Sony is expanding its line of professional HDV™ products with two new videocassette recorders capable of 1080i recording and playback, models HVR-M25U and HVR-M15U.
The new decks both offer HDV 1080i, DVCAM™ and DV SP recording and play back capability to provide users with an easy migration from standard- to high-definition production. Both are compatible with mini-size DV cassettes as well as standard-size cassettes that allow more than four hours of HDV recording with compatible tapes. In addition, both decks have a down-conversion function from HD to SD and are switchable between 60 and 50 Hz (NTSC/PAL) to provide full flexibility depending on production needs.
Other shared features include the ability to copy external timecode through the "HDV/DV in TC" feature and a range of connectivity options, including the i.LINK® (IEEE-1394) digital interface, component output, S-Video I/O, composite I/O, and analog audio I/O.
The HVR-M25U deck adds a ClearPhoto LCD plus 2.7-inch (viewable area, measured diagonally) 16:9 panel for increased user convenience and an HDMI output for connections to consumer television sets.
The model's Edge Crop adjustment helps operators adjust edge crop areas manually while down-converting in this mode. Duplicate Plus is a dubbing function that duplicates work tapes with the same time-code that the original tape contains through the i.LINK connection.
It also has a Custom Repeat feature and 1080/60i to 720/60p conversion capabilities (through the analog component and HDMI outputs only).
The HVR-M15U model is compact, with a small footprint that allows it to be unobtrusively added to existing work environments. Uniquely, it can be placed either horizontally or vertically.
Both of these new models complement the standard size version of Sony's DigitalMaster™ professional videotape, which the company recommends for professional HDV applications. The standard size tape offers up to 276 minutes of HDV recording time.
DigitalMaster is Sony's highest-quality line of 6mm DV videotape. With its dual-active magnetic layers, DigitalMaster tape features a greater carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR). This equates to higher retentivity, higher output and lower noise. The result is a more robust tape with significantly lower dropouts and errors, compared to consumer DV tape.
The HVR-M25U and HVR-M15U decks are scheduled to debut in June.
