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SONY PDW-F800 XDCAM HD CAMCORDER IN HIGH DEMAND
Deliveries Underway to Commercial and Documentary Producers,
Sports Teams, Rental Houses and More
PARK RIDGE, N.J., July 13, 2009 –
Sony’s eagerly anticipated PDW-F800 optical camcorder is now shipping and experiencing high demand from customers across a range of professional broadcast and video production applications.
"This camera is set to become the next production standard, judging from the industry response we’re seeing in just our first month of deliveries," said Bob Ott, vice president of broadcast and professional audio/video products for Sony Electronics.
The camcorder, one of Sony’s newest additions to the XDCAM® HD422 Series of optical disc products, is especially high on the wish list for reality and episodic TV producers, commercial and documentary producers, sports teams and rental houses.
Ott said he expected the camcorder to also find a niche in market segments that have an increasing need for high-quality yet affordable HD production, such as houses of worship, education, and the government.
Since the XDCAM system’s introduction in 2004, Sony has delivered more than 47,000 units of its optical camcorders and decks. The PDW-F800’s fast start is expected to increase those numbers significantly, Ott added.
The new PDW-F800 camcorder offers a frame rate of 23.98P natively in 1080 mode and multi-format recording flexibility as standard – including standard-definition
recording to support legacy formats (MPEG IMX®, DVCAM™ and 4:2:0 HD content). It provides multi-format (1080i/720P) recording, as well as HD/SD conversion and cross-conversion during playback between 1080i and 720P.
The camcorder uses three of Sony’s new 2/3-inch Power HAD™ FX progressive CCDs that can produce a resolution of 1920 by 1080 effective pixels. The camcorder also delivers high quality, four-channel 24-bit audio recording.
"The HD422 version of XDCAM technology responded to customers’ requests for features like 50Mbps recording and 2/3-inch CCDs," said Wayne Zuchowski, group marketing manager for XDCAM products at Sony Electronics. "These newest products, especially the 800 camcorder, offer video professionals an even bigger toolkit of digital production options."
Users can record HD content (approximately 95 minutes at 50 Mbps) to the dual-layer 50GB version of Sony’s optical Professional Disc™ media, model PFD50DLA. The camera and its studio deck companion (PDW-F1600) can also handle content on PFD-23A single layer discs.
The PDW-F800 adds variable frame rate recording for slow and quick motion capabilities, also commonly known as "over-cranking" and "under-cranking." This is a critical feature for cinematographers and directors of photography who need the flexibility of changing frame rates to create unique "looks" for their productions or to create special effects. The ability to shoot at slower or faster frame rates than playback delivers high-quality motion effects. These effects can be played back and viewed in the camera so any creative adjustments can be made immediately on site.
The PDW-F800 camcorder is available now, at a suggested list price of $42,700.
Contact: Tom Di Nome
Sony Electronics Inc.
201-930-6357
tom.dinome@am.sony.com