Sony acquisition format.

XDCAM HD is a high definition extension of Sony’s XDCAM (SD). The camera records files onto inexpensive rewritable optical media housed in a special cassette. The media is more advanced than Blu-ray disc and holds 23Gb of information. The cameras have the ability to record standard definition video in DVCAM mode.

XDCAM HD works only in 1080 size in either interlaced or progressive modes. It provides the following frame rates: 23.98p, 25p, 29.97p as well as interlaced frame rates: 50i and 59.94i.

As members of the Sony CineAlta family the XDCAM HD camcorders have advanced features such as true variable frame rate recording (4-60 fps), time-lapse, low resolution proxy creation and others.

The format uses 4:2:0 sampling and records highly compressed MPEG HD 8 bit signal to tape at 35Mb/second maximum. While these specifications are not the best on paper the image produced and recorded by XDCAM HD is quite good and the camera system is very rugged and designed with field use in mind.