The Sony MSW-900

SONY MSW-900 camera / MPEG IMX recorder.

The new MSW-900 camera has many of the features of the latest Sony HDCAM cameras, in the affordable IMX tape format for standard definition production. Great for television and DVD production, some have even suggested that, due to the mild compression and 4:2:2 image, upconverted IMX footage can even compare favorably with HDCAM originated material.
16:9 / 4:3 switchable, and capable of 30p (segmented frame) origination, recording on the 50Mbps 4:2:2 P @ ML , I-frame IMX tape format, this camera is the ideal solution for those looking for a good transition to the widescreen, HD future.

MSW-900 Camera Specs

VTR Specs

Sound Specs

MSW-900 Features

Power HAD EX Sensor CCD

The latest generation of CCD from Sony incorporates a second, internal lens above each pixel. The combination of two lenses allows more light to reach the sensor, increasing the effective sensitivity of the camera. It's actually more sensitive than the HDW-F900 24-frame HD camera! And a thinner insulation membrane has reduced smear of this IT sensor to a spectacular -140dB... Better than the FIT sensors of only three or four years ago. This 1-megapixel CCD (twice the pixel count of the top-of-the-line Digital Betacam DVW-790) is also capable of progressive scan at 30 frames per second - a fabulous look for television production.

Digital Signal Processing

Digital Signal Processing is performed through a new 12-bit AD LSI chip - the use of a single chip also contributes to a substantial power consumption saving - the MSW-900 requires only 27W, which means longer run times and battery life. (Digibeta cameras, by comparison, tend to use around 32W.)

Features included in the camera are:

• User Matrix and Multi-Matrix - The User Matrix essentially sits above the base-level matrix of the camera, allowing new flexibility in color-matching and customization. Multi-Matrix divides the color spectrum into 16 axes, and allows the user to adjust the hue and saturation of each of these axes, essentially providing secondary color correction in the camera.
• Cross Color Supress uses a 3-line comb filter to reduce cross-color and dot crawl.
• Triple Skin Tone Detail expands on the traditional Skin Tone Detail feature. With the MSW-900, you can select up to three distinct color/hue ranges, which are not limited to "flesh tones." Image enhancement within each area can be controlled independently of the master scene.
• Selectable Gamma Tables allow the user to quickly switch between several preset Gamma Tables.
• Color Temperature Control allows the user to dial in a color temperature, to either A, B, or Preset white balances. This gives much improved control for those situations where you want to make an image "warmer" or "cooler.".

Menus & Memory Stick

Users can customize, not only the two user-assignable buttons on the side of the camera, but also the entire menu system. Menu items can be selected from any of the setup menus, and incorporated into customized user menu pages, so the camera operator no longer needs to page through several menus to get to the most commonly-used adjustments. The Memory Stick system allows storage and recall of camera setups. User Files, Scene Files, Lens Files, etc.

Progressive Scan Mode

The MSW-900 can be switched to 30-frame progressive scan mode. The image is then recorded as a 30p Segmented Frame - that is, the progressive image is broken into odd and even fields for recording. On playback, the original 30p frames can be recovered, but no special equipment is required to edit 30PsF footage - the playback VTR will output it as a standard, interlaced image which retains the desirable "30p Look."

For NTSC television production, there are significant advantages to 30p, when compared to 24p. 24p cameras essentially imitate the traditional film "pulldown" sequence, which means that the editor either has to convert the footage back to 24p for editing, or worry about editing on the split frame. This is even more of a concern for special effects artists, who usually have to do a reverse-pulldown in their software to eliminate this problem. . With 30p origination, there is no pulldown to contend with, so post production is straightforward.

Cache/Interval Recording

Use of the optional MSDW-903 Cache Card introduces two exciting new features:

CACHE RECORDING allows the user to select a cache of between 1 and 8 seconds... The signal is streamed from the camera to a buffer in the cache card before being recorded. So, if you set your cache for 4 seconds, when you hit "Record," you're actually starting the recording 4 seconds ago! (When you stop recording, the tape will continue to run for 4 seconds.) This is ideal for documentary production!

INTERVAL RECORDING uses the same card for time-lapse recording. You can program the camera to record a certain number of frames whenever you hit the "Record" button (like stop-motion animation), to record a certain number of frames at set intervals; or, you can select the duration of the actual event (Say, three hours) and the duration of the desired final tape (Say, one minute) and let the camera do the math. The interval recording feature fills the buffer first, then activates the tape transport and records the contents of the buffer all at once; this minimizes wear-and-tear on the tape transport and heads.

Audio Features

The camera uses 20-bit A/D conversion, resulting in extremely high-quality sound recording. 4 channels are available, and input-switching and monitor-selection have been improved to provide more flexibility.

One great feature is the ability to set the camera to sense when a source is plugged into the rear inputs (channels 1 & 2) and automatically switch to the rear inputs, regardless of the switch setting. For run-and-gun documentaries, this is another potential life-saver!