NHK, Japan's public broadcaster, has ordered about 200 Panasonic DVCPRO HD camcorders and recording decks for August delivery.
The order includes 124 AJ-HDX900 camcorders and 77 AJ-HD1400 compact recorders. These new DVCPRO HD EX series products will be used for high-definition production by NHK local stations.
Digital terrestrial broadcasting will start in every prefecture of Japan by December 2006. All programs of news or entertainment will be completely shifted to digital HD before 2011 in Japan.
Panasonic said the AJ-HDX900 records in 11 HD formats including 59.94i, 50i, 25p, and 23.98P and offers higher performance and operability of 2/3in CCD and broader dynamic range of more than 600 percent.
For more information, visit www.panasonic.com.