Sony announced it will show at NAB both a new recording media and a new digital format. The optical media consists of a 12-centimeter (5-inch) rewritable disc in a protective cartridge. Blue laser technology for recording and playback allows much higher-recording capacity and bandwidth than possible from red laser. The optical system will offer the choice of recording video with the DVCAM codec at 25Mbps or the MPEG-2, IMX codec at 30, 40 or 50Mbps. A single disc holds 90-minutes of DVCAM material -- or 45-minutes of MPEG IMX material recorded at 50Mbps, 55-minutes at 40Mbps, and 75-minutes at 30Mbps.

The new optical system records both a high-resolution original, and a frame-accurate, low-resolution, MPEG-4 version called a proxy. Using the optical camcorder itself, you'll be able to mark "good" shots using a picture-stamp storyboard displayed on the camcorder's LCD monitor and play them back seamlessly. From the camcorder, users will be able to transfer the proxy information to laptop editors or back to the studio at up to 30 times faster-than-real-time.

Sony's two new optical camcorders capture high-quality pictures with three 2/3-inch EX HAD image sensors and 12-bit analog-to-digital converters. Features include loop/interval recording using a built-in cache memory. Further information on these camcorders will be released at NAB.

I can see the massive amounts of $$$$$ these things will cost :(

ohh well at least i can dream.

Zac

I think this is the beginning of the end for 25 mhz digital video but we still have many years of life left in the format.

I predicted that Sony would introduce new IMX format cameras at NAB, maybe at our level, but not the blue laser recording.

I'd guess that IMX cameras at the level of the PD150/VX2000 are still a couple of years away. I doubt that Sony really feels the pressure of the 24p and HD cameras from their competitors where it counts, in a significan loss of sales.

But I've been wrong before.

I agree, the new one's aren't going to be cheap. And the camcorders don't stand alone. Unless one is going to use the camcorder as a VCR, there is the issue of a VCR and an editing system.

I'm guessing Premiere won't be ready to edit the new content just yet. Pinnacle and their purchase of FAST (Blue & Silver MPEG editors) may yet look like a good group of soothsayers.

I figure an all-new basic setup with this camera to cost somewhere North of $100,000.00 for the leading edge users.

Steve, when you say, "High-resolution original," are you speaking of SD or HD? I cannot recall if the MPEG spec allows for HD but I think so.

REAL good thinking on my part. The bit about the VTR I mean. There is no tape!

Obviously one needs a blue-laser DVD (or whatever they'll call it) disk drive for the computer. Still probably $2,000 at first but a whole lot cheaper than a DigiBeta VTR.

<<<-- Originally posted by Mike Rehmus :
Steve, when you say, "High-resolution original," are you speaking of SD or HD? I cannot recall if the MPEG spec allows for HD but I think so. -->>>

I mean SD.

And, I expect the camcorder can serve as the playback deck via i.LINK.

Of course you'll need an IMX codec to use this format.