Sony Unveils Quad-Layer Write-Once Professional Disc for XDCAM

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Sony Corporation announced that it has expanded its XDCAM Professional Disc product line with the addition of a quad-layer 128GB disc with more than 2.5 times the capacity of the dual-layer 50GB disc and 5.5 times the capacity of the single-layer 23GB disc, both of which are currently available in the market.

According to the statement, this capacity upgrade, combined with an increased transfer speed, significantly enhances the XDCAM system’s potential as an efficient technology option for long-term archiving.

The new quad-layer disc, model PFD128QLW, leverages Sony’s BDXL blue-laser technologies and newly developed high density recording mechanism. At 128GB capacity, one quad-layer disc has enough capacity to back up two fully recorded 64GB SxS-1 memory cards. Professional users can record up to 4 hours of high-definition content on this quad-layer disc when recording in MPEG HD422 mode at 50 Mbps. In DVCAM mode, users can record about 7 hours 50 minutes of content onto the new disc.

“This new disc’s unique combination of large recording capacity and high transfer rate opens a new frontier for this proven professional optical disc format in the area of video file archiving applications,” said by Kazutaka Hasegawa, General Manager of Sony Media & Peripherals Europe. “Its write-once feature positions the media as an excellent option for long-term archiving, especially when you need to protect the original video files against tampering or unintended erasure.”

The PFD128QLW media is compatible with new XDCAM products planned for availability in summer 2011, including the XDS-PD2000 deck. The quad-layer disc is also designed for optimum performance with future versions of the XDCAM system.

The quad-layer PFD128QLW is a 12cm (5 inch) write-once optical disc with a track pitch of 0.32 µm, encased in a protective cartridge designed to be resistant to dust, shock and X-rays. With the new disc, users can expect long record times for high quality content, more than 1,000,000 read cycles, under specified operating conditions, and an estimated archival life of more than 50 years, according to Sony testing.

The new quad-layer disc will be available in the summer of 2011, coinciding with the launch of the next generation of XDCAM products. Suggested list price is to be determined.

For more information visit: www.sony.com