High definition gear moves into mainstream of film production.

High definition, HiDef, HD--all these were buzzwords at CineGear 2004, Hollywood's annual trade expo featuring the latest in filming equipment gadgets and gizmos, many of them being marketed by local companies.

Although HiDef cameras, televisions and other production equipment are still not in widespread use, they have become more accepted throughout the industry.

Van Nuys-based Helinet Aviation Services rang in its entry to the high definition arena with an aerial high-definition camera system, which it debuted on the Universal Studios backlot where CineGear was held.

The camera, which the company began manufacturing in April through its subsidiary CineFlex, costs $400,000 and is billed as the "lightest, most compact fully digital camera platform in the world," according to Helinet founder and owner Alan Purwin.

One of the cameras was used by cable broadcaster TNT for an NBA Finals game in Los Angeles, with live shots of the Staples Center where the Lakers played the Detroit Pistons. Although TNT was broadcasting in HD, most households do not have sets capable of displaying the technology.

Helinet, which has recently introduced Helinet Cinema Solutions, a new division providing aerial filming services to moviemakers, has added 25 more employees at its Van Nuys office as result of growth, Purwin said.

"We've doubled in about a year ... and are looking at a couple of acquisitions of other companies to complete our vision," he said.

But Andy Ozols, general manager and associate publisher of trade magazine Production Update, is skeptical of the advances. "It's still in its infancy," Ozols said. "There aren't that many folks that can watch HD (and) only so many markets converting. It could be quite a while."

The move from digital to high definition has been hampered by retail TV prices that earlier this year still hovered around $3,000. But competition is heating up among technology companies and prices are expected to drop significantly by the coming holiday season. At the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year, Intel Corp. said it was developing chips for a 50-inch high definition set that would be priced at less than $1,800 by 2005.

Surveys in recent months have shown that a sizeable minority of consumers are willing to pay at least $1,000 for HDTV, although awareness of the technology remains limited.

The move to more affordable HD televisions has led companies specializing in the technology to plan for the future.

Panavision Inc., which manufactures high-precision camera systems for movie and television work, recently debuted Genesis, a portable digital imaging camera, at CineGear. One of the first to jump was Burbank-based BandPro Film & Digital Inc., founded and owned by Amnon Band. Band said his company helped pioneer high definition and has grown into one of the largest distributors of HD cameras in the world.

BandPro specializes in what Band refers to as "electronic cinematography," which is basically digital filmmaking with the highest possible picture quality.

Band said more filmmakers are opting to use high definition because they don't need a crew to set up and operate the cameras. "The writing is on the wall," he said. "Just about every film facility in the country either owns HiDef or is contemplating having it."