Sony Electronics has announced the release of its next generation of its HDCAM SR technology with the release of the SRW-9000 HDCAM SR camcorder. The company says that it will be available this month and offers a “future-proof” path to 35 mm imaging and file-based video production.
“HDCAM SR technology now meets the current and future needs of high-end cinematic and TV broadcast production,” said Rob Willox, director of Sony Electronics’ content creation group. “SR is already file-based, and can support data recording in resolutions up to 4K as DPX today. The addition of solid-state media enhances the format’s inherent file-based design and brings SR’s proven quality to an even wider audience.” The new camcorder features full 1920x1080 HD resolution with 2/3-inch CCD imagers, a 14-bit A/D converter and enhanced signal processing for capturing 1080/60p images.
Sony also announced an optional upgrade path for their SRW-9000 that is designed to provide a 35 mm “B” camera complement to its high-end F35 model. This is a 35 mm imager and PL mount for the camcorder, which is designed to increase the unit’s flexibility and also to protect ownership investment. Additionally, the company revealed its latest developments in HDCAM SR compression—“SR Lite.” This is a 220 Mbps data rate codec that is based on the open MPEG-4 SStP (Simple Studio Profile) standard, and which will be supported as an MXF wrapped file to enable an almost real-time exchange via GB Ethernet.
