Sony Unveils Transfer Software For XDCAM HD & Macintosh OS X Platform

Sony has created new transfer software for use with the Macintosh OS X version 10.4 Tiger that provides interoperability between Sony s XDCAM HD Professional Disc system and Apple s Final Cut Pro editing software.

The software, which will be available as a free download, will be demonstrated by both companies during a 12-city tour that began June 28 and features product demonstrations and technology tutorials. The tour continues through August, making stops in Miami, Dallas, Boston; San Francisco; Los Angeles; Washington, D.C. area; New York; Atlanta; Chicago; Detroit; San Diego; and Minnetonka, Minn. At each stop, Sony and Apple executives and product specialists will demonstrate system interoperability.
Final Cut Studio is one of the first non-linear editors to provide a comprehensive workflow with our XDCAM HD system, said Bob Ott, vice president for optical and network systems at Sony Electronics. This is an important collaboration between us and Apple that can provide tremendous benefits and efficiencies to our customers.

The industry is in the midst of a dramatic transition to both high-definition and tapeless production, said Rob Schoeben, Apple s vice president of applications product marketing. Working in close collaboration, Sony and Apple have paved the way by defining the world s first complete XDCAM HD workflow, from acquisition to post.

Sony s XDCAM HD equipment and media allow the recording of 1080i video in three data recording rates: 25 Mbps, 35 Mbps, and 18 Mbps. The XDCAM HD system records high-definition content to Sony s existing Professional Disc single-layer media using an HD MPEG-2 Long GOP video compression codec. The Professional Disc media used in the standard-definition version of the XDCAM system is also compatible with the new HD version.

Industry professionals can now record up to two hours of high-definition content on the optical media, maintaining workflow continuity.

Final Cut Studio is Apple s HD video production suite that features Final Cut Pro 5, an upgrade to the Emmy award-winning editing software for DV, SD, HD and film. Final Cut Studio features state-of-the-art tools that complement Final Cut Pro 5, including Soundtrack Pro, an audio editing and sound design application that makes video projects sound as good as they look; Motion 2, the world s first real-time motion graphics application with GPU accelerated 32-bit float rendering; Compressor for pristine format conversions and encoding of digital content for DVD, the web, cell phone, and iPod; and DVD Studio Pro 4 for professional DVD authoring.