Government

XDCAM HD Tapeless Acquisition & Recording: The New Way of Government Production

Proven technology now delivers HD, advanced creative tools and format flexibility
by Bob Ott
Vice President, Optical/Network Products & Marketing
Business and Production Systems Division

Get ready to change the way your government agency makes its HD transition. A new way of video production was introduced in January and, gauging from the widespread excitement it has generated, XDCAM™ HD is one of the most significant field acquisition technologies and workflow enhancements to hit the streets since Sony's Betacam SP®.

In fact, the tens of thousands of government shooters who are still clinging to their tried and true Betacam® camcorders have been looking for a cost-effective choice to convince them upgrade into the tapeless, high-definition world. And this is it. Two new camcorders, the PDW-F330 and PDW-F350, are ready to improve the image quality of your agency'/s productions as well as the overall productivity of your workflow.

This is a second-generation XDCAM system, which will ultimately impact video acquisition at all levels of government -- from training, documentary production to newsgathering. You might say that it's a real game changer in that it adds unprecedented creative control, image flexibility, and switchable HD and SD operation to a proven tapeless environment that has already been embraced by everyone from reality TV producers to broadcasters, corporations, houses of worship, colleges, professional sports teams and production companies. These users have redefined their workflows into random access, networked environments with unprecedented success with the help of the XDCAM system.

In addition to its HD performance and very affordable pricing, XDCAM HD equipment still builds upon a well-supported infrastructure of currently 29, third-party developers that have all committed to join Sony as it migrates its expansive XDCAM and SD user base to the new, tapeless HD environment. And for government users who still need to support their DVCAM™ tape libraries, Sony XDCAM HD products record and play DVCAM standard definition discs -- making the system an ideal migration path to high definition. Priced at under $17,000 for the PDW-F330, the new XDCAM HD system delivers a full range of production features: 1080-line HD, interchangeable lenses, native 24P, slow shutter, and is a clear step-up for those shooters who demand a more critical, flexible system than is afforded by media that proved its mettle on hundreds of thousands of hours of XDCAM standard definition recording -- only now the media delivers over 120-minutes of HD recording time at 18 Mbps. This is the longest HD recording time currently available on the market.

We're talking proven technology here -- any questions that were initially raised about XDCAM gear when it was first introduced in 2004 have long ago been answered. Over 8,000 systems later, XDCAM equipment has become the world's fastest growing tapeless acquisition system because of its reliable performance, combined with the obvious disc-based benefits including random access and network capability. Operators have learned the advantage of no mechanical contact between recording media and recording heads of tape-based camcorders and decks, now expecting a higher level of durability and longer life from their blank media. XDCAM HD camcorders deliver the acclaimed shock and vibration resistance provided by the first generation of XDCAM products. And just imagine, no more rewinding or fast forwarding to find a clip while in the field; today's XDCAM producer can random access any clip shot in the middle of a shoot. Like HDV recording before it, the XDCAM HD system uses MPEG 2 Main Profile at High Level encoding with a long Group of Pictures (GOP). This enables users to obtain excellent picture quality at relatively low bit rates. This benefit also makes XDCAM HD compatible with most popular NLEs , including those that already accept HDV signals.

In short, the XDCAM HD system records 1080i signals at selectable bit rates while it works with the NLE you most likely already own, uses affordable media (under $30 MSRP), and allows you to capture video as MXF data files, edit Proxy A/V and transfer clips via FTP. But there's more. Creativity features abound, especially on the top-of-line PDW-F350, which adds overcranking and undercranking for gorgeous, cinematic slow and fast motion. Interval recording enables impressive in-camera time-lapse effects. Multi-matrix lets you paint your own "look." And because of the quality of the system optics, 1080-line high def intercuts perfectly with both 35mm film and HDCAM® production.

XDCAM HD occupies a clear middle lane in Sony's "HD Highway", between HDCAM at the high end and HDV, at the entry level. However, for those who must coexist in DVCAM™ environments, the XDCAM HD camcorder also lets you switch into DVCAM mode with NTSC/PAL. XDCAM™ HD delivers the same flexibility in the digital domain with 50i/60i and true progressive 24P/25P/30P in one system - in short, one camcorder does it all.

What's more, both camcorders and the new deck incorporate a down-conversion capability that allows material recorded in the MPEG HD format to be converted to DV signals and then outputted via the i.LINK™* port to any compatible DV-based NLE. The PDW-F70 recording deck features an up-conversion capability that allows material recorded in the DVCAM format to be converted to HD signals and output via its HD-SDI or HD analog component connector.

When can you get your hands on a unit? The full line of camcorders (PDW-F350 and PDW-F330), and the companion PDW-F70 recorder are planned to be available March 2006, while the PDW-F30 player and a range of expansion boards are planned to be rolled out in June.

To schedule an XDCAM HD demo click here:


*i.LINK is a trademark of Sony used only to designate that a product contains an IEEE 1394 connector. All products with an i.LINK connector may not communicate with each other. Please refer to the documentation that comes with any device having an i.LINK connector for information on compatibility, operating conditions and proper connection.