Sony Celebrates Milestone Sales Of Its HD Line-Up At NAB

Under the theme of "HDNA", visitors to Sony's stand at NAB (No. SU906) will experience the full range of Sony's HD broadcast and production technologies, including: Sony's new HDV camcorders with hybrid media flexibility; the growing XDCAM HD family and XDCAM EX solid-state system; the F23 and newly announced F35 CineAlta camera systems; and professional display products.
Sony Europe's Vice-President Naomi Climer said that she believed the company's ongoing commitment to technology innovation, a diverse product range and strong client relationships is a key driver of this year's strong sales, which include a 32% in the XDCAM tapeless format.
With current worldwide sales of 31,000 units, Sony's XDCAM range is expanding with the addition of a new camera, deck and dual layer professional disc media, all capable of 50 Mb/s 4:2:2 optical disc recording. The new series includes the PDW-700 2/3-inch three CCD camcorder and the PDW-HD1500 recording deck, as well as the dual layer 50GB version of Sony's optical Professional Disc media, the PFD50DLA.
With customers including TVN in Poland and SRG in Switzerland and pre-orders in EMEA set to surpass fifteen million US dollars in sales before XDCAM HD422 begins shipping in May, Sony is confident it can continue its strong sales in the tapeless workflow marketplace.
Sony has also achieved strong sales of its entry-level PMW-EX1 solid-state camcorder, with orders exceeding sixteen million Euros in the seven months since its launch at IBC 2007. At NAB, Sony will further extend the XDCAM EX line up with the introduction of the PMW-EX3, a semi-shoulder camcorder with a half-inch interchangeable lens system, genlock and remote control functions. Also launched will be the PMW-EX30, a Compact Memory Recorder with built-in 3.5" colour LCD Monitor, DV down-conversion via i-Link and an HD-SDI input/output.
In addition, to these two new hardware products, Sony is launching version 2.0 of ClipBrowser software offering enhanced workflow operation.
Following the announcement of the F35 to Sony's CineAlta range in February 2008, visitors to NAB will see the full functionality of the latest digital cinematography camera for the first time. The new addition to the line-up provides greater choice for the film community as they can now choose between the F23's 2/3" sensor, which is ideal for a longer depth-of-field or low light conditions, or the F35's Super35mm sensor, which can capture full resolution 1920 x 1080 RGB 4:4:4 material using a large number of PL mount 35mm film lenses and accessories.
Also included in the CineAlta range is HDCAM SR, Sony's premium VTR technology. This year Sony has added new file transfer capabilities to its studio editing deck, the SRW-5800. Suited to a broader range of HD and DI applications and with the HKSR-5804 option board, the deck can support DPX RGB and Cineon 10-bit files and transfer capabilities can be controlled through common browser applications like Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safan.
Building on the unique characteristics and innovative design of the award-winning BVM-L230, which has already sold over 100 units in Europe alone, the new BVM-L420 is the latest addition to Sony's range of LCD master monitors. With an increased 42-inch display and an improved design, the new model is ideal for applications requiring critical monitoring such as high-end post production.
Sony manufactures audio, video, communications and information technology products for the global consumer and professional markets. Further information is available at: www.sony-europe.com.
(KMcA/JM)