delivering
affordable image capture for a wide range of applications and lighting
conditions, the HE870 is compatible with most 2/3-inch motor drive zoom
lenses, all current Panasonic Broadcast pan/tilts and controllers, and
many third-party systems. The versatility, high video quality, and cost
effectiveness of the HE870 makes it ideal for use in education,
government, houses of worship, corporate, rental and staging, and other
applications. The HE870’s 38-bit digital signal processor (DSP) and
14-bit A/D converter deliver super-sharp images. The camera’s high
sensitivity is measured at f11 at 2000 lux for superb video capture in
varied lighting conditions. Panasonic’s advanced spatial-offset,
image-processing technologies provide exceptional high definition
imaging, and 12-axis color correction allows for precise control and
matching of HD video.
For more information about Panasonic professional video products, visit www.panasonic.com/broadcast,
or contact Panasonic at 877-803-8492.
Panasonic Solutions for Business
Panasonic delivers reliable business technology solutions that connect
data with decision makers to drive better outcomes—for our customers and
our customers’ customers. Panasonic engineers reliable products and
solutions that help to create, capture and deliver data of all types,
where, when and how it is needed. The complete suite of Panasonic
professional solutions for government and commercial enterprises of all
sizes addresses unified business communications, mobile computing,
security and surveillance, retail point-of-sale, office productivity,
visual communications (projectors, displays, digital signage), and 4K
and HD video production. Panasonic solutions for business are delivered
by Panasonic System Communications Company of North America, Division of
Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American
subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation.
All brand and company/product names are trademarks or registered
trademarks of the respective companies. All specifications are subject
to change without notice. Information on Panasonic solutions for
business can be obtained by calling 877-803-8492 or at us.panasonic.com/business-solutions.
About Panasonic Corporation of North America
Panasonic Corporation of North America provides a broad line of digital
and other electronics products and solutions for consumer, business and
industrial use. The company is the principal North American subsidiary
of Osaka, Japan-based Panasonic Corporation and the hub of Panasonic’s
U.S. branding, marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. In
Interbrand’s 2014 annual “Best Global Green Brands” report, Panasonic
ranked number five overall and the top electronics brand in the report.
As part of continuing sustainability efforts, Panasonic Corporation of
North America relocated its headquarters to a new facility, adjacent to
Newark Penn Station in Newark, NJ. It is the first newly constructed
office tower in Newark to earn both LEED Platinum and Gold
certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Learn more about Panasonic at us.panasonic.com/news.
Contacts
Cohn & Wolfe for Panasonic
Pat Lamb, 518-727-4933
patlambpr@gmail.com
PanasonicB2B.PR@cohnwolfe.com
