XDCAM HD

XDCAM HD is a new low cost HD production solution from Sony. For many years Sony have led the way in both standard definition video production and top end HD production. 2 years ago Sony release thier first low cost HD camcorder, the FX1. This was soon followed by a pro version, the Z1. Both of these cameras record HD compressed to Mpeg on small DV tapes. The picture quality is amazing and really has to be seen to be believed, however these low cost cameras have fixed lenses, poor viewfinders and use a lot of compression. At the same time Sony have continued to develop the HDCAM range. HDCAM has for several years been the format of choice for most HD broadcasters, but it is very expensive and the cameras are bulky and heavy. What was needed was a format between these two, one that would offer outstanding picture quality at a competitive price point. This is where HD XDCAM sits, and I have to say I really think Sony have got an excellent quality product at an unbeatable price.

Recording to removable disks

Rather than re-invent the wheel Sony took the well proven XDCAM disk format and the low cost HDV format and married them together to produce HD XDCAM. XDCAM uses small disk cartridges that are read with a blue laser, technology very similar to Blu-Ray but with added features to make the system more robust for the knocks and stresses of broadcast TV. HDV uses Mpeg 2 compression to make HD video file small enough for easy handling. The XDCAM of version of Mpeg 2 has 3 data rates, one for long recording, one that is comparable to HDV and a further HQ (High Quality) mode that has a higher bit rate than HDV for reduced artifacts and higher quality.

By recording on to disk you eliminate the need to digitise clips in the edit suite, instead you simply drag and drop the files from the source disk onto the computers hard drive at roughly 3 times real time. But that's not the end of the story because XDCAM has another clever trick. While the main Mpeg clips are recorded XDCAM also records small lower quality proxy files. If your short of time, storage or processing power you can import the proxies into the edit suite, edit the programme using the proxies and then simply swap out the bits you need when the edit is finished... all very clever stuff!

If you need to edit in the field you can actually perform simple edits in camera or you just plug in a laptop and away you go.

Each XDCAM disk can store upto 70 mins of HQ HD video or standard definition DVCAM video, currently the disks cost around $30.00 each.

HD XDCAM Camera. Variable Frame Rates and Modes

The F350 camcorder is a delight to use. It is the smallest full size HD camcorder you can get and with the right battery pack on the back the balance is really good. The switches and dials are all in the usual familiar places plus there are some nice features like the built in LCD monitor and an adjustable shoulder pad. The F350 can do some clever tricks. For a start it can shoot HD or SD, 16:9 or 4:3. On top of that it can shoot at variable frame rates from 1 to 60 frames per second, which is quite remarkable as this means you can overcrank and shoot slo-mo sequences or switch between PAL and NTSC and the flick of a switch!

As well as the ability to overcrank the camera you can also set the camera up for timelapse. The camera will shoot single frames at various intervals from 1 second and up. You can even programme it to switch on and set the exposure prior to taking the frame. The frames are buffered into a solid state memory before being recorded to the disk in short bursts.

Quality, Gamma curves and paint

OK, so the camera does some neat tricks, but what about the quality? Well I think it's stunning! The camera is a little noisier than it's bigger brothers in the HDCAM range, but use -3db gain and it produces very clean, sharp images. The resolution is up there with the HDCAM boys and it just looks cleaner than HDV. I think you woudl be hard pushed to tell the difference between HDCAM and XDCAM in normal every day shots. Out of the box I was a bit dissapointed by the dynamic range, but once I dialed in a few tweaks to the gamma and knee I was very impressed. Talking of which there are 5 gamma curves to choose from, several colour maticies and pages and pages of user adjustments to things like the gamma, knee, stretch, detail etc etc. All settings can be stored on cheap memory sticks for easy transfer from one camera to another, what more could you ask for really.

Real World

I simply love this camera and the XDCAM format. The picture I am getting never cease to amaze both me and my clients. Currently I am still waiting for the editing software to catch up, 35Mb HQ XDCAM isn't very well supported yet, but that will come very soon. Avid Liquid currently supports both the proxies and full res 35Mb files but Xpress Pro and Final Cut Pro only support 25Mb. I believe that Sony have a great system that will go from strength to strength. It has many of the features and advantages that Panasonics P2 solid state media offers, but you get an hour of HD on a cheap reusable disk, as opposed to 16 minutes of HD on a very very expensive flash card. The quality is excellent, the disks are robust and quick to use but the best bit, the very best bit is the price. In a world where budgets are being squeezed having the ability to shoot high quality HD at a price point that is only 10% higher than SD DVCAM has to be a winner.