There is no doubt that Sony’s XDCAM EX Solid State Media is going from strength to strength. In the earlier days of the format you could only purchase Sony SxS Pro Memory Cards in 8GB or 16GB sizes and with the introduction of the PMW-EX3 the Sony PHU-60K 60GB HDD Recorder but now the choice is huge and rapidly growing!
Sony MEAD-SD01
At present the current line up of Sony’s XDCAM EX Solid State Media is;
- Sony PHU-60K 60GB HDD Recorder
- Sony PHU-120K 120GB Professional Hard Disk Unit
- Sony 8GB SxS Pro Memory Card
- Sony 16GB SxS Pro Memory Card
- Sony 32GB SxS Pro Memory Card
- Sony 32GB SxS-1 Memory Card
- Sony MEAD-MS01 Memory Stick Adaptor
Apart from the media that is available from Sony there are many third party XDCAM EX Solid State Media from companies such as Hoodman, MxR and MxM. Read my article entitled ‘Alternative Media for the Sony PMW-EX1 and the PMW-EX3’.
However, that’s not all as Sony has just announced that it will be bringing out the all new MEAD-SD01. What is the MEAD-SD01? I hear you ask! Well, the MEAD-SD01 is the same as the MEAD-MS01 except that it uses SDHC Memory Cards instead of the highly expensive Memory Sticks.
Sony MEAD-SD01
The MEAD-SD01 works on the same principle as the ever popular MxR Adaptors, that so many EX-Users have come to rely on. At this time Sony Professional only recommends using the latest Class 10 SDHC cards in; 8GB, 16GB or 32GB capacities.
Much like the MxR Adaptor the MEAD-SD01 isn’t able to overcrank due to the speed limitations of SD Card. Furthermore Sony is saying that due to the nature of the adaptor and SD Cards that they are slightly less reliability compared to their SxS media.
The Sony MEAD-SD01 is compatible with the entire XDCAM EX family (PMW-EX1, PMW-EX1R, PMW-EX3, PMW-350) but they will require a firmware update which can be downloaded via the internet. However, the PMW-EX30 and PMW-10MD will need returning to a Sony service centre as they do not have a USB service port for connecting with a PC. The firmware update should be available around March 2010.
NOTE: The SBAC-US10 SxS Reader/Writer is not compatible because it only has PCI Express interface apposed to a USB interface.
The MEAD-SD01 and PXU-MS240 are also compatible once a firmware upgrade has been applied – due March 2010. All you have to do is simply slot the adaptor with SD Card into the PXU-MS240 unit to record content onto the MS240’s hard drive.
Check out my article entitled the ‘Sony PXU-MS240 Mobile Storage Unit’.
Well as soon as I can get my hands on the Sony MEAD-SD01, I give it a though testing and write an comprehensive review!
Happy shooting,
Paul
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