Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, located at the site of the original 1969 Woodstock Festival in Bethel, NY, has launched its second season of outdoor performances this summer. Patrons who will occupy the Center’s 12,000 lawn seats can count on high-definition viewing courtesy of the three Panasonic AK-HC1500G multi-format 1080i/720p HD point-of-view cameras that are used for image magnification.

Waterbury, CT-based systems integrator North American Theatrix, in concert with architectural firm Westlake Reed Leskosky of Cleveland, OH, developed the design and build-out of the video system. According to North American Theatrix’s CEO, Jeff Mele, the selection of the HC1500Gs was driven by performance specifications from Westlake Reed Leskosky, which stipulated that the cameras be 1080i/720p switchable. The cameras’ HD images are projected onto 20’ wide, 16:9 screens and are used in concert with two Panasonic pan/tilt systems: the high-performing indoor AW-PH400 and the all-weather, outdoor AW-PH650.

“The HC1500Gs performed very well during the first season,” says Mele. “The Center runs the cameras in 720p, but once the life of the existing 720p projectors is spent, there will be an upgrade to 1080i livecasts.”