February 22, 2007 — Local TV station news departments and advertising agencies aren’t the only ones getting used to working in HD. One of the nation’s largest infomercial makers, Tristar Products, has also recently made the move, making it easier for viewers to see all the beads of sweat and rippling crunches that are part and parcel for products like the Ab Slide and Ab Roller. And potential buyers of the Power Cooker or Jack LaLanne’s Power juicer will have more vibrantly colored vegetables and fruits to add allure to the products.

Based in Fairfield, NJ, Tristar made the move when it opened a new 66,000 sq. ft. production studio. Four Panasonic AJ-HDX900 multi-format DVCPRO HD camcorders shoot 30-minute infomercials and two-minute spots and the company also 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 green screen set-up, is also available for rental by other production companies.
Tristar Products CEO and President, Keith Mirchandani, says, “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.”

John Glowatts, Tristar Products’ VP of Television Production, says better images will help potential customers see the products in the best light and he says the new cameras are yet another reason he’ll never shoot on film.

The HDX900 records in DVCPRO HD at up to 100Mbps in any of 11 video formats. “While we were very happy shooting with the SDX900, we’ve been waiting for the right HD camera at the right price,” adds John Rybacki, Tristar Products’ director of Photography. “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.”

Each camera is equipped with a Fujinon XA17x7.6 BERM HD lens and a Panasonic BT-LH900A 8.4-inhc 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.

Tristar Products also purchased a Panasonic 50-inch 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 Avid editing systems 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.”