Panasonic P2 HD camcorders will record the teams of up to 16 ultra-competitive athletes and their mushers during the marathon race of 1,150 miles, starting in Anchorage on March 4th and ending in Nome 10 to 17 days later. The race will field six video crews equipped with 10 Panasonic P2 HD cameras – the AJ-HPX2000 2/3" shoulder-mount and AG-HVX200 handheld - to record the 87 dog sled teams during the race.

Stan Hooley, Executive Director of The Iditarod trail Sled Trail Dog Race, said "Panasonic's P2 HD cameras will have the opportunity to get up close and personal from the start to the finish of this year's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. To have the opportunity to document in high definition the special bond between the human and canine athlete in this highly-competitive environment, with the Iditarod trail as the backdrop, is something that I'm sure will be very special."

John Baisley, President, Panasonic Broadcast, said, "The Iditarod will prove to video professionals around the globe that P2 HD's no-moving-parts reliability and ultra-fast production workflow can excel in these demanding weather and production extremes. Among the environmental challenges our P2 HD cameras will face are temperatures up 40 degrees below zero, blizzards causing whiteout conditions, gale-force winds, and long, treacherous hours of climbs and darkness."

To record all facets of the marathon race, the six P2 HD-equipped video crews will use a myriad of vehicles, from airplanes to a helicopter (with a Wescam rig) to snowmobiles. Over 140 hours of P2 HD video footage is expect to be captured. The P2 HD footage will be showcased in highlight packages supplied to television stations and networks from around the world; in three one-hour documentaries for VERSUS, (formerly the Outdoor Life Network) -- one of the documentaries will air before the race concludes; as well as on the Iditarod's official web site - www.iditarod.com, with daily updates throughout the race.

Hooley added, "This race goes through North America's largest mountain range (the Alaska Range); stretches along the mighty Yukon River, and then culminates on the Gold Coast of Norton Sound. Panasonic's P2 technology will be severely tested just as the teams who are running the "Last Great Race." Sub zero temperatures, high winds, and some of the most rugged terrain on Earth are all a part of what the P2 gear will encounter. I have no doubt that when we reach the end of the trail the Panasonic P2 cameras will meet the challenge."

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, an Alaskan tradition built over the past 35 years, remains one of the most unique and arduous athletic tests of our time, and arguably is the most popular sporting event in Alaska.

About P2 HD

P2 HD products offer solid-state high definition recording without the mechanical wear and environmental limitations of tape, hard disk, and optical disc based systems. P2 HD ensures the highest reliability, especially in challenging conditions of extreme temperature range, shock, and vibration. P2 HD products provide a significant reduction in maintenance costs, longer useful product life, and immediate access to recorded video (no need to digitize, ingest or create proxy video files) and metadata. P2 HD provides the reliability of solid-state production; the immediate connectivity to existing IT infrastructures; the speed, ease of use and portability of P2 cards; and the interoperability with leading NLE systems.

About Panasonic Broadcast
Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems Co. is a leading supplier of broadcast and professional video products and systems. Panasonic Broadcast is a unit company of Panasonic Corporation of North America.
The company is the North American headquarters of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (NYSE: MC) of Japan, and the hub of its U.S. marketing, sales, service and R&D operations For more information on Panasonic Broadcast products, access the company's web site at www.panasonic.com/broadcast.