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Sony PDW-U1 XDCAM Reader and Writer
I have been waiting for a firmware update to be released from Sony to greatly improve the device pictured above for almost two years! In fact, I did not buy it until just now. With the great improvements, I now feel that this hunk of metal is worth three grand. I have been using XDCAM blue laser (this is not blu-ray!!!) technology since it came out in early 2003 in the Boston television market. I use XDCAM EX as a cheap HD acquisition format, and I will finally be able to export footage off my Final Cut Pro timeline to XDCAM disk for delivery to clients who now demand the format. The PDW-U1 can now do that. Before the update, it was just a reader… now it is like a blu-ray burner on steroids. Also, I will now have a hard copy of all my work to archive for the ages. Everything that I have done is sitting on inexpensive external hard disk drives. That can be kind of scary when I sometimes forget to make a backup of my backup. Now, with the PDW-U1, I will have a master copy on the reliable and robust XDCAM 25 and 50GB disk as date files. Keep an eye on this page for more as I test the new firmware and run the drive for a few days straight! UPDATE 2/28/09: For more info on this drive and to download the software to make it work with your NLE, please go here. Then click “Downloads” on the lower right. 5 comments to Sony PDW-U1 XDCAM Reader and Writer |
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Copyright © 2012 Tom Guilmette - All Rights Reserved |
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Tom- any word on your U1 experience with the ver 2.9 release?
2008 @ NAB I saw a windows beta version working, with the capability of copying any data to the disc.
@steve cahill:
i will be doing a detailed test of this unit on saturday. i will let you know what i find out.
tomg
ps. according to sony, this unit only writes xdcam 422 footage to the disk, you cannot use this as a device to archive any type of data…yet, i await the future release of firmware for that. i will experiment.
Hi Tom,
just found your site. I would be interested in adapting your workflow since it seems the cheapest and most effective way. Rather than buying the PDW-1500 for a load of €.
Since you have tested PDW-U1 with the new software now. Are there any problems in writing on it. Can those Disks then be played back in standard decks like the PDW 1500 for transfer, dubbing etc.?
Thanks in advance for your reply.
Greetings from Munich
Christopher
i have had problems with the deck using snow leopard. now i just have leopard.
i have never used the u1 on windows but i can tell you that i have used it under snow leopard with no problems. you can write any data (mp3s, videos, word docs) into the “userdata” file folder on the xdcam formatted disk. if you want to send 50mbps 422 footage to the xdcam disk for playback with a deck, you just drag the files to the “userclips” folder.
Hi Tom,
How much faster is the 1500 than the USB-based U-1 for inputing recorded XDcamHD disks into an NLE such as Final Cut? I need to rent one of these units and the rental price difference is substantial (500/day for 1500 and 125 for U-1. Thanks for you input.
Robert