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High Definition any time, any where, any speed - Sony delivers 'HD for All' at NAB 2006 (9/3/2006)

On stand SU107 at NAB 2006, Sony is showcasing its latest range of new products and systems that will help drive the continued adoption and use of High Definition (HD) across global broadcast environments.

"Consumers in the US and across Asia are increasingly adopting High Definition in the home, and with a number of high-profile events and occasions being filmed in High Definition in Europe this year, European broadcasters are now recognising that the era of HD is here," explains Naomi Climer, Director of Professional Services and Head of Media Sales, Western Europe. "Sony continues to offer industry-leading solutions to suit all budgets and all production needs and this year we are offering even more innovative solutions which provide the ability to generate new content and quality that has never been seen before. As HD gathers momentum and penetration levels increase globally, we continue to lead the way in HD technology and provide solutions that meet consumers' and broadcasters' demands."

At NAB 2006, Sony will be demonstrating a range of HD products including the first HD products in the XDCAM line-up as well as the latest addition to the HDCAM family, the HDW-F900R.

NEW PRODUCT ROUNDUP

HDC-3300 super slow motion camera system

Continuing its trend of High-Definition acquisition innovation, Sony is unveiling its new HDC-3300 super slow motion camera system, which offers the unprecedented ability to achieve 3x speed slow motion effects in full HD resolution. The HDC-3300 can also output normal speed signals simultaneously for live feeds and also features several other in-camera functions including flicker reduction, shading correction, white balance and auto iris detection. It includes three 2/3-inch CCDs and enables recording at 1920 x 1080/180i or 150i and 1280 x 720/180p or 150p. The system achieves reduced power consumption of the camera head as well as enabling 10Gbps uncompressed RGB digital transmission from the head to the CCU. The camera can also be used with standard SMPTE fibre cable at runs exceeding 2,000 metres.

HDW-F900R Camcorder

The original HDW-F900, part of Sony's CineAlta� line-up, helped establish HDCAM as the de facto standard for HD acquisition around the world. NAB 2006 sees the launch of the successor model, the HDW-F900R. This new flagship camcorder joins the HDW-750P and HDW-730S camcorders within the HDCAM family and has been designed for prestige drama, commercials and feature film productions shot in 24P.

The HDW-F900R combines the imaging performance of the HDW-F900 in a more compact chassis, with HD interfaces that are now common to the production community but were not available in the early days of CineAlta. Monitoring is now digital (HD-SDI) instead of analogue (Y/Pb/Pr), eliminating the need for external adapters for HD-SDI monitoring. Power consumption has been reduced, and reflecting the company's focus on environmental design, the camcorder adheres to the latest EU environmental legislation.

HVR-M25 and HVR-M15 HDV videocassette recorder

Two new HDV videocassette recorders capable of 1080i recording and playback and which support both standard and mini-size DV cassettes, expand the options for video professionals. The new decks ­ models HVR-M25 and HVR-M15 ­ are switchable between 50 and 60 Hz (PAL/NTSC) and both offer, HDVTM, DVCAM and DV SP recording and play back capability, providing users with an easy migration from Standard to High Definition production. Other shared features include the ability to copy external timecode through the "HDV/DV in TC" feature, and a range of connectivity options including i.LINK, component output, S-Video I/O, composite I/O and analog audio I/O.

The HVR-M25 adds both 1080i/50 to 720/50p conversion capabilities and 1080i/60 to 720/50p as well as an HDMI output for connections to consumer TVs or DVD players, a Custom Repeat feature and Edge Crop adjustments allowing users to adjust edge crop areas manually whilst down-converting in this mode. The HVR-M15 is compact, with a small footprint that enables it to be unobtrusively added to existing work environments.

PDJ-A640 cart system and PDW-R1 field recorder/player

Two new additions to Sony's XDCAM� family of Professional Disc� products, the PDJ-A640 cart system, which has a capacity of holding up to 640 of Sony's Professional Discs, and the PDW-R1 field recorder/player both broaden production capabilities.

The new cart system, which complements the 80 disc PDJ-C1080 cart machine, can be used with up to 4 XDCAM decks, including both the PDW-1500 and the recently introduced PDW-F70. Both robotics-controlled cart systems can be used for a variety of applications including, automated ingest play-to-air transmission, short to mid-term archival storage library, and for on-and off-line digitising. Both also feature a bar code reader and remote control interfaces, which are compatible with Sony's PDJ-CS10 cart interface software.

The PDW-R1 field recorder can be AC or battery-powered, features a tilt-up LCD screen and a range of interfaces. It has a low power consumption of just 35W and is available with such features as audio monitor select and mix out select.

BRC-H700 pan-tilt-zoom High Definition video camera

Sony's new BRC-H700 robotic pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) camera has been designed for applications such as Reality TV, point of view / observation, or image delivery onto large screens in venues such as sports stadiums, auditoriums, teaching hospitals, corporate boardrooms, trade shows, concerts and outside events.

Combining high-resolution images with extreme usability, this all-in-one camera has a very wide pan range of 340 degrees and a tilt range of 120 degrees. Pan and tilt speeds vary within the range of 0.25 to 60 degrees per second, enabling the BRC-H700 to capture fast and slow-moving objects with agility and minimal vibration or picture disturbance. It is ideal for shooting in low-light environments delivering accurate colour reproduction and also includes a 12x optical auto-focus zoom lens, allowing for a zoom capability of up to 48x when used in combination with its 4x digital zoom. Other features include an image flip function for installation flexibility on ceilings or flat surfaces and up to 16 presets for operational ease of use and flexibility.

IXS-6000 series integrated routing system

Sony's new hybrid matrix offers flexible SD and HD video, AES digital audio, timecode and RS-422 routing all within the same mid-size matrix chassis. Ideal for use in television studios, OB vans and production houses, the new system is compatible with existing Sony infrastructures and can be used in conjunction with the Sony MVS-8000 and DVS-9000 series production switchers or as a stand-alone router. The series has been designed with growth in mind and being a modular system can be easily expanded to suit a customer's needs.

The IXS-6000 series ­ incorporating the IXS-6600 and IXS-6700 matrix chassis ­ supports video matrices from 16 x 17 to 128 x 132 and balanced digital audio matrices of 32 x 36 up to 256 x 264. It also supports both S-Bus, for stability and backwards compatibility with legacy Sony routing systems, and Ethernet communications protocols. The latter is used to deliver a higher level of redundancy within the control system, faster response times and remote operation over longer distances.

The series allows easy maintenance and self-diagnosis with hot swappable front and rear boards and power supply units. It also reduces power consumption by 20 per cent over its predecessors.

HDK-T1500 "Split" Adapter

Sony's new "split" adapter increases the flexibility of Sony's multi-format High Definition cameras. Designed for the HDC-1500 and HDC-1550 models, it supports 1080/60p operation as well as colour viewfinders such as Sony's new HDVF-C30W.

www.sonybiz.net

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