Archive notice: This article was originally published on April 17, 2007. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
At the NAB, Sony presented its first camcorder operated only with memory cards (DP reported yesterday). The XDCAM EX works in MPEG-2 with the XDCAM codec at data rates of 25 and 35 Mbit/s. Two slots are available for recording onto the new SxS Express Cards developed together with Sandisk. Their transfer rate is said to be around 800 Mbit/s. The SxS cards are special high-speed cards for the Express Card drive that many more modern notebooks have. Sony is currently developing them in cooperation with Sandisk.
The camcorder is equipped with three 1/2-inch chips and enables recordings in 1080/50i, -24p, -25p and 720/50 as well as 60p. It is Sony’s first camcorder to work exclusively with cards. There is no additional tape drive; whether an external hard disk can be connected is not yet entirely clear. What is certain, however, is that Sony is thus entering into direct competition with Panasonic’s P2 memory modules. The camcorder is expected to cost 8,000 euros and be available from the end of 2007. Its main area of use is intended to be the ENG sector.
The company plans the further development of XDCAM in phases: Phase one was the introduction of the format, phase two is currently under way with the introduction of dual-layer media and new devices for it. Examples are the 1/2-inch chip camcorder PDW-F355 (22,500 euros for the body) and the PDF 75 deck. Both devices are to be available from September. In phase 3, a 2/3-inch camcorder is then to follow that has the same chip as the high-end studio cameras. The full HD resolution comes into play here. The price is likely to be around 30,000 euros. However, the availability of this camcorder is not expected until 2008.
Further links:
- Sony at the NAB
