'Survivor' Goes HD With Sony XDCAM

Old-fashioned TV is getting voted off the island. CBS' "Survivor" started its 17th season Sept. 25 in high-definition for the first time.

Sony's XDCAM HD optical disc system is being used to produce on-location segments.

The new round of the bugs-and-backstabbing pioneer went to Africa for "Survivor: Gabon - Earth's Last Eden."

"Sony's XDCAM HD system will start a new era for the show," said Executive Producer Mark Burnett. "The system brings the exotic locales to life brilliantly, creating an immediacy that draws viewers right into the frame. This is something we'd been looking to do for some time, and now it has become a reality."

The XDCAM HD camcorders, decks and Professional Disc media are capturing the action as a complete optical disc-based HD workflow system. The technology particularly meets reality producers' needs for on-set flexibility, random access and editing convenience, Sony said.