It's true: The Discovery Channel's "Mythbusters" television series is using Sony's XDCAM professional disc system to speed its production in high-definition video.
The show's production takes advantage of XDCAM's proxy file system, because the show as it is shot in the United States and edited in Australia. This feature allows content to be transferred at up to 30 times faster than real-time, allowing producers to start writing scripts before high-resolution recordings are received.
"We ship our tapes back to Australia each Friday," said Peter Heap, on of the directors of photography for the show. "I copy the proxy files to the laptop and FTP them back to the post crew. When the discs arrive in Australia, the proxy files can be instantly matched to the high-res files. It's a tremendous time saver."
Also taken into consideration in selecting the XDCAM HD system for "Mythbusters" was its cost-effectiveness and reliability.
Heap said that "Mythbusters" takes advantage of Sony's HVR-Z1U camera for some scenes in the production due to its smaller size. It can be connected to an intervelometer to provide slow or accelerated motion and can also be easily used for underwater shots when equipped with a waterproof housing.
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