Sony High Definition
Format Guide
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Which High Definition format is right for you?
Q and A about HDV


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With the first High Definition (HD) broadcasts already launched in Europe, programme-makers are enthusiastically embracing the exciting business opportunities of better-looking, more seductive pictures.

Whether you’re shooting a prestige commercial, a flagship television drama series or a corporate production, High Definition gives the opportunity to capture your audience’s imagination with a vastly improved on-screen look and enhanced international marketability.
Just as importantly, High Definition increases the shelf-life of all your productions – making it the cost-effective key
to future-proofing your business. Sony realises every professional broadcaster and programme-maker has their own highly personal production agenda, creative preferences and budgetary constraints. That’s why Sony has created an integrated family of Sony High Definition formats to suit the needs of any project.
By giving you the choice to select exactly the right format for any type of production, Sony High Definition means that you never need to compromise your personal vision.
All Sony High Definition formats can capture images at full 1080 line resolution and are therefore ideally matched to the vast majority of worldwide High Definition transmission standards. This means that High Definition images can be viewed on the growing choice of HD-compatible television receivers and displays, readily down converted for Standard Definition (SD) transmission or re-purposed to suit
virtually any global distribution requirement… from DVD to e-cinema.
Which High Definition format is right for you ?
 Sony offers three High Definition format options, all delivering a balanced blend of features and performance that’s tailored to a wide range of real-world production needs and budgets.
1 HDV The affordable entry point to the world of High Definition.
With Sony HDV, the benefits of High Definition programme production are at last accessible to everyone. Offering an ideal migration path from DVCAM to entry-level HD production, HDV records pictures at 1080 line resolution onto a standard DV format cassette. As well as reducing camcorder size and weight to around that of ‘prosumer’ formats, use of this smaller cassette size cuts media costs. It also allows dual-format HDV/DVCAM recording and playback with the same camcorder or VTR editing deck – reducing hardware inventory requirements, storage and transportation costs. Furthermore, it’s easy to incorporate HDV material into the HDCAM world via an external converter.
A step up in quality from DVCAM, HDV makes it even more affordable for programme-makers to experience the
benefits of HD without a big price premium.
     
2 HDCAM

Prestige results on Standard Definition budgets.
The ideal medium for television drama, documentaries or commercials, HDCAM offers superb High Definition picture  performance while offering a convenient choice of workflow options.
Whether you prefer to post produce in HDCAM or downconvert for editing within existing SD infrastructures, HDCAM offers greater flexibility to match your creative preferences and production needs. Shoot at 25P to give your television productions a prestige, ‘filmic’ look. Alternatively, select 50i or 60i for a more immediate feel, especially with fast-moving action – the choice is yours.
HDCAM can be edited in a native, totally lossless environment with the Sony XPRI family of non-linear editing systems. It’s also easy to transfer HDCAM rushes via an i.LINK (IEEE 1394) connection for low cost off-line editing in SD with a wide range of popular desktop packages. Providing an ideal entry point to High Definition for production customers working within Standard Definition budgets, the new HDW-730S HDCAM camcorder is priced below equivalent Digital Betacam models.
     
3 HDCAM SR Ultimate quality for the most discerning users.
Preferred by leading media industry players thanks to its unparalleled picture quality and ultra-mild signal compression, HDCAM SR has been developed to accommodate the most demanding production applications.
From movies and commercials to sophisticated green screen effects, digital intermediates, telecine transfers and archiving, there’s no other format to match the peerless performance of HDCAM SR. Delivering breathtakingly natural, detailed pictures, HDCAM SR ensures that your flagship productions stand out while significantly driving down production costs. When nothing less than the very best picture quality and performance will do, HDCAM SR is the ultimate choice of the world’s most discerning creative professionals
    Blackmagic Camera 4K