Sony Announces Palm-Sized HDV Cam with CMOS Chip
May 17, 2005
Park Ridge, NJ - Sony today announced the addition of a new palm-sized HDV camcorder, the HVR-A1U, to its line of professional-level HDV equipment. The new model (about the same size as Sony’s DSR-PDX10 DVCAM camcorder) features a single 1/3-inch, 3-megapixel Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) imager, and Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar® T* Lens.
Scheduled for availability this fall, the HVR-A1U is expected to list for under $3,500.
The camcorder’s CMOS sensor contains Sony’s own new and improved proprietary technology for CMOS imagers, and is coupled with Sony’s 14-bit Enhanced Imaging Processor (EIP). “The EIP is so fast, it offers many advantages in combination with the CMOS sensor, including the elimination of vertical smear,” said Bob Ott, vice president of professional video and audio products for Sony Electronics' Broadcast and Production Systems Division.
"The combination of a 3-megapixel CMOS sensor with our EIP chip enables a camcorder to capture and process high-definition video and still images with unprecedented levels of gradation and detailed image reproduction. And, due to the fast processor, videographers will be able to shoot video and stills at the same time, and playback still images as well,” Ott said.
Sony’s advanced EIP technology is also at the heart the HVR-A1U’s consumer counterpart, the Sony HDR-HC1 Handycam, which is expected to sell for less, but will not contain, the A1U’s professional-level features, such as balanced (XLR) audio and SMPTE time code.
The new HVR-A1U HDV camcorder complements Sony's first entry into the professional HDV market, the HVR-Z1U HDV camcorder, released in February, just prior to the 2005 WEVA Town Meeting Tour, which gave videographers nationwide their first hands-on view of Sony HDV products. Sony says more than 37,000 units of their HDV products have already been delivered to customers worldwide.
The new CMOS sensor is designed to produce natural and rich tones for both light and dark areas of an image. To achieve wide dynamic range, EIP technology employs an algorithm that separates image data into its texture patterns and brightness components.
Sony has reduced the size of the transistors within an image's pixel matrix, allowing for a larger area of the photo-sensitive portion of the pixel and enabling more light to be taken in than with a conventional CMOS sensor. In addition, the Correlated Double Sampling circuits on the sensor achieve extremely low-noise image quality.
Sony's CMOS-based sensor circuitry runs at lower voltage and consumes less power than conventional CCD-based processors, resulting not only in longer battery life but also allowing for the use of smaller batteries so the camcorders can be smaller overall.
The HVR-A1U can record and playback HDV, DVCAM™ and DV content, with the ability to down-convert footage into standard definition. A wide-screen Hybrid LCD monitor is also included. Other key features include:
*Still image capture - Maximum pixel size for still images is 2.8M (1920x1440) pixels in Memory Mode. Users can record 1.2M (1440x810) pixels in Tape and Play/Edit Mode.
*Histogram Indicator - Users can check the brightness of an object and easily adjust exposure by viewing this graphical presentation.
*Tele Macro - This feature enables users to capture a macro image from a distance, especially useful for shooting smaller moving objects, and it also provides the ability to make subjects more prominent against a backdrop and to suppress shadow projection.
The Sony 6mm DigitalMaster videotape is their recommended tape for HDV applications. The 63-minute cassette tape (model PHDVM63DM) uses Sony's AME Advanced Metal Evaporated (AME II) technology and their unique dual-active magnetic layers.
Sony notes their DigitalMaster tape exhibits greater packing density of magnetic grains, higher retentivity, higher output and lower noise. The result, says the company, is a more robust tape with 60% fewer dropouts and 90% fewer errors.
For more information visit:
Sony Professional
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