NAB 2016: Sony Intros Camera with 4K Recording at 480fps; Expands IP Production Lineup
Visitors to the Sony booth at NAB will have a chance to take a look at not only a new camera, the HDC-4800, that offers 4K recording at up to 480 frames per second in 4K or 960 frames per second at HD resolution and, coupled with the BPU-4800 baseband processor unit/replay server, creates a fully networked, 4K live ultra high-speed production workflow.
The HDC-4800 makes use of a new Super 35mm CMOS sensor and wide color space (BT.2020 and BT.709) and also supports PL mount lenses.
“This system will help sports professionals stop missing the most critical moments in sports,” says Alec Shapiro, Sony Electronics. “It sets new standard for 4K slow motion.”
Anticipated to be available in the camera can be connected via fiber to the BPU-4800 which offers up to four hours of recording and replay control. In addition, the BPU-4800 offers “Share Play” so that an operator using a Sony PWS-4500 multi-port 4K/HD live server can access the image data on the BPU-4800 through a dedicated IP network.
John Studdert, Sony Broadcast, VP of U.S. sales and marketing, adds that the system, which also allows for the operator to zoom in and extract an HD cut out from the 4K image, will create new opportunities for sports content creation.
“The HDC-4300 is still the workhorse for high-frame rate as it can go out to six times in HD so the 4800 is a nice complement,” he says. In addition, camera shaders won’t have to work any differently when working with either of the cameras.
“It opens up new ways to capture events that only our customers can imagine,” he says.
Rob Willox, Sony Electronics, marketing manager for content creation, says the camera can also work with Sony’s current HDC camera and accessories family so that it has a familiar operational feel right out of the box.
Sony’s HDC-4800 offers 16x HD slo-mo recording and 8x 4K slo-mo recording.
“This is the future of live production, designed to satisfy the storytelling aspect of modern sports production,” he adds.
The BPU-4800 replay server, meanwhile, can record up to four hours of continuous 4K capture at 8-times regular record speed without transmitting image data from the camera to a live server. With the integrated server on the BPU-4800, a replay operator can handle long record times and instant replay, with no need for an additional High Frame Rate data transfer operation. Connected with a dedicated IP network, the BPU-4800 and PWS-4500 servers can offer “Share Play” operation enabling any replay operator to access content from and send content to multiple servers, to create stunning highlight edits.
IP-based Production Switcher Ready for Future
Sony also introduced two new versions of the XVS production switcher: the XVS-6000 (2ME operation with 12 inputs in 4K mode and 4ME operation with 48 inputs in HD mode) and XVS-7000 (3 ME with 28 inputs in 4K mode and 6ME with 112 inputs in HD mode) that also supports HDR imaging and can allow for SDI and IP option boards to be placed in a single processor.
“The XVS switcher line can handle any kind of input and it also has an IP-enabled control panel that can be split into multiple configurations,” says Studdert. “And the XVS-8000 can handle five MEs so it is not a restriction to doing 4K production and there is no compromise whatsoever as it should be able to handle the most complex productions. And the good thing is you can start out operating it in baseband and then go to IP later by switching the boards. So the flexibility is there.”
Globo, Sony Build All-IP 4K Truck
Sony also announced that Globo TV in Brazil has taken delivery of the industry’s first all IP 4K truck. Raymundo Barros, Globo TV, CTO, says that the truck can handle up to 20 hardwired cameras and after extensive testing there was not one single point of failure.
“It’s cost effective and provides an infrastructure for new formats,” he explains. “The Olympics will be the truck’s first deployment and that there are no limits to what we can do with 4K and IP.”
The HDC-4800, BPU-4800 and expanded XVS switcher line are not the only new additions to Sony’s fully interoperable IP Live Production system with Networked Media Interface. Other introductions at NAB include the BPU-4500 base-band processor unit enabling the routing of 4K signals; the HDCU-4300: a combined camera control unit (CCU)/base-band processor unit (BPU) for the HDC-4300, optimizes the space needed within an OB environment; and the PWS-4500 multiport A/V Server that can handle four-times 4K signals/8x HD signals using XAVC 10bit Codec for high quality recording & playback including High Dynamic Range (HDR).
Other Sony announcements include:
Sony’s latest XDCAM shoulder-mount camcorder, PXW-Z450 is capable of capturing 4K (3840 x 2160) picture quality from its new 2/3-type Exmor CMOS sensor. The camcorder combines enhanced weight balance and low power consumption with field production features needed by broadcasters, including pool feed and multi-format recording. Users can also attach standard B4-mount lenses directly onto the camcorder’s body without the need for an adapter, providing the flexibility to easily change lenses.
Sony’s PXWZ-450 camcorder features 4K capture.
The camcorder also supports multi-format recording, allowing users to shoot at 1080p HD and switch to 4K 60p. The PXW-Z450 supports XAVC Intra and XAVC Long for 4K recording as well as MPEG HD422.
With high zoom ratio and depth of field, the PXW-Z450 supports pool feed functions (HD/SD-SDI), allowing broadcasters to record an external signal on an SxS card from another camera on-site without a portable deck.
The PXW-Z450 inherits many features from Sony’s PXW-X400. This includes the “ONLINE button” which lets users transmit proxy clips or stream AV signals to other equipment connected on the network.
For current PXW-X400 users, Sony will also introduce a 4K upgrade kit (CBK-Z450UK), which will offer users the same functionalities of the PXW-Z450. The camcorder is scheduled to be available by the end of 2016 and the upgrade kit in 2017.
Sony Professional Solutions Americas’ Media Backbone Hive is an omni-media network production system for news and sports, the successor to its well-known SONAPS news production system. Designed to meet the evolving production and operational needs of modern broadcast workflows, Hive provides end-to-end, camera-to-archive content and workflow management, delivering speed, easy integration, and production flexibility, designed to help news and sports production teams get their content where it needs to go, as fast as possible.
Hive’s unique architecture enables complex broadcast systems to be designed for the first time around a broadcaster’s current level of performance, while including scope for seamless future growth. Resource expansions, including storage, capacity, bandwidth and processing, can be added or subtracted at any time while the system is live. This means no investing in unnecessary assets and no down time.
“Media Backbone Hive is a technology enabler for the broadcast industry. It uses internet technologies, like Hyper Convergent Nodes, to deliver efficient operations and the opportunity for a significant reduction in the total cost of ownership,” says Ali Etezadi-Amoli, Director of Product Marketing, Sony Electronics. “It is also built with the future in mind. While our first releases are focused on news and sports applications, the core Hive platform already supports the integration of new toolsets and the development of new applications.”
Sony also unveiled the second generation of its Optical Disc Archive System, which adopts a new, high-capacity optical media developed jointly by Sony and Panasonic. This newest media, rated with a 100-year shelf life, doubles the capacity of a single cartridge to 3.3 TB. Generation 2 of Optical Disc Archive System also introduces an 8-channel optical drive unit, doubling read/write speeds over the previous generation, accommodating 4K video in real time and meeting the users’ increasing data storage needs.
Sony’s new PVM-X550 is a 55-inch 4K OLED monitor designed for client viewing and verifying 4K footage during production. The PVM-X550 is a quad-view OLED monitor, allowing customized individual display settings across four distinct views in HD, including: Electro-Optical Transfer Function (EOTF), Color space, Transfer Matrix and color temperature Contrast, Bright and Chroma, Interface (3G-SDI, HD-SDI including Single Link/Dual Link and HDMI), and Signal structure (RGB and YCBCR).
The new PVM-X550 is equipped with the same signal-processing engine as the BVM-X300, providing a 12-bit output signal for picture accuracy and consistency. It also supports industry standard color spaces including the wider ITU-R BT.2020 for Ultra High Definition. These all work in tandem with Sony’s TRIMASTER EL technology.
Sony’s HDC-4800 offers 16x HD slo-mo recording and 8x 4K slo-mo recording.