Panasonic is to start development of a professional 3D production system consisting of a twin-lens P2 camcorder and 3D compatible HD plasma display.

Announced at NAB 2009 in Las Vegas, the proposed technology will enable an easier and more efficient 3D production process and environment according to the Japanese manufacturer.

“Panasonic is continuing its efforts to enable consumers to enjoy 3D movies in the comfort of their own living rooms with its 3D Full HD Plasma Home Theater System, which incorporates a Plasma HDTV and a Blu-ray Disc player,” said Dr. Paul Liao, chief technology officer of Panasonic Corporation of North America.

“The professional 3D Full HD image production system we are going to develop will improve the 3D production environment and accelerate creation of 3D titles.”

The twin-lens P2 camera recorder will be able to capture natural, high-quality live 3D images. Panasonic is suggesting that it will also be small enough to allow a flexible shooting approach.

3D full HD recording will be done using Panasonic's proprietary P2 system with two channels of Full HD images on a card.

Panasonic also announced a cheaper series of P2 cards at NAB. The 64 gigabyte P2 E-Series card will cost just under one thousand dollars. Current 32 gigabyte cards cost about twice that.

A 32 GB and a 16 GB E-Series P2 card will also be made available at $625 and $420.