Also a bit light on product introductions—especially smaller camcorders—was Sony‘s Sunday press conference. In the company’s defense, it’s unleahed a whole bunch of handheld HDV and XDCAM EX models in the past 12 months, so evidently the company has extracted itself from the industry’s traditional NAB-centric product release cycle.
So, what is new for Sony at NAB 2009? First, the SRW-9000 is the first camcorder based on the HDCAM SR format. It’s intended as a mobile, Steadicam-friendly B-camera to the Sony F23. The SRW-9000 has 2/3in. CCDs and a 14-bit A/D converter. As standard, the camcorder does 4:2:2 10-bit recording at 1080/23.98P, 24P, 25P, 29.97P, and 1080/50i/59.94i. It can also record 4:2:2 1080/50P/59.94P. Full 4:4:4 recording and output is possible via the optional HKSR-9003 RGB 4:4:4 processing board. The SRW-9000 will be available in December; pricing has not yet been determined.
The PDW-F800 is the new member of Sony’s XDCAM HD422 line. The HD422 version of XDCAM supports 50Mbps recording (to dual-layer discs) and uses 2/3in. chips. Variable frame rate recording (for undercranked and overcranked footage) sets the F800 apart. Its new companion XDCAM HD422 deck, the PDW-F1600, has a “new old” feature: insert/assemble editing capability allows it to operate as a recorder in a linear editing system.
Sony also unveiled its HSC line of studio cameras. The HSC-300 and HSC-100 are based on the HDC line and use Sony’s digital triax transmission technology for studio control. That and the models’ HD/SD switchability are intended to aid in TV studios’ transition to HD.
Also new is the BRS-200 production/presentation switcher, with a multi-viewing function that allows several images to be displayed on a single monitor. Standard are four SDI inputs/outputs and one DVI output. The BRS-200 switcher is expected to be available in July at a suggested list price of less than $10,000. This should compete with Panasonic’s HS400A switcher, which was updated for the show as the HS450.
