Sony's transcoding/MPEG-2 production equipment(smells like C-Cube)................................
tvbroadcast.com
Sony To Wave The MPEG Flag At NAB 2000
By Michael Grotticelli
New York -- During its pre-NAB meetings for the press, Sony Electronics executives outlined the company's plans for the upcoming NAB 2000 convention in Las Vegas and, along with a range of highly flexible HDCAM products that are switchable between 24/25/30 frames per second progressive and 60/50 interlace, the main thrust seems to be its commitment to the MPEG compression standard and completing the line of its related products.
"The introduction of a number of MPEG-based products and systems from Sony and other manufacturers promotes an open architecture," said Robert Ott, vice president of VTR and storage products for Sony Electronics' Broadcast and Professional Company. "These new products are designed to integrate with existing product lines to enable broadcasters... to easily migrate to digital networked systems in the future."
Ott and several other Sony product managers discussed the company's commitment to developing end-to-end solutions with an open system strategy based on MPEG standards. New product offerings include the MSW-2000 MPEG IMX series and MSW-M2100 VTRs, the MAV-2000 MPEG-based newsroom server and the DNE-2000 digital news editing system-that all support MPEG-2 4:2:2 P@ML I-frame compression at a bit rate of 50 Mbps using SDTI-CP interfaces. This interface ensures that no matter what 1/2-inch recording format is used-MPEG IMX, Digital Betacam, Betacam SX, Betacam SP, or standard Betacam-the bitstream interface throughout will be 50 Mbps, I-frame MPEG 4:2:2p.
"The critical element to these MPEG IMX products is our ability to transcode the data streams to give us the highest quality image," explained Hugo Gaggioni, vice president of technology for Sony's BPC division. "Transcoding allows the system to pass on compression decisions and parameters used in previous compression stages to subsequent stages, enabling high quality bit-rate and MPEG [group of pictures] changes.
This technique is used in the connection of Betacam SX and MPEG IMX VTRs when transcoding takes place between the 18 Mbps and 50 Mbps MPEG streams, according to Gaggioni.
Sony will also exhibit the DSR-2000 multi-format DVCAM VTR, that is available with an optional SDTI-CP board, bringing DV, DVCAM, and DVCPRO into the world of MPEG IMX. Sony said it will also offer optional transcoding boards for existing and future Betacam SX products. These boards transcode lower bit-rate data to match the 50 Mbps rate of MPEG IMX.
The MSW-2000 MPEG IMX series and MSW-M2100 VTRs both include multiple features without the need for any cassette adapters or without having to flip any switches. The VTRs automatically adjust to whatever format tape is inserted. Additionally, the MPEG IMX VTRs incorporate eight channels of 16-bit or four channels of 24-bit audio. Company executives said that over 32,000 MPEG IMX recorders have already been distributed worldwide.
At the show, Sony will also show its new line of HDCAM cameras--the HDC-900/950 studio/portable cameras--and the HDW-F500 studio VTR. The camera control units for these 1080i-native cameras will offer optional built-in digital converters to output the alternative 720/60p HD format, or a choice of SDTV formats, such as 480/60p/30p/60i.
Also, the new HDW-F900 24p camcorder, with lens mount and viewfinder supplied by Panavision, complements 24-frame film origination and looks to be the "film killer" in Hollywood for sitcom and dramatic series television production. This is the camera George Lucas is looking at to shoot his next Star Wars feature.
Although it didn't rule out the possibility of developing an Internet-related product-as so many companies have-Sony's Ed Grebow, president of Sony Electronics' Broadcast and Professional Company (BPC), did say that he recognizes the need to adapt to the changing times.
"We are entering a new era in broadcasting," he said. "The 21st century will see a merger of broadcasting, personal computing and telecommunications-and Sony is at the forefront. To be successful, companies will need to combine not only digital expertise, systems integration and service capabilities, but network experience and an understanding of electronic distribution platforms." |
