Hi there,

Does anyone know if the upcoming PMW-EX30 SxS deck will support data read/writes on the i.link port or is that limited to the USB port?

As everyone knows, i.Link (Firewire) tends to be quicker for transfers so obviously that would be the preferable connection if possible.

SG

Both...
http://www.sony.co.uk/biz/view/ShowProduct.action?product=PMW-EX30&site=biz_en_GB&pageType=TechnicalSpecs&imageType=Main&category=XDCAMVTRs

Both...

Not quite right, sorry.

Has both interfaces, however, Firewire is only available for HDV and DVCam In and Out. For no other format, according to specs.

Not quite right, sorry.

Has both interfaces, however, Firewire is only available for HDV and DVCam In and Out. For no other format, according to specs.Yes... this is what I was questioning - whether file read/writes to the card could be performed over Firewire or USB. I figured it might be limited to USB for files.

So since it is a dual card slot deck, will that mount two drives on the client PC it is connected to?

SG

So since it is a dual card slot deck, will that mount two drives on the client PC it is connected to?

Yes it does Steve. I worked the EX Workflow Pavilion in Sony's booth at NAB this year. Spent 4 days with that little deck and all the other forthcoming EX goodies ( I love the 60 gb hard drive they're bringing out for the EX).

-gb-

Greg, could you explain what's the advantage of having this XDCAM-EX deck, and do you have a sense of when will the camera-mounting hard drive would be available. Ballpark estimates are ok. I just need to put this in the calendar for budgetary purposes.

Thanks.

Greg, could you explain what's the advantage of having this XDCAM-EX deck, and do you have a sense of when will the camera-mounting hard drive would be available. Ballpark estimates are ok. I just need to put this in the calendar for budgetary purposes.

Hi Luis,

The hard drive is expected to be available in July but pricing was not confirmed as of NAB.

As to the EX deck, it is a full out studio deck, capable of recording via HDSDI and real time downconversion to SD (a feature the camera lacks). Think of it as a card based version of the optical F70/75 decks.

i think the deck was supposed to retail at about $6K.

-gb-

Hi Luis,


As to the EX deck, it is a full out studio deck, capable of recording via HDSDI and real time downconversion to SD (a feature the camera lacks).

-gb-

Hi Greg,

I need to output my finished edited product in both HD and SD format. Do you think it's possible with this deck to record the edited HD footage (1080 50i) from the pc back to the SxS cards within the deck so that this footage is then downconverted to SD (hopefully with very good quality as opposed to the current awful downconversion being done via software)?

Yes it does Steve. I worked the EX Workflow Pavilion in Sony's booth at NAB this year. Spent 4 days with that little deck and all the other forthcoming EX goodies ( I love the 60 gb hard drive they're bringing out for the EX).

-gb-Thanks for the info on the deck Greg - we are anxiously awaiting one.

By the way, what type of display/capacity notification does the 60GB SxS hard drive have?

SG

I need to output my finished edited product in both HD and SD format. Do you think it's possible with this deck to record the edited HD footage (1080 50i) from the pc back to the SxS cards within the deck so that this footage is then downconverted to SD (hopefully with very good quality as opposed to the current awful downconversion being done via software)?

From the Sony website:

"Down-converted SD outputs for interoperability with SD edit environments - SD-SDI, i.LINK (DVCAM), component, S-Video and composite. This allows footage to be acquired in HD, then downconverted for SD post production whilst retaining the HD rushes for archive purposes."

Hope that helps.

SG

Thanks Steve but not really. I need to give my clients both a HD and a SD edited production. And I do not want to downconvert via software. Hence I'm thinking whether I can record the edited HD back to SxS cards within the deck so that the deck can do the downconversion of the edited production.

Thanks Steve but not really. I need to give my clients both a HD and a SD edited production. And I do not want to downconvert via software. Hence I'm thinking whether I can record the edited HD back to SxS cards within the deck so that the deck can do the downconversion of the edited production.Could you not just plug the i.LINK output (Firewire) of the deck into a set-top DVD recorder (available cheap everywhere) and do a digital SD dub that way?

SG

Could you not just plug the i.LINK output (Firewire) of the deck into a set-top DVD recorder (available cheap everywhere) and do a digital SD dub that way?

SG

No since I need to record in 1080 50i format (hence the iLink is disabled) and I need to give a proper menu / chapter selection SD DVD version of the HD edited footage. A set-top DVD recorder does not give professional results.

Do you think it's possible with this deck to record the edited HD footage (1080 50i) from the pc back to the SxS cards within the deck so that this footage is then downconverted to SD

You can write your edit out to the deck via HD SDI (to the SxS cards), then use the SD downconvert to get an SD version out via firewire (i.LINK) or SDI.

George/

By the way, what type of display/capacity notification does the 60GB SxS hard drive have?

A power indicator is about all. There is no LCD type display. The drive comes with a pigtail that converts the mini-usb on the drive to an SxS adapter that plugs directly into one of the camera card slots.

The drive is powered by a separate battery (same type the camera uses), or can be powered by AC adapter. It comes with an adjustable shoe attachment that mounts it to the top of the EX.

So, on the camera it would normally be battery powered, and connected to a card slot via the pigtail adapter.

Attached to computer as a mass storage device, it can be powered by AC adapter and attached via USB adapter cable.

Capacity is 60 gb and that gives 210 minutes at full 35mb quality.

Physically, it feels like the width and thickness of a deck of cards, but not quite as tall.


-gb-

Hi Greg,

I need to output my finished edited product in both HD and SD format. Do you think it's possible with this deck to record the edited HD footage (1080 50i) from the pc back to the SxS cards within the deck so that this footage is then downconverted to SD (hopefully with very good quality as opposed to the current awful downconversion being done via software)?

As long as your NLE supports XDCAM EX export, you can write your sequence back to the card. The deck would then perform hardware downconvert of the material to one of the available SD outputs.

-gb-

Yes it does Steve. I worked the EX Workflow Pavilion in Sony's booth at NAB this year. Spent 4 days with that little deck and all the other forthcoming EX goodies ( I love the 60 gb hard drive they're bringing out for the EX).

Greg - another question about this: since two drives are mounted on the client PC by the EX30 deck, can you write data to one mounted card while playing back video from a card in the other slot?

Thanks for the info.

SG

As long as your NLE supports XDCAM EX export, you can write your sequence back to the card. The deck would then perform hardware downconvert of the material to one of the available SD outputs.

-gb-

With an HD-SDI input on the deck, it would seem that your NLE does not necessarily need to support an XDCAM EX codec, but one could simply record out of the NLE via HD-SDI. I'd assume that the deck would wrap the video/audio/data stream into its mp4 wrapper.

No one would consider the 35MB data rate to really be sufficient for mastering, although if you worked strictly within the codec (and its deficient handling of graphics, or perhaps in a project free of gfx) your mastered material should be fine.

Brian - to be clear, the deck records in HD-SDI, but would have the ability to downconvert to SD-SDI if you were to record to a SD-SDI enabled device.

With an HD-SDI input on the deck, it would seem that your NLE does not necessarily need to support an XDCAM EX codec, but one could simply record out of the NLE via HD-SDI. I'd assume that the deck would wrap the video/audio/data stream into its mp4 wrapper.

Yes, that's true... if you happen to have an HDSDI card installed in your system. Not only that, but going HDSDI from the NLE, back to a card would place it right back in the EX codec. A very unnecessary round trip that negates all the benefits of file based workflow and introduces extra conversion.

If you are editing in an uncompressed timeline, and wanted to go to the deck via HDSDI, then yes, that would be the way to get material on the cards (but in the EX codec.)

-gb-

Since two drives are mounted on the client PC by the EX30 deck, can you write data to one mounted card while playing back video from a card in the other slot?

Any more info on this above question?