Sydney – 22 July, 2008 – Network Ten (TEN) has enhanced its capability for timely broadcasts of breaking news stories with the deployment of a network of Sony XDCAM® cameras. Working with an IT-based system, the new cameras will allow speedy transfer of footage from the news vehicles back to the station.
The partnership with Sony is part of a replacement program for all the network's electronic news gathering cameras. The contract includes a roll-out of more than 50 Sony PDW-700 cameras, as well as a number of drives.
The cameras will be used initially to capture news in standard definition, but will eventually allow TEN to shoot and transmit news in high definition.
Charles Montesin, Marketing Manager for Broadcast & Production, Sony Australia, said, “This partnership marks a significant milestone in the way news is captured and broadcast in Australia. We see TEN as a pioneering network, constantly at the forefront using technologies to deliver a superior service to their audience, such as their leadership in high definition content. TEN's news cameramen will be the first in the country to use these Sony cameras to shoot News with XDCAM HD.”
“This new Sony camera system will ultimately allow TEN to grow beyond HD production delivery to capturing in-field stories and broadcasting them to viewers in full HD. This has proved hugely successful for the broadcast of sporting events, such as the AFL,” Montesin continued.
TEN's head of network technology, Jeff Yeates, said, "The Sony cameras will provide a high quality look for TEN's News, documentary and entertainment programs, which is great for our viewers. From an integration perspective, they provide a natural extension to TEN's content management system – which is being rolled out across the network's five stations – and will adapt well with its existing infrastructure."
Rick Young from the MacVideo website presents an interview with Phil Myers, Product Manager XDCam EX. He shows the new PMW-EX3 and demo of Sony's shoulder mounted camera with interchangeable lenses.
MacVideo EX3
Storm-chaser Alister Chapman gives us his tried-and-tested tips when using XDCAM EX capture and back-up storage. He explains how Sony XDCAM technology can save your valuable time.
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Sonybiz
Filming the Northern lights with the Sony’s PMW-EX1
Best known for filming spectacular weather conditions, cameraman Alister Chapman travels to the Arctic to capture the magical colours of the Northern Lights. Will this be the biggest challenge yet for Sony's PMW-EX1?
"I run a stock footage library that features natural events. I wanted to add footage of the Aurora to the library so I decided to go to Northern Norway to try and capture the lights in HD.
Sony XDCAM technology records colour like-no-other
I knew from my research that they would be dim so I needed a highly sensitive camera. I also knew that it would be cold, so the camera and recording medium would also have to be robust."
Video PresentationFull Story
Alister's at it again, this time testing an 8GB SxS Card by freezing in water at sub Arctic temperatures then thawing in hot water.
Watch the video: Freeze Frame
Here we go again! It just gets better (but at a cost).
The latest version of XDCAM EX Browser has been released with some 3rd party additions that will cost - although you can get some early discounting during the launch.
New Improvements in XDCAM EX Browser version 2.0 include:
Avid AAF export – converts to OP1A to OP1Atom and MXF files in a single step export that allows files to then drag and drop into the AVID bin- works on both PC and MAC
DV conversion to AVI and Raw files
Optional – XDCAM file conversion to 420 or 422 files – requires optional chargeable software
Optional – MP4 and web file exports – requires optional chargeable software
Improved Copy with CRC check
Improved look and feel GUI
Improved metadata search - handling and input
Improved essence mark handling - add/delete
Full screen display with on screen playback control display
Still frame grab – grabs native resolution stills to BMP files
JKL control
Other housekeeping items
Download: Sony Canada
3rd Party Options:
Main Concept
MainConcept Conversion Packs
Plug-In for Sony Clip Browser 2.0
Sony® Clip Browser 2.0 is the new software that is delivered with the latest generation of Sony XDCAM EX™ camcorders. It is a simple-to-use PC application that allows users to easily browse and copy video clips recorded by the XDCAM EX camcorder or deck to other devices such as hard disk drives. It also serves as a bridge tool that enables you to transcode the XDCAM EX™ content into different formats by using predefined profiles.
Sony Clip Browser 2.0 already includes several MainConcept components and profiles for transcoding media data in demo version mode (output comes with explicit company watermark symbol). In licensing the MainConcept Conversion Pack users can remove the watermark limitations and use the transcoding functions as full version.
MainConcept Conversion Pack #1
Internet Format Conversion
Plug-In provides full version access to convenient Internet format conversion profiles. It offers the opportunity to transcode Sony XDCAM EX footage into common formats such as H.264/AVC video and AAC audio to generate media files that are ideal for quick viewing on Sony PSP and Apple iPod portable devices. Moreover it also includes seamless conversion into WMV for video sharing via networks, as well as for posting media content on a website such as YouTube.
MainConcept Conversion Pack #2
XDCAM Interoperability
Plug-In provides full version access to XDCAM HD and XDCAM EX interoperability transcoding. It offers professional media content conversion of high resolution video as well as audio formats for the entire Sony XDCAM portfolio. Transcodes Sony XDCAM EX footage into XDCAM HD / HD422 MXF files. Can also easily copy XDCAM EX footage (SxS memory card) to XDCAM HD / HD422 camcorders and decks (Professional Disc)
Main Concept
FOX Affiliate Realizes Increased Production Efficiency with Optical Disc Technology
PARK RIDGE, N.J., July 10, 2008 – WALA-TV, a FOX affiliate in Mobile, Ala., recently rolled-out Sony’s XDCAM® HD Professional Disc™ System to streamline its electronic newsgathering process and move the station to a completely tape-free environment.
According to the station’s chief engineer, Roland Fields, the Sony optical disc system is in use throughout the station’s field and studio operations, and the benefit has been streamlined production and a reduction in the time between capturing and editing footage, and getting it to air.
“The XDCAM system’s overall benefits have made us much more efficient, from the camcorders’ flexibility in the field to being able to put more content on the air, faster than our competitors, which really is our ultimate goal,” he said.
Fields added that the Sony system gives the station a strong HD foundation for the future. While WALA currently broadcasts in standard definition, having an HD archive will be useful when HD broadcasting starts and the station needs to insert archived file footage, which will already be in HD.
Second Season of Hit History Series “Ice Road Truckers” Continues to Put HD Optical System to the Test
PARK RIDGE, N.J., July 8, 2008 – The second season of the series “Ice Road Truckers,” currently airing on History™, once again has Sony’s XDCAM® HD system proving it’s up to the challenge of handling extreme cold.
In Season One, the show documented two months in the lives of truckers hauling supplies over frozen lakes in the Northwest Territories and explored the history of the region. In Season Two, the challenge is getting equipment and supplies to natural gas exploration sites and remote villages in and around the Arctic Circle.
But one thing hasn’t changed, according to Gavin Brennan, the series’ director of photography – the ability of the Sony optical system to consistently perform well in extreme environments.
Brennan said the XDCAM system is the perfect choice for shooting in the diverse conditions the production crew encounters.
“Tape-based systems would not be practical for us at all,” he said. “Tape can get too brittle in the extreme cold and clog up the heads. The more moving parts you have, the more problems you can run into. The XDCAM system gives us no problems related to the weather or the conditions.”
During the production, the XDCAM HD camcorders are encased in protective rubberized tape and still continue to perform flawlessly, shot to shot, he said.
He is also impressed with the ability to review footage on-the-fly as thumbnails on the camcorder’s LCD screen, enabling the crew to make decisions about the footage immediately without having to carry around a separate playback monitor, and then be ready to record instantly as soon as live action was ready to be captured.
The entire production crew from “Ice Road Truckers” also regularly makes full use of many of the system’s in-camera features, such as time lapse to produce effective mood-setting scenes. That, combined with the camcorders’ HD resolution and overall image quality, convinced him that for production environments as demanding as the Arctic wilderness, the XDCAM HD system is one cool customer.
Media 100 Introduces Version 12.7 With Sony XDCAM Import & HDV Acquire For MacBook Pro
Post Production
Fri, 11th, Jul 2008
Media 100 has released of version 12.7.
The new release offers menu-level integration with Sony’s XDCAM Transfer utility: imported XDCAM media is automatically transcoded to any supported video format including Media 100 HD or Apple’s ProRes 422 codecs and appears in Media 100 bins, ready for editing in Media 100.
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