Panasonic Provides Products for our Most Successful Olympic Sports Teams

‘Making the boat go faster’ is a statement not instantly associated with Panasonic Consumer Electronics

But that’s exactly what Panasonic’s kit will do, as Britain’s rowing and sailing teams train for major events – including the Beijing Olympic Games. Panasonic has been an Official Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Games for 20 years and will be there for Beijing 2008, London 2012 and beyond.

A technical partner with the governing bodies of our most successful Olympic sports – cycling, sailing and rowing - Panasonic is pleased to provide our teams with products such as camcorders, projectors and Viera TVs to help increase our chances of winning those all important medals.

Sailing to Success
Great Britain is the world's top Olympic sailing nation, having topped the medal table at both the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games. Sailing is recognised today as one of the UK’s most successful sports in terms of medal results and with this in mind, the British Sailing Squad only want to work with the best...This is where Panasonic comes in.

The British Sailing Squad has chosen Panasonic’s SDR-SW20 camcorder to use in their training. Dust proof, drop proof, and salt water proof to 1.5m, the SW20 is rugged enough to accompany the coaches on a training session onboard a RIB in all weathers! The SW20 also records straight to SD card, making the camera super reliable and ensuring footage can easily be transferred to PC for detailed analysis.

Thanks to the 10x optical zoom the SW20 is at the centre of the training session with the coaches able to capture every detail o the move and then effortlessly play back on the big, bright 2.7in LCD. The instant feedback on the water is vital for the sailors too. This unique camcorder lets you shoot where you’ve never shot before. Says Peter Bentley, Technical Projects Manager, GB Sailing, “The SW20 fundamentally changes the way we can work. It makes the impossible possible”.

Viewing the day’s footage couldn’t be easier with Panasonic’s PT-LB60NT, a compact data projector with plug-and-play easy set-up. At 3200 lumens it’s more than bright enough for sail-stung eyes, and as the world’s fastest wireless transmission projector it can take feeds from up to 16 PCs at a time. If this wasn’t enough, the projector is lightweight and easy to transport around the world. Used for both briefing and de-briefing sessions before and after training and racing, the projector allows the coaches to present on screen technical presentations to the athlete – this was previously not possible

The Rowing Show

Britain’s rowers get to see all their training video in ‘full HD detail’ thanks to Panasonic’s SDR-SW20. Video footage is an essential tool in developing the technique of the rowers –enabling the coaches to give the rowers regular feedback on how they are sculling and to demonstrate the results of the changes they are making. Darren Whiter, High Performance Coach says, “With the SW20 we can not only deliver footage in all weathers - we can even get inside the boat. Its small size and water/shock resistance means we can mount the camcorder on the hull of the boat which is especially good for bladework at water levels. Being only 400g in weight means that, even in small double sculls and single sculls, the camcorder remains unobtrusive”.

Only the best TV will do when it comes to reproducing the camcorder’s footage. That TV is Panasonic’s TX-32LXD85 Viera LCD. High-definition video can be piped in through one of three HDMI Slots, which conveniently allows the camcorder to be controlled by the TV’s remote, using Viera Link. Then let the flat panel’s 100MHz ‘Motion Picture Pro’ processing handle the fast-moving action – and the set’s 178ْ
Wide viewing angle means the whole team can watch the footage.

Darren Whiter says “With Beijing looming ever closer you can be sure the SW20 will become part of GB Rowing’s tools for monitoring the rowers’ progress.”

David Bonney, Advertising and Sponsorship Manager says “We know how valuable technology can be in helping an athlete’s performance and are pleased that we are able to assist the athletes in this way”.