YouTube videos of the XDCAM-EX
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUge2UB4HwA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13CQffYoCW8

I posted these just incase some of you are interested.

I'm starting to get a feeling that this camera is going to get a tremendous bang for the buck. The price point less than $8k, within the range of small production shops like mine. But you get so much bang for the buck.

One added bonus to the fact that it does 720p/1080p/1080i is that it has HD-SDI. So it dawned on me that I can use the camera as a portable layback/ transfer/mastering deck for transfer to HDCAM. I've spent $3k just this year in HDCAM rental. Now I can take this camera to a post house and pay for only hourly VTR time. Sweet.

The only nitpick i can think is the form factor/ergonomics. I really like the shoulder mounted JVC. But there's always a shoulder rig I could get for it.

I pretty excited about this camera.

I could be wrong David, but I don't believe you can get HDSDI back into the camera and onto the media. So I'm afraid you'll be stuck renting HDCAM decks for the foreseeable future.

-gb-

SDI on this cam is *output* only. No way to use it as an input, sorry.

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=104081

Greg,

You're right. I'm sure the HD SDI is an output on the camera. But that's a good thing. Check the above thread. We're talking about a "Data Xfer" device here with an HDSDI output playback.

Workflow solution: You shoot, to SxS card. Mount the card to Express 34 slot on notebook, PC or MAC. If you have FCP, Edius, or Adobe CS3 with Main Concept, you start editing. If Avid you convert to MXF. Then XFER your MP4 sequence back to the card.

Then you put the card back into the EX, go to a shop that has HDCAM. Go HDSDI OUT of the camera to the HDCAM deck. Ship to PBS, Discovery HD, or local TV station.

I'm sure there might be a gotha or 2 that may come up once the camera starts shippping, but I'm just really excited becuse in lieu of spending $400/Hr in an HD suite, I've been renting an HD deck. But now, I can go straight to a machine room with HDCAM and only pay for a dub in realtime.

Let me know if I'm living in LA LA land here and know of some roadblacks to this workflow.

Cheers.

That's even better!!!!! Because now I can make an SD SDI downconvert to DigiBeta too. This thing will downconvert with letterbox or center cut. I was thinking about buying used DigiBeta but now I don't have to.

Guys. To someone like me who has struggled through HDV workflow issues over the the last 2 years, this is a solution that is affordable and flexible.