XDCAM PDW-700 24p Software Option
 

I just received an email from Sony with a link regarding the 24P Promotion for the PDW-700.

Link: Sony | Micro Site - XDCAM

Taken from the Sony web page:

"Sony brought you XDCAM® HD422 with striking HD recording at a rate of up to 50 Mb/s. The MPEG HD422 technology allows the new XDCAM HD PDW-700 camcorder to offer flexible, multi-format recording including 1080i and 720P, support of all XDCAM HD and SD formats: MPEG HD, MPEG IMX® and DVCAM™...and in June '09 you can add 24p.

Don't miss this limited time offer! Get the camcorder now and be ready this spring for all your creative jobs that require the "cine-look" of 24p.

Purchase an XDCAM PDW-700 HD422 camcorder between April 1, 2008 and March 31, 2009 to qualify for a $1,500.00 mail-in rebate on the purchase of the XDCAM 24p software option (CBKZ-FC02) scheduled to be available June '09.

The CBKZ-FC02 is currently planned to be available in June 2009 and must be purchased by September 30, 2009 by the end user to be eligible to claim the rebate. The suggested target list price of the CBKZ-FC02 is $4,500."

Currently June 2009 is a long way off to buy a camera and wait for 24P.

Strikes me as a lot of money for a firmware upgrade. I'll have to see what the UK price will be. If it's going to be that kind of money I would stick to 25P unless there was a specific project the justified the expense.

I keep checking the Sony UK and US sites but no sign of the next upgrade (v1.2) for 720P, IMX etc. Any news anyone?
Steve

V1.2 exists, but is not available yet. It adds some nice features including cache record plus all the SD and 4:2:0 modes. The cache is big enough to allow you to change a disc without a gap in the recording.. cool!