The XDCAM production system was first introduced in 2003, offering revolutionary file-based acquisition onto optical Professional Disc. In 2006, XDCAM HD was launched with camcorders and decks recording high definition pictures at up to 35Mb/s onto the same 23.3GB Professional Discs.

At IBC 2007, Sony demonstrated the latest status of development of products to expand the top end of the XDCAM HD line up – the PDW-700 camcorder and the PDW-HD1500 recorder.

The PDW-700 will take XDCAM HD performance to a new level. It will record stunning quality HD images at up to 50Mb/s onto 50GB Dual Layer Professional Discs. The PDW-700 will have three 2/3-inch progressive CCD sensors each with full 1920 x 1080 resolution using newly developed “Power HAD™ FX” technology. 14 bit A/D conversion, 4:2:2 sampling and recording, and advanced digital signal processing will ensure superb picture quality. The PDW-700 will also support recording in both 1080 and 720-line formats.

The PDW-700 has been designed to increase the appeal of XDCAM HD for applications such as news, European TV drama, documentary and mainstream entertainment programmes that required a high quality look.

File-based acquisition onto Professional Disc, with thumbnail and proxy operation will also make the PDW-700 ideal for fast-turnaround news and live applications where speed of production is a critical requirement
The PDW-700 will be the most highly specified XDCAM HD camcorder
The main features announced at IBC 2007 are as follows:

Three 2/3-inch Power HAD™ FX CCDs for RGB image capture, each with 2.2Mpixel resolution
Support for existing XDCAM HD and XDCAM SD formats
4 channels of digital audio
Dual-layer Disc (50GB) and Single-layer Disc (23.3GB) support
3.5-inch colour LCD
Thumbnail operation
Proxy recording and metadata
Compact and lightweight at 4.2kg (without viewfinder, lens, microphone and battery)
Dual HD/SD-SDI output and composite/HD-Y output
Built-in up-conversion to HD from SDI input when recording
HD/SD conversion and cross conversion between 1080 and 720 at the camcorder output during playback
Pool-feed input (HD/SD-SDI and composite) option
Ethernet interface
i.LINK interface