The Next Generation Of HDV Products

Basingstoke, UK November 14th 2007– Sony today announced the latest generation of HDV™ production technologies includes two new camcorders that feature interchangeable lens systems, native progressive recording capabilities, increased sensitivity for low-light conditions, hybrid solid-state recording and an array of other features designed for general TV production, videographers, budget movie-makers and corporate video production professionals.

The new models include the HVR-Z7E (handheld) and HVR-S270E (shoulder-mount) camcorders. Sony is also introducing the HVR-M35E playback and recording deck. These flagship professional HDV products expand Sony’s line-up of HD production technologies, which includes the recently introduced PMW-EX1 XDCAM EX solid-state memory camera and the soon-to-be-available HVR-HD1000E shoulder-mount HDV camcorder.

“We have spent a long time gauging customer feedback about our existing professional HDV line-up to create a further enhanced and flexible line up to complement the range.” Said Bill Drummond, European Product Marketing Manger. “These new products will appeal to a wide range of existing customers in many different video production situations, who will relish the improved picture quality and flexible recording options, but these products will also appeal to a whole host of new customers interested in high definition acquisition with flexible lens options and creative shooting styles, such as budget movie productions”

The new camcorders use Sony’s new 1/3-inch 3 ClearVid CMOS Sensor™ system enhanced by the technology of Exmor™. With its 45-degree rotated pixel layout, the 3 ClearVid CMOS Sensor system offers sufficient pixel surface area while it keeps high resolution. The technology of Exmor features a unique column-parallel analog-to-digital conversion technique and dual noise canceling, resulting in high quality digital signals with extremely low noise, similar to the imaging technology used in the PMW-EX1 camera.

New camcorders suit a diverse range of shooting requirements

The integration of the two new technologies allows the new camcorders to perform significantly better in low-light environments with sensitivity of 1.5 lux. *

This imaging technology is complemented by Sony’s Enhanced Imaging Processor™ (EIP) system to achieve high resolution, high sensitivity, wide dynamic range, and excellent colour reproduction.

The cameras’ shooting flexibility is further increased through the ability to attach different lenses. Both models are equipped with a universal standard 1/3-inch bayonet mount mechanism to make lens changes faster and easier. Each camcorder comes standard with a 12x high-quality, multi-purpose Carl Zeiss lens for HD video, with a Vario-Sonnar™ T* coating to reduce reflections. A specially designed 8x wide-angle lens is also available as an option, to suit a diverse range of shooting requirements.

These two newly designed lenses give Sony’s two new professional HDV camcorders the same functionality as popular fixed-lens camcorders like the HVR-Z1E and HVR-V1E, thanks to built-in features such as auto-focus, optical stabilizer, and automatic back-focus adjustment. Natural-touch lens operation is available by the improved design of the focus, zoom and iris rings. The new focus ring offers two types of manual focus, plus an auto focus mode that can be easily switched by sliding the focus ring forward or backward. The zoom ring has gearwheel mechanism and the iris ring now encircles the lens barrel.

It is also possible to use the α lens series designed for Sony Digital SLR stills cameras with a special adaptor.

The camcorders offer 1080/50i and 25p native progressive recording capabilities. The 3 ClearVid CMOS Sensor system and EIP technology create true 1080p images, which can then be recorded as progressive signals by the HVR-Z7E and HVR-S270E camcorders in the HDV format. The progressive HDV streams can be output from an i.LINK connector and used for progressive editing with compatible NLE software.

Ultimate flexibility in recording

The HVR-Z7E and HVR-S270E can switch between 1080p, 1080i in the HDV format, DVCAM, and DV recording, and both can down-convert material from HD to SD, and output the video signals through its i.LINK interface and other SD output connectors. The HVR-Z7E has an HDMI output. The HVR-S270E is available with HD-SDI or SD-SDI connectivity, and also supports embedded audio and timecode.

“Whatever your client requires, HDV or DVCAM, these cameras offer ultimate flexibility in recording. Now with enhanced 25P native recording, the camcorders offer the most flexible options possible in terms of shooting,” Drummond said, “customers can use existing SD interlace production workflow’s safe in the knowledge their purchase is fully future-proof for not only HD production, but also film-like progressive shooting when required.”

The HVR-Z7E and HVR-S270E are equipped with new XtraFine™ LCD and XtraFine EVF which offer high-resolution and high-contrast images with remarkable colour reproduction. The HVR-S270E features a new LCD/EVF configuration called “Dual Finder”. The LCD located on the EVF enables multiple styles of operation.

The new camcorders offer the option of hybrid recording when using a supplied memory-recording unit, which attaches directly to the back of the HVR-Z7E or the side of the HVR-S270E and eliminates the need for cables. The unit automatically synchronizes with the recording action of the camcorder and a special shoe connector inputs and outputs an HDV/DV stream and supplies power to the unit.

This unit captures the HDV1080i, DVCAM, or DV stream output from the camcorder and allows users to record HDV/DVCAM/DV files to a standard CompactFlash® solid-state memory card, while users are simultaneously recording to tape.

CompactFlash compatibility

It will be compatible with Sony’s Professional 300x CompactFlash card as well as standard CompactFlash cards (2GB minimum capacity, 133x minimum speed) for secure recording, high-speed access, large data capacity, removable media convenience, and resistance to vibrations. The recording times on an 8 and 16 GB CompactFlash card in HDV, DVCAM and DV format are approximately 36 and 72 minutes, respectively.

The HVR-Z7E can deliver more than 60 minutes of recording time on miniDV videotapes, and approximate recording times of 63 minutes** with Sony’s DigitalMaster cassettes (PHDVM-63DM). The HVR-S270E also accepts standard-size cassettes to provide more than 4.5 hours of continuous recording, with approximate recording times of 4 hours, 36 minutes** on Sony PHDV-276DM videotapes.

The HVR-M35E record and playback deck is compatible with HDV native progressive recording modes and supports HD/SD-SDI output with embedded audio and timecode data. The deck’s HD/SD-SDI output capability allows it to interface with other systems requiring HD/SD-SDI compatibility. It has a 50i/60i switchable function, and supports HDV1080i (50i/60i/24p/30p/25p) and DVCAM/DV (50i/60i).

The deck supports standard- and mini-size cassette, and accepts standard cassettes shot on the HVR-S270E or other shoulder-mount DVCAM camcorders. It can play back four-channel audio data in HDV1080i format recorded by the HVR-S270E, and it can also play back four-channel audio data in the DVCAM format. It also includes a 2.7-inch wide Clear Photo LCD plus™ screen, monaural speaker, edge crop adjust and a Duplicate Plus function for copying video and audio from another VTR.

The new products are each planned to be available in February.

*At 1/25 shutter, auto iris and auto gain
**In HDV format