Sony Professional announced the latest additions to its XDCAM HD422 line-up, the new PMW-500 camcorder and XDCAM Station.
According to the statement, the PMW-500 offers the picture quality of Sony’s PDW-700 but adds the operational flexibility of recording onto solid state SxS memory cards. The XDCAM Station bridges the worlds of SxS Memory card and Professional Disc (including Sony’s new higher capacity 128GB Quad Layer Professional Discs) with three models available (XDS-1000, XDS-PD1000, XDS-PD2000).
For more information visit: pro.sony.com
Unedited press release follows:
Sony Professional strengthens XDCAM line-up with PMW-500 and XDCAM Station
New 2/3-inch XDCAM HD422 memory shoulder camcorder and XDCAM Professional Media Station reinforces commitment to choice and innovation
IBC, Amsterdam, 10th September 2010 – Sony Professional today announced the latest additions to its hugely popular XDCAM HD422 line-up. The new products, which re-emphasise Sony’s continued commitment to the thousands of XDCAM users around the world, include a new XDCAM HD422 memory camcorder – the
PMW-500.
The PMW-500 combines the exceptional picture quality of the PDW-700 with the operational flexibility of recording onto solid state SxS memory card. The PMW-500 is equipped with three 2/3” Power HAD FX CCD image sensors and can record both 1080 and 720 HD pictures at 50 Mb/s. It is ideal for broadcasters, rental companies and freelancers looking for a versatile memory based camcorder. Major broadcasters, including RTL TVI in Belgium and WDR in Germany are amongst the first to already have placed large orders ahead of product
ex-factory.
“The PMW-500 represents the next step in the evolution of the XDCAM product range,” said Richard Brooking, of Sony Professional. “Since 2003, XDCAM has become an industry standard with over 150,000 units sold worldwide. Customers have been requesting an XDCAM HD422 memory camcorder for some time to sit alongside the phenomenally popular PDW-700 Professional Disc camcorder. So we are very happy to be launching the PMW-500 at IBC”.
The PMW-500 has two slots for recording onto SxS Memory Card*. First introduced to the XDCAM EX range in 2007, SxS memory card provides an extremely high level of reliability and fast access to recorded data, both critical in demanding professional operations. At IBC, Sony is also adding a new higher capacity 64GB (SBS-64G1A) card which can record 2 hours of material at HD422 50Mbps MXF mode, or more than 4 hours of material and has an increased transfer speed of 1.2Gbps (SBS-32G1A & SBS-64G1A). The PMW-500 ex-factory will be within October 2010.
Other key features of the PMW-500 camcorder include:
• XDCAM HD422 codec for exceptional picture quality at low data rate.
• Switchable between MXF and MP4 for recording in XDCAM HD422, XDCAM HD and XDCAM EX modes.
• Option to record MPEG IMX and DVCAM material allowing users to migrate to HD at their own pace.
• Interoperability with major NLE systems enabling smooth workflow migration.
• Lower power consumption for extended record time during shooting.
• Four channels of uncompressed 48 kHz digital audio.
Another major introduction at IBC is XDCAM Station, a family of professional media recorders that bridge the worlds of SxS Memory card and Professional Disc. There will be three models in the line-up:
• XDS-1000 – featuring an SxS Memory card slot and internal HDD storage
• XDS-PD1000 – featuring an SxS Memory card slot, a Professional Disc drive and internal HDD storage
• XDS-PD2000 – featuring an SxS Memory card slot, a Professional Disc drive and internal SSD storage
Depending upon the model chosen, customers can copy material from SxS memory card or Professional Disc onto the Hard Disc or Solid State storage within the XDCAM Station. The material can then be accessed for non linear editing or can be replayed under slow motion control. SDI input and output and network capability allows the device to function as an MXF gateway linking XDCAM media, baseband video and networked operation. The Professional Disc based models will also be able to record and read Sony’s new higher capacity 128GB Quad Layer Professional Discs, PFD128QLW.
“These are extremely flexible devices offering yet more creative options for XDCAM users” explained Richard Brooking. “We see applications within broadcast centres where customers can use XDCAM Station as an ingest gateway for their SxS memory card and Professional Disc media, and also on location for live applications and material sharing between camera operators and production staff”.
The XDS-1000 will be available from March 2011, with the XDS-PD1000 and PD2000 available in summer 2011 along with PFD128QLW.
*Recommended media for PMW-500 and XDCAM Station series are:
SxS PRO: SBP-32, SBP-16, SBP-8
SxS-1: SBS-64G1A, SBS-32G1A, SBS-32G1 (**only SBS-32G1 needs firmware upgrade in the memory media itself.)