Hi Greg, I left out the 1/2" info as I felt that it confused what the actual press release is about, which is the 2/3" camera. Not a new generation of 1/2" cameras or the option to upgrade the exisiting 330/350 with 'new features' I felt the release was somewhat confusing in that way and called Sony to confirm that the release only pertained to the future 2/3" camera and not existing 1/2" or to be released 1/2" models.

Unfortunately no online link but I'm sure the news will have an online reference soon.

Full text of the HDStudio email:

Quote:
XDCAM HD’s Movin’ On Up
Sony will give NAB attendees a sneak peek at the third generation of its XDCAM HD recording system, which offers 4:2:2 processing and increased data capture of up to 50 Mbps (from the current limit of 4:2:0 at 35 Mbps). MPEG-2 and its inherent long GOP structure will continue to be supported. A dual-layer Blu-ray disc will offer 100 minutes of record time.

This new functionality won’t be shipping until later this year or sometime next year. Sony said increasing the picture quality and making the cameras and related equipment 1080i/720p switchable is paramount to the future of the format. For the foreseeable future, the cameras will use ½-inch CCDs, but a 2/3-inch XDCAM HD camera is planned for some time in 2008. [Sony said their current ½-inch imagers use the entire surface area, making them comparable in acquisition quality to others’ 2/3-inch CCDs.]

The company will also show a new NAS server, called HDXchange, that initially will only handle 25 Mbps HDV files and takes full advantage of the XDCAM HD’s proxy system, MXF files and metadata to speed up the HD production process. It also includes support for QuickTime, AVI, DVI, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 files and offers built-in server applications for content management and distribution. This enables the HDXchange to work seamlessly with Apple Final Cut Pro, Avid’s Liquid and Sony’s Vegas NLE software.

The current single-layer 23 GB disc system seems to be taking hold. Sony said it has sold 21,000 XDCAM units (SD and HD) since last year and more than 6,000 XDCAM HD camcorders and playback decks alone.
End Quote

Sony will release at NAB the PDWF355 dual layer camera.
It will be amazing...

Thanks for the additional clarification on that, Scott. I do know some of what's coming but I can't speak about it.

-gb-

Xdcam Ex
 

TAKEN FROM THE SONY SITE

http://news.sel.sony.com/en/press_ro...ase/29851.html

Adding Flash Memory Capabilities to the XDCAM Family

The planned XDCAM EX unit will expand upon Sony’s XDCAM line of tapeless acquisition technologies, using flash memory technology: the SxS™ memory card specification, with high-speed transfer technology compliant to the ExpressCard™ industry standard.

“Sony will be able to adopt an appropriate technology for each application according to the needs of our customers,” Ott said.

According to Ott, ExpressCard’s higher speed and smaller form factor will make Sony’s evolution to flash media a natural progression and open the door to a broader range of applications for tapeless production.

“The XDCAM EX camcorder will make the most sense in small production systems, where the shooter and editor is often the same person,” Ott said. “In this type of production environment, you can easily control the flash media as it cycles between shooting and feeding the NLE.”

The planned camcorder is based on MPEG-2 compression technology with three, ½-inch imagers. It will be switchable between 1080/60i and 720/60P, and be capable of recording 1080/50i/30P/25P/24P and 720/50P. The camera will also have slow and quick motion functionality.

The camera will feature two card slots, and users will be able to record approximately 120 minutes of content on two16 GB card. Sony is planning to introduce both 8GB and 16GB flash memory media initially.

“Our XDCAM series of products will continue to evolve to meet the needs of the industry and continue to offer flexible, more capable and more affordable production systems,” Ott said.

Amazing that the sub-$10K camera offers variable frame rate capability, but not
the 2/3" XDCAM camera, due to wanting to protect the HDCAM line. Sony needs
to keep their sites on Panasonic, not handicap their products to protect their
other products. I am happy that Sony seems to be responding to Panasonic in
some important areas though.

Jeff Regan
Shooting Star Video
www.ssv.com

Just to add to the debate, at the ProMax digital cafe tonight, the Sony rep indicated they have working lab prototypes that that double the dual layer density they announced at this NAB.

100 Gigs per recordable disc sounds pretty sweet to me - a couple of hours of field acquisition on a single disc at a reasonable high def rate (like Apple\'s new ProRez 422 HD codec - might break the dam of HD acquision storage data size issues and and workflow that nobody seems to be be addressing in this world of ever increasing camera resolution without enough downstream media storage to support it.

For what it\'s wroth