Archive notice: This article was originally published on September 15, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Numerous European broadcasters, including SRG SSR in Switzerland, RTR in Russia, TVN in Poland, VMMa in Belgium, SKAI and ERT3 in Greece, and satellite broadcaster SITCOM in Italy, have announced plans to migrate to Sony PDW-700 camcorders and Sony PDW-HD1500 decks during 2008. Most recently, BCE Belgium—part of Europe’s largest television and radio broadcasting group together with RTL Luxembourg—decided to migrate to XDCAM HD422.
Following successful tests of Sony XDCAM HD422 at sporting events during the summer, Italian broadcaster RAI also made its first investment in the new camcorders and decks. XDCAM is also succeeding outside Europe. In China, CPSG, CCTV, Heilongjiang TV, Zhengzhou TV, Guangdong TV, SunTV and Jinan TV have chosen XDCAM HD422, as have KBS and SOK in Korea.
Demand for XDCAM is strong not only among broadcasters but also among production companies. One early adopter was Dorna in Spain, which pre-ordered XDCAM HD422 to record MotoGP. In Norway, more than 30 XDCAM HD422 units were ordered, including by Unlimited Film Production AS; TV-team AS, Norway’s largest broadcast equipment house; TMM Production AS; Catseye Film; Febelak tiv; and Norsk Filmstudio. In the United Kingdom, dealers including Mitcorp, On Sight, Procam, Pro Motion Hire and Shift 4 made substantial investments to meet growing demand from producers such as Prime TV.
Demand for XDCAM is strong not only among broadcasters but also among production companies. One early adopter was Dorna in Spain, which pre-ordered XDCAM HD422 to record MotoGP. In Norway, more than 30 XDCAM HD422 units were ordered, including by Unlimited Film Production AS; TV-team AS, Norway’s largest broadcast equipment house; TMM Production AS; Catseye Film; Febelak tiv; and Norsk Filmstudio. In the United Kingdom, dealers including Mitcorp, On Sight, Procam, Pro Motion Hire and Shift 4 made substantial investments to meet growing demand from producers such as Prime TV.
In Germany, the reliability and efficient workflow of XDCAM HD422 were recently demonstrated during the filming of 24h Berlin. On September 5, 2008, 1,000 hours of material were recorded for a unique documentary film project. Eighty camera crews equipped with 80 XDCAM HD cameras—20 PDW-700 XDCAM HD422 shoulder-mounted camcorders and 60 compact PMW-EX1 camcorders—worked continuously around the clock across Berlin for one day. Recording took place on disc and solid-state media, including 300 SxS Pro memory cards and 140 dual-layer Professional Discs. The program will be broadcast in PAL/SD by rbb and Finnish broadcaster YLE Teema. ARTE will also show the film across Europe in HD.
“XDCAM HD422 first shipped in April this year, and the market response has been overwhelming. The number of orders from major broadcasters and production facilities has exceeded all our expectations,” explains Peter Sykes, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Sony Europe. “The rapid, strong demand from rental companies in particular shows us that XDCAM HD422 has achieved crucial market acceptance. We have never seen a new format adopted so quickly and so successfully.”
Related links:
- Sony
