Panasonic helps Marillion set new record

From stage to screen...in a little over 10 hours

And no, nothing to do with triple-gatefold sleeves. Panasonic's AV-HS410 Live Switcher apparently played an instrumental part in Marillion's successful attempt last month on the Guinness World Record for producing the World’s Fastest DVD Release.

On Friday 12th April at the Civic Hall in Wolverhampton, those long-serving stalwarts of the English progressive rock scene Marillion made history at their biennial fan convention by indeed setting the world record for the World's Fastest DVD Release. A five-disc souvenir set (nothing in prog, it seems, is ever brief) entitled ‘Clocks Already Ticking’ was on sale just 10 hours and 31 minutes after filming the band's show on the convention’s opening night, beating the previous record of 12 hours and 24 minutes.
The behind the scenes team included VI Rental, multi-camera production specialists Toward Infinity, and Abbey Road Studio's Live Here Now instant recording and distribution service, all of which enabled Marillion to have the set on sale at 7.03am the following morning.
When filming the show, seven camera sources were connected to the Panasonic AV-HS410 live switcher' SDI inputs, which left expansion in the system for any last minute changes. The enhanced MultiViewer function was set up on the DVI output and connected to a 42in LCD display which enabled everyone to gather around and increase the efficiency of live relay operation. The other outputs were supplied to the Abbey Road crew who were mixing the sound and lighting, and two outputs were connected to the programme record VTRS.
“I instantly found the HS410 easy to use. I have only scratched the surface of what it has to offer, but I can say that it is packed full of functions and features. It's a simple and compact mixer with a built-in 7in LCD screen which I found really useful for navigating menus etcetera," commented Steve Gould, Technical Supervisor at VI Rental. “I can not sing the HS410’s praises enough!”