At the NAB Show, Sony will be talking up the recent completion of its new XDCam HD (optical disc) camcorder that it says will capture HD video up to 50 Mbps with 4:2:2 color sampling. The new unit (model PDW-700) slated to be available this month is capable of 1920x1080 resolution (compared to 1440x1080 from earlier XDCams).
The enhanced HD imaging is made possible via a new 2/3-inch chip (compared to the older half-inch chip). Some of the first real-world field applications of the PDW-700 by an American broadcaster are expected to be undertaken by NBC Sports at the Beijing Olympics in late summer.
The PDW-700, which will capture both in 1080i and 720p, taps into MPEG-2 4:2:2P high-level compression that allows it to record on 50 GB dual-layer optical discs. These HD discs are good for about 90 minutes’ record time at 50 Mbps (or 2.5 hours at 35 Mbps, or 3.33 hours at 25 Mbps).
In all, Sony said it will show more than two dozen new products at NAB next week, situated into five key booth “regions”: HD event production; HD news and field production; HD live production; HD digital cinema production; and Sony display models.
