The Sony XDCAM system made an appearance in Sundance, Utah this summer as the main technology behind two of the Sundance Institute's annual workshops -- the Filmmakers Lab and Composers Lab.
This makes the second consecutive year that the Filmakers Lab has used the XDCAM system following a successful test run in 2004. This year, the directors of photography at the Lab used five XDCAM PDW-530 camcorders on a rotating basis, according to Sony. One nondegrading rerecord capability received accolades, the company said. Sony tests have indicated that XDCAM discs "can achieve a minimum of 1,000 write/read/erase cycles, and up to 10,000 cycles under ideal conditions."
The footage captured on the discs during the Filmmakers Lab was passed to the Composers Lab for scoring. Scott Johnson, technical director for the Composers Lab, said, "Being able to work in a random access digital world means you can spend more of your time writing music rather than rewinding or fast forwarding through tape to find the scene you want."
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