Camcorder News
February 10, 2004XDCAM Takes a Step Towards Wide Spread Addoption with Avid Support
The new XDCAM disks include 23.3 GB of storage capacity as well as random access file selection. The disk itself is housed in a rugged plastic case that increases durability far beyond the normal DVD. Worthy of note is the differentiation between the blue-violet lasers used in the XDCAM and the Blu-ray laser technology found in consumer DVD products. XDCAM is one of the first commerical Blu-ray technology products to be announced. The XDCAM format makes use of a phase-change recording material to increase read/write speeds and also allows access by two simultaneous pickups.
Interestingly the XDCAM format is open in the sense that it stores the video and related information as data files. This allows a variety of pre-established formats to be recorded onto the Professional Disk. Currently the format can record DVCAM as well as MPEG-IMX however Sony stresses that the formats are expandable. XDCAM is officially compatible with Avid News Cutter and Media Composer systems, suggesting a serious focus on the Electronic News Gathering market.
Sony has often been the leader when it comes to innovations in recording media. Interoperability between XDCAM and Avid's non-linear editing systems is a huge step towards widespread adoption of this revolutionary format.
The first XDCAM recorders will be available in March.
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