Sony takes 4K High Dynamic Range production to the next level

Asia Pacific, 18 April 2016: Sony has today announced five key additions to its industry-leading line-up of 4K High Dynamic Range (HDR) production equipment for content and live production. These new products join existing solutions that have already gained an unrivaled reputation and incorporated into 4K HDR workflows at high profile live music, theater and sports events, blockbuster movies and landmark TV shows around the world.

The expanded line includes a new 4K 8x high speed system camera, HDC-4800, three new switchers, XVS-6000, XVS-7000, XVS-8000, and a new client monitor, PVM-X550. Further enhancements have also been made to the feature set of the HDC-4300 camera system, introduced at NAB last year as the world’s first camera to use three 2/3-inch 4K image sensors. The HDC-4300 is also HDR-capable and fully compatible with a wide range of existing products and production workflows. Sony will display these new 4K HDR solutions at Sony’s booth at NAB 2016.
Sony has been at the cutting edge of 4K and HDR technology for many years. Examples include HDR-capable Sony F55 and F65 cameras, which capture images with 16-bit RAW data capture, 14 stops of latitude range and superior colour performance. Over the past year, Sony has introduced the game-changing BVM-X300 TRIMASTER EL™ OLED master monitor. Sony is also leading the adoption of 4K and HDR content in the field of consumer technology, bringing stunning viewing experiences into homes with the release of its BRAVIA consumer range, including the XBR-X930D, X940D and X850D series announced at CES 2016.
Sony’s involvement in a number of key HDR productions, both live and cinematic, have already captured the imagination of the broadcast industry. Successful high profile 4K HDR trials using HDC-4300 and PMW-F55 cameras have taken place at a number of live events, domestic and international soccer games as well as the recent ‘Opening the Holy Door’ ceremony at The Vatican. CineAlta F65 and F55 cameras were used in a number of cinematic productions shot in 4K HDR including Netflix’s Original Series Marco Polo and the Amazon Original Series Mozart in the Jungle.

Further, the 2016 Sony Open in Hawaii, a PGA Tour event which was held in January, was shot and broadcasted in HD on the Golf Channel, using Sony’s HDR solutions. Sony’s HDC-4300 was used to capture all the action on the 17th hole in 4K resolution and simultaneously recorded 4K HDR images to separate servers. Sony’s F55 cameras were also used to shoot on-course segments for the 4K HDR production and converted to HD for the main broadcast thereafter.
Sony evolves 4K HDR production workflows

Today, Sony has strengthened its 4K HDR solution with the following additions:

HDC-4800: 4K 8x high speed system camera for live production.

BPU-4500, BPU-4000: Base-band processor unit for HDC-4300. Live-HDR mode will be available in Asia Pacific from August 2016 onwards.

PVM-X550: 55-inch 4K OLED TRIMASTER EL™ client monitor ideal for verifying 4K footage during production.

XVS-6000, XVS-7000 and XVS-8000: Multi-format switchers that support HDR signals.

This expanded line-up provides wide colour space of BT.2020 and supports HDR covering applications for both cinematography and live broadcast.

The PVM-X550, also announced today at NAB, is a quad-view OLED monitor that allows for customized individual display settings across four distinct views in HD.
“At Sony we believe everything the industry delivers starts with one vital and fundamental element – the image. Content creators familiar with the production of higher resolution 4K images are now turning to HDR to improve the viewer experience even further,” said Mr. Hiroyuki Takahama, Assistant General Manager, Content Creation Solutions Marketing, Professional Solutions Company (PSAP), Sony Corporation of Hong Kong Limited. “We have already seen the examples of movies, TV series and live end-to-end broadcast trials in 4K HDR. Our specialists have spent many years on-set, on-location and in the studio with customers and production crews around the world. This level of insight and understanding continues to drive our product and workflow developments in 4K HDR.”

The additions will be available in Asia Pacific at the following dates:

Model Availability
XVS-8000 May 2016
HDC-4800 August 2016
PVM-X550 August 2016
XVS-6000, XVS-7000 September 2016

For more details on Sony’s 4K HDR solutions, please visit Sony’s booth at the 2016 NAB show.