Panasonic Corporation announced that it has become the Official 3D Sponsor of this week’s BLUE Ocean Film Festival & Conservation Summit in Monterey, California.

According to the statement, BLUE is a global film festival and conservation summit for underwater filmmakers, marine researchers and conservation leaders. The festival also provides the public the opportunity to experience the world’s largest collection of ocean films.

For more information visit: www.panasonic.com ; www.blueoceanfilmfestival.org

Unedited press release follows:

Panasonic Brings the Immersive World of 3D to BLUE: Global Oceans Film & Conservation Summit

Official 3D Sponsor to Demonstrate Latest in Cutting Edge 3D TV Technology for Home Entertainment and Film Makers

MONTEREY, Calif., Aug. 24 — Panasonic, a worldwide leader in Full HD 3D technology, announced today that it has become the Official 3D Sponsor of this week’s BLUE Ocean Film Festival & Conservation Summit in Monterey, California.  BLUE is a global film festival and conservation summit for underwater filmmakers, marine researchers and conservation leaders. The festival also provides the public the opportunity to experience the world’s largest collection of ocean films.

At BLUE Ocean Film Festival, Panasonic will demonstrate its end-to-end range of Full HD 3D solutions which includes the critically-acclaimed VT25 Series of Full HD 3D VIERA® Plasma HDTVs, 3D Blu-ray Disc Players and the AG-3DA1 – the Full HD 3D professional camcorder much anticipated by independent film makers.  Also on display will be a new underwater housing for the 3DA1 that will allow videographers to capture life beneath the surface of the ocean in stunning Full HD 3D.

Panasonic will also sponsor a panel discussion titled 3D: Nature’s New Dimension on Friday, August 27 at the Portola Hotel & Spa moderated by Barry Clark, executive producer at Mandalay Media Arts.  Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, Panasonic’s Chief Technology Officer for North America, will be among the featured panelists at the discussion.

One summit attendee will also win a Panasonic Full HD 3D VIERA Home Theater System which includes a VIERA VT25 Series Plasma, Panasonic 3D Blu-ray Disc Player and four pairs of Panasonic Active Shutter 3D Eyewear.

“Panasonic is proud to support the BLUE Oceans Summit and have the opportunity to share with many of the world’s leading oceanographic filmmakers and experts our industry-leading work in 3D technology,” said Panasonic’s Tsuyuzaki.  “The underwater world is among our planet’s most fascinating and mysterious places. The arrival of the 3D era provides filmmakers with a tremendous opportunity to capture the beauty of the ocean in a realistic and immersive way that was not possible a few short years ago and share it with people worldwide so that they too may gain a greater understanding of how important our oceans are.”

“We are very excited to have Panasonic as an official sponsor of the BLUE Oceans Film & Conservation Summit,” said Debbie Kinder, CEO / Executive Director, BLUE Oceans Film Festival.  “The arrival of the 3D era is a very exciting time for the talented film makers that participate in BLUE Oceans and having Panasonic’s industry-leading 3D technology demonstrated here will really give us all a first-hand look at the tremendous power that 3D brings to film making and how it will enrich the entertainment experience for viewers.”

For more information on all of the events and activities at the BLUE Oceans Summit, visit www.blueoceanfilmfestival.org/home.html. For more information on Panasonic’s Full HD 3D technology, visit www.panasonic.com/3D.

About Panasonic 3D Technology
Panasonic’s Full HD 3D VIERA Plasma TVs(1) include five screens sizes – 42-inch class (41.6″ measured diagonally), 50-inch class (49.9″ measured diagonally), 54-inch class (54.1 inches diagonal), 58-inch class (58.0 inches diagonal) and 65-inch class (64.7 inches diagonal).  In addition, Panasonic also offers three professional Full HD 3D Plasma monitors in 85-inch class (85.3 diagonal inches), 103-inch class (102.5 diagonal inches) and a soon-to-be-released 152-inch class (152 diagonal inches) – the world’s largest Plasma screen.  All Panasonic VIERA® and professional Full HD 3D TV models are also Full HD TVs that display pristine 1080p content in two dimensions (2D) for conventional HD viewing.

Panasonic’s range of Full HD 3D VIERA Plasma HDTVs (VT20, VT25 and GT25 Series), when coupled with Panasonic’s 3D Blu-ray Disc players (DMP-BDT100, DMP-BDT300, DMP-BDT350) bring a new era of immersive visual entertainment into consumers’ homes, by creating a 3D experience that easily rivals the best that can be seen in cinemas.

In addition, Panasonic and DIRECTV recently ushered in a new age in the rapid growth of 3D entertainment for the home with the launch of n3D™ powered by Panasonic – a DIRECTV channel dedicated exclusively to 3D programming. n3D powered by Panasonic is now available at no additional cost to millions of DIRECTV HD customers and features a range of sports and entertainment programming exclusively in 3D.  Panasonic is the exclusive presenting sponsor of DIRECTV’s n3D channel, one of three 3D TV channels from DIRECTV that deliver movies, sports and entertainment content from some of the world’s most renowned 3D producers.

In July, Panasonic took the 3D era to a new level for consumers with the unveiling of the Panasonic HDC-SDT750 (available in October 2010), the world’s first consumer 3D camcorder, which includes a 3D conversion lens that enables the camcorder to shoot powerful and true-to-life 3D video content and play it back on 3D-capable HDTVs(2).

About Panasonic Corporation of North America
Based in Secaucus, NJ, Panasonic Corporation of North America provides a broad line of digital and other electronics products for consumer, business and industrial use. The company is the principal North American subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Panasonic Corporation (NYSE: PC), and the hub of Panasonic’s U.S. branding, marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. Information about Panasonic and its products is available at www.panasonic.com and its Full HD 3D site at www.panasonic.com/3D.  Additional company information for journalists is also available at www.panasonic.com/pressroom.

About BLUE Ocean Film & Conservation Summit

BLUE Ocean Film Festival is a global film festival and conservation summit for underwater filmmakers, marine researchers and conservation leaders. A simultaneous community festival will share the best of the film competition with the public and will include presentations from the filmmakers and scientists who created them. Following the festival, a selection of winning films will tour the world, providing those who may not otherwise have access to these great films a chance to learn more about our oceans. The success of BLUE Ocean Film Festival’s inaugural event in Savannah, June 2009, quickly established BLUE as the premier industry event for ocean filmmakers. The popularity of the event among filmmakers, photographers, broadcasters and conservation leaders, has helped the festival to attract the world’s greatest collection of ocean films. The goal of BLUE Ocean Film Festival is to share at all levels the latest insights on what is happening in our oceans, and to provide tangible ways people can make a difference.

Notes:

(1) Current 3D content will be limited and may include certain Blu-ray Disc titles and satellite programming. Additional equipment and/or subscription fees may apply. 3D Blu-ray Disc player (sold separately) is required to play and view 3D Blu-ray Disc content and Active Shutter 3D Eyewear (sold separately) is required to view all 3D content.  One pair is included with purchase of a VIERA VT20 or VT25 Series Full HD 3D TV.  Additional pairs sold separately.

(2) A TV that is capable of side-by-side method 3D playback, 3D Eyewear, and HDMI cable connection are required to play the recorded 3D images.